Romney's "re-introduction" focuses on his resume
(CBS News) As he prepares to formally accept the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney is working to connect with voters who feel they don't know him well enough to vote for him. But rather than sharing family stories or childhood memories, the candidate is focusing on explaining his resume.
Voters this year, Romney said in an interview published Friday in the Wall Street Journal, are "looking for someone who can make things better in America. They're not looking for someone to run another version of 'This is Your Life.'"
Indeed, polls continue to show that no issue matters more this year than the economy. Still,
The most recent Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll of three key battleground states showed that a majority of voters in Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida think that President Obama cares about their needs and problems. In all three states, Romney trailed Mr. Obama on that measurement by 13 to 18 points. More than half of voters in those states have favorable views of Mr. Obama while their views of Romney are more negative.
Romney is attempting to improve his image among voters with a series of more personal interviews with outlets like People Magazine and Parade Magazine. He refused, however, to appear in web videos his campaign produced to introduce him to voters, the Journal reports. Instead, his wife, Ann, starred in the videos. Romney told the Journal he doesn't want to use his campaign as "a way to personalize me like I'm a piece of meat."
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Instead, the GOP candidate is aiming to connect with voters in the general election by explaining how his business experience has prepared him for the presidency.
"My business experience confirmed my belief in empowering people," Romney wrote in an op-ed in Friday's Wall Street Journal. "My faith in people, not government, is at the foundation of my plan to strengthen America's middle class."
Romney's record as the founder of the private equity firm Bain Capital has been the subject of harsh attacks from the Obama campaign, which has sought to cast Romney as a heartless corporate raider. Romney uses his op-ed to explain his company's role in turning around struggling companies -- and to turn the attacks back on Mr. Obama's economic management.
"I'm not sure Bain Capital could have grown or turned around some of the companies we invested in had we faced today's anti-business environment," Romney wrote.
As president, Romney wrote, he would improve the economic climate for entrepreneurs and small businesses by reducing and simplifying taxes, repealing Mr. Obama's health care reforms and stemming regulations.
"A broad message emerges from my Bain Capital days: A good idea is not enough for a business to succeed," he wrote. "It requires a talented team, a good business plan and capital to execute it."
