Today’s feature story at the corrupt Politico is written by Maggie Haberman (you remember her) and, in order to aid and abet the Obama campaign’s narrative about how secretive and shady Romney is, the article is titled “The Hidden Mitt.” The story is an epic piece of concern-trolling and tells the tale of a presidential candidate who doesn’t like to talk about himself, including the many unselfish good deeds he’s done throughout his life and the many successes he’s enjoyed in both government and the private sector.
Politico just can’t understand why Romney doesn’t run around the country bragging about himself more. They float the idea that this not-very-smart (in their opinion) political strategy is to keep the focus on Obama, to keep the focus off Mormonism or that it might have something to do with this Bible quote:
Don’t do your alms before men, do them in secret, and your Heavenly father will reward you in secret.
Whatever Romney’s reason are, Politico trying to bait and lure Romney into becoming Oprah is nothing more than the laying of a trap and reportorial laziness probably brought about by getting out of practice when it comes to *ahem* vetting candidates:
Mitt Romney is a man of faith, successful in business and with the executive experience that comes from running a big state.
A perfect presidential résumé? Pretty close.
Only one problem, as his critics note: Romney doesn’t spend much time talking about it.
The presumptive GOP nominee is known for his abilities as a salesman. But Romney has made a calculation against selling three major elements of his background to voters. To some degree, the Republican’s campaign has walled off three critical aspects of what makes Mitt Mitt — his Mormon faith and good deeds, details of his experience running Bain Capital and his signature achievement as Massachusetts governor.
The result: a kind of self-imposed paralysis on biographical messaging that some observers, including Republicans, say may wound his campaign in an era in which voters want to achieve a kind of unprecedented intimacy with their candidates. Right at the moment voters are starting to get to know him, he isn’t telling them his story.
It’s a risky strategy for a candidate in an era of more is more.
Well, everything’s a risky strategy at this level and, if Romney has learned nothing from watching the corrupt media systematically whack-a-mole every potential threat to Obama — from private citizens like Joe the Plumber to the years-long campaign to grind a self-made mother of five from Wasilla into dust — it’s that you don’t give the cretins ammo.
Romney must know that any attempt to discuss his many fine qualities as a private and public citizen will only result in major front page journOlisting stories at Politico and elsewhere about how he got this detail wrong and how he got that detail wrong — and whatever else they can do to keep the focus on Romney The Shady Liar and off an economy that is probably headed towards another recession.
Hey, Politico, how’s this for an idea: if you’re so curious about Romney’s good deeds and successes — why don’t you do some reporting on them?
Just an idea.
Oh, yeah — that might help Romney.
But should Romney start talking himself up, you can beat him senseless.
We’re on to you and, thankfully, so is our guy.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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