Mitt Romney's speech on faith and American political life has been reviewed far and wide. Those from Republican/conservative/evangelical sources have been generally very favorable. Those from Romney partisans have been generally glowing.
I thought it was a good speech on the merits, but not a great one. Romney delivers a speech as well as anyone in politics today. But I think reviewing the speech substantively is a waste of time, because it wasn't a "position" speech. This was a speech delivered purely for political reasons and political effect. Judging from the early reactions, in that respect it was a home run.
The last week or so has been all about Mike Huckabee. His rise in the Iowa and national polls released recently has fueled the "buzz," and as usually happens in political coverage, the "buzz" engenders more coverage. Also as per usual, the attention hasn't all been favorable, but on balance it has been a big boon to Huckabee's campaign.
Romney needed to stop that spiral of celebrity before it got out of hand. Given that part of the reason for Huckabee's gains in Iowa has resulted from anti-Mormon sentiments and suspicions, it was also evident that Romney needed to address that phenomenon sooner rather than later. The speech he gave filled both needs. While Huckabee struggles a bit with the spotlight, Romney demonstrates his maturity and understanding. His speech wasn't brilliant, but it was well enough informed to put a distance between him and the Arkansasan on the seriousness scale.
Romney showed his executive side, which compares well with Huckabee. There's more than a difference in policies between them, there's a difference in class. This might not be enough to save victory in Iowa, which was always a key part of Romney's plan for the campaign. If it isn't, though, it is difficult to suggest what he might have done.
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Filed under:
2008 Presidential Race, Primaries, Republican, Romney
Tags: presidential campaign, primaries, Republicans, Romney, speech
Comments (2)
I think Romney's speech was... (Below threshold)1. Posted by forrestal | December 7, 2007 2:29 PM | Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
I think Romney's speech was very, very, very light on his own personal beliefs. This was a token speech, given by a token Republican. Mitt Romney has to talk about his religion, because people don't see him living it. Candidates like Huckabee and McCain actually live through their faiths -- and it shows. They're both godfearing men, not shameless promoters of some "compassionate conservative" mumbojumbo.
1. Posted by forrestal | December 7, 2007 2:29 PM |
Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
Posted on December 7, 2007 14:29
2. Posted by bryanD | December 7, 2007 10:20 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Romney in toga at the Bush Family Mausoleum:
http://www.artofeurope.com/shakespeare/sha10.htm
Tags: subtext
2. Posted by bryanD | December 7, 2007 10:20 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on December 7, 2007 22:20