The Awfully Nice Romney Family

At the Republican Party’s convention, Ann Romney initiated an offensive of charm for her husband. Behind it a frightening question is concealed: Do the Americans have to love Mitt Romney, or does respect suffice to win the election?

The issue is neither politics nor the party. “I want to talk with you about love,” says Ann Romney. The wife of the Republican presidential candidate has an important task on the first evening of the party’s convention: She is supposed to introduce Americans to the man she married 43 years ago. Ann Romney shall speak about the personality, not about the calculating politician, financial investor and deeply devout Mormon, with whom the voters — in polls — still are shy. His wife assures them: “You can trust Mitt!”

To prelude the convention, Romney is in a good pole position in order to contend with the Democratic incumbent, Barack Obama. In many surveys they are neck and neck. The present state of the economy, which is considered the most important issue amongst voters, benefits Romney: Obama would be the first president who succeeded in being reelected with the unemployment rate over 8 percent.

But Romney has a big problem as well: He would be the first candidate to win a presidential election despite being personally less popular than his opponent. On this scale, Romney has a lot of catching up to do. According to a survey by the Washington Post and broadcaster ABC, only 40 percent of the respondents are of the opinion that he is likeable — in comparison to 50 percent who regard Obama as amiable. Romney performs poorly, particularly from the women’s perspective. A flood of complaints from Obama’s political camp has yet again intensified Romney’s image as an elitist multimillionaire and stone-cold capitalist.

In his own discourse, with which he has accepted his nomination on last Thursday, Romney is obliged to present his human aspects in front of millions of television viewers. His wife prepares the ground for this act. She vouches for the belief that the “Tin Woodman,” as the American media has dubbed Romney, actually has a heart — similar to the character in the novel “The Wizard of Oz.” At the same moment, she illustrates herself as the women’s ally. She speaks about the economic concerns that distress many Americans before falling asleep. “Those who listen carefully will notice that the women sigh a little more than the men.”

The Voice Quivers, the Laughs Seem Inhibited

Judging by the applause, the offensive of charm succeeds, at least in Tampa. “We love Ann!” is written on signboard held up by a group of delegates. In this hall, Ann Romney was considered the queen of hearts a priori. When in contact with voters and in interviews, she is charming and appears more natural than her husband. Her fans don’t seem to be bothered by the fact that a major portion of this spontaneity goes astray during her solo performance at prime-time. Her voice quivers; the choruses of praise on her husband and the occasional piercing laughs sound inhibited. The nostalgic reminiscence of the artless student life, which the young couple — coming from privileged parental homes — allegedly bore over their study period, sound very dodgy. “We ate a lot of pasta and tuna,” recounts Ann Romney. “Our dining table was an ironing board in the kitchen.” She reports that the man who she became acquainted with as a 16-year-old girl during a dancing party still makes her laugh today. How he does that she does not reveal. Mitt Romney himself has written about his sense for humor: “I love laughing, and I love jokes.”

Praise for Romney: He Is Antediluvian and a Respectable Man

For the audience, it is more important that he is an affectionate and responsible family man. Not only does Ann Romney testify to this, but so do the five adult sons who attend the delegates’ breakfast meetings. The Romneys are a “good, healthy American family,” says party congress visitor Grace Rentiers, who comes from South Carolina and has supported Romney since 2008.

In terms of family values, the Mormons, who marry at a young age and have big families, offer a wide range of positive aspects to American conservatives. Romney is “old-fashioned” and a decent man, Kirk Jowers, a delegate from Utah who got to know the candidate through the Mormon community, praises. He believes that the public faces Mormonism — which has often dismissed as a cult — more openly than in 2008.

Nonetheless, Ann Romney returns to the qualities that most likely make her husband eligible for election: his ambition and competence. “Nobody will work more assiduously […] than Mitt Romney in order to make this country a better place,” she promises. The next orator, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, clarifies it even more concisely. He criticizes the politicians who overexert themselves to become beloved — a side blow to Obama. Then he says:

“Tonight we will choose respect for love.”