Opinion: Ann Romney's RNC Speech Helps Mitt's Image
Aspiring First Lady spoke at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday night and did her job quite well. Her job was to promote her husband as the all-around great American and tremendous family man that the nation would love to have as a president of the United States.
From recent analyses and various polls, Mitt Romney – the candidate – needs to look more like a regular guy from a regular American family to the public. Though perhaps short on personal Mitt Romney stories, Mrs. Romney convinced persons who listened to her speech that she has been a regular housewife in the difficult role of managing the needs of a big – yet typical – family.
She said: “Tonight, I want to talk to you from my heart about our hearts. I want to talk not about what divides us, but what holds us together as an American family… I want to talk to you about love…” And that’s exactly what she did for most of the speech while the nation’s eyes were on her.
Regardless of what one may think of Mitt Romney, the man who is being confirmed as the Republican’s presidential nominee of 2012 to run against President Barack Obama in the national election to be held on November 6, Ann Romney is obviously sincere in her endorsement of him as a great man and a great humanitarian, as well as a tremendous husband, father and grandfather.
As any First Lady or aspiring First Lady, this was Ann Romney’s most important speech – and likely the most important moment – in her life. Mrs. Romney, 63, but looking somewhat younger than her years, appeared vibrant as she spoke confidently - looking directly into the camera – and speaking convincingly and warmly of the man she has been married to for the past 43 years.
Prior to the telecast, she spoke of being nervous because of the teleprompter. Unlike so many speakers in these times, she admitted that Tuesday night’s speaking engagement was the very first time she ever relied on a teleprompter to speak publicly.
Besides the Romneys’ impressively long marriage for their ages, the couple has five sons and 18 grandchildren. She let the Convention attendees and viewing public at-large know that the Romney family is not the “storybook” life the media has tried to portray due to their wealth. She made it known that the family is much like any other family who raised many children accompanied by natural difficulties through the years. Her descriptions of managing a family of five boys reportedly resonated well with American women.
In her own words, she said: “I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a storybook marriage. Well, in the storybooks I read, there were never long, long rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer. A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage. “
The words about MS and breast cancer were in reference to Ann Romney’s own personal health challenges through her lifetime.
The speech gave much of what Ann and Mitt Romney have been trying to reveal about themselves throughout the misleading negative campaigning of 2012 which has put them on some imaginary pedestal due to Mitt Romney’s business success and extreme wealth.
They, too, like most American families, have obviously experienced life’s uncertain challenges intertwined with their successes.
About Scott Paulson
Scott Paulson writes political commentary for Examiner.com and teaches English at a community college in the Chicago area. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
