Campaign Management 101 argues there’s inherent value in getting a candidate out in public as often as possible, shaking hands and meeting people. A voter who meets a candidate in person is far more likely to cast a ballot for him or her.
It’s counter-intuitive, but I tend to think Mitt Romney would actually be better off enjoying more quiet time by himself.
“You might be shaking the president’s hand,” Mr. Romney told a man in Mobile, where a rainstorm forced his supporters to seek shelter on the porch of a cafe.
Really, who talks like this? More importantly, who thinks like this?
In polite society, people tend to say, “It’s nice to meet you.” Folks don’t generally say, “You must think it’s nice to meet me.”
For all the talk on the right about Barack Obama being arrogant, I can’t recall him campaigning in 2008 and saying something like, “It must be great for a guy like you to be shaking hands with a guy like me.” In fairness, I should note that Romney seemed to realize his mistake yesterday, and added, “Then again, you might not.” That’s better, but it doesn’t quite change the fact that the Republican’s first instinct was to say, out loud, as arrogant a line I’ve heard from a presidential candidate in a long while.
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