Mitt Romney and RNC, Essay Example

Mitt Romney’s career has come to be defined by his work at Bain Capital and his wealth as well as privileged upbringing has created the impression that he is out-of-touch with the issues of an ordinary American. In addition, Romney has also struggled with gaining considerable support among women due to his positions such as opposition to abortion. Thus, it is obvious how RNC provided a valuable platform to Romney to build his public image and Romney did try to take advantage of the opportunity.

As I watched Romney’s speech, his attempts to present himself as an ordinary American through personal stories including his dad’s indicated he was aware of his elitist image. In addition, he mentioned how he appointed women to important positions as Governor of Massachusetts, in order to increase his appeal to women. An online article, commenting on Romney’s RNC speech, claims that Romney is following Obama’s 2008 strategy to turn personal image into an asset and he did use his speech towards the goal. In addition, he also tried to bridge the gender gap but it may be too late for Romney to build significant support among women (Nigam).

While I will commend Romney for making an effective use of the opportunity to polish his public persona, I think his efforts will yield little results because a single speech, no matter how well it is written, cannot counter the public persona that has been built over the years. In addition, his opponents will continue to portray him as elitist in attack ads. His attempts to connect to women were less effective because he offered little specifics as to how his policies will advance the progress of women. In addition, his vow to protect the sanctity of life reaffirmed the belief that he would continue to oppose abortion.

Reference

Nigam, Neha. Romney vs Obama: 5 Reasons Mitt Romney RNC 2012 Speech Failed. 24 September 2012 <http://www.policymic.com/articles/13958/romney-vs-obama-5-reasons-mitt-romney-rnc-2012-speech-failed>.