Mitt Romney has always been a candidate more of the head than the heart. He looks presidential enough, and particularly for Republicans, his resume as a successful businessman is admirable. He certainly seems smart and competent. But no rock stars are going to be putting together songs like this one about the Romney candidacy. Not even songs like this one. Nobody is moved to tears by a Mitt Romney speech. In years hence, Republicans will not be telling their grandkids about how the 2012 campaign was the one that meant the most to them, the time when they felt that politics could be uplifting and inspiring, the one that made them feel like citizenship was something participatory and meaningful.
All that seems pretty plain. But the Romney campaign isn't willing to go down without giving that whole "inspiring" thing a shot. Here's their latest ad:
The ad promises that, of course, on the first day of his presidency Mitt Romney will start creating jobs, what with all his job-creating job creation getting going. But that's not all. When Mitt Romney takes office, you're going to feel something. Something good. "There's something more than legislation or new policy," the narrator says. "It's the feeling we'll have that our country's back. Back on the right track. That's what will be different about a Romney presidency."
I have a feeling, too. It's a feeling that they're still trying to get their conservative base excited about this election. The only people who are going to get the feeling that our country is back immediately upon Mitt Romney's election are people who think their country got stolen by Barack Obama. It's his absence that will give them that feeling, not Mitt Romney's reassuring presence. But maybe I'm wrong.
