The truncated schedule of the Republican National Convention no doubt created a series of challenges for organizers. Each night had been carefully planned to stress specific messages and themes, but Hurricane Isaac forced the RNC to start pushing speeches together.
Last night, that was unfortunate. The two biggest primetime speakers were New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who made the case for respect trumping love, and Ann Romney, who said the exact opposite — what matters, she said, is love of family and love of country.
All of the media praise for Ann Romney’s speech was well deserved — she delivered her remarks like a pro — but I’m not at all sure if she succeeded in her goal.
If you’ve followed coverage of the convention this week, you’ve no doubt seen one word many times: “humanize.” Ann Romney’s speech was intended to make her husband appear more likable, more relatable, and more like an actual person.
But if that was the purpose, the speech missed the mark. The remarks made it easier to like Ann Romney, but not Mitt Romney. Given all the buzz about “humanizing,” I expected a speech that cast the candidate in a warm, glowing light, but she spoke at length about qualities we already knew — Romney worked hard, made money, and loves his family and country. That’s certainly nice, but did anyone watch the speech and suddenly feel more affection for her husband? Or is it clearer than ever that the only folks truly excited about the Romney candidacy are those who share his last name?
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