Report: Romney '08 Wanted 'Yes, We Can' As Campaign Theme

A new book, The Real Romney, by Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, describes a slide show put on by Romney’s campaign team:

One of the campaign’s chief concerns was that Romney would be tagged, as one slide put it, as “Flip-flop Mitt,” given his changes on issues such as abortion. The media team urged Romney to counter that with a forward-looking brand. One of the slides suggested that Romney use this as his catchphrase: “Yes, we can.” But Barack Obama would take it before Romney could. Whatever the phrase, Romney had to be sold as an “optimistic, conservative leader who is calling upon the strength of the American people [to] lead us into the future to a better place.” (284)

It’s no surprise then that, in 2012, Romney’s campaign theme is: “Believe in America.”