As we saw on Monday at the USF debate, Mitt Romney was more assertive, Newt Gingrich was less snarky and Brian Williams didn’t play John King and become a media piñata.
But this question remains: Why hasn’t Romney, who is well-educated, business-savvy, smart, experienced, wealthy and well-organized been better prepared?
Questions about his wealth and taxes were issues in 2008. Nothing, seemingly, was learned. Did his campaign ask Tiger Woods for PR help? In short, why did it take a South Carolina trouncing, a Florida crucible and the rise of an arrogantly flawed, fast-on-his feet opponent with resign-in-disgrace-Freddie Mac-K Street-Nancy Pelosi-Tiffany-Callista baggage to prompt Team Romney into trying to do what it should have be doing all along? That is, prepare the candidate with the appropriate business-leader-in-tough-economic-times script and worry less about the impression made on yahoos, the evanjello-brain crowd and anyone who perceives that a really, really rich guy is not like them.
Despite Monday’s improved performance, which included some frontal assaults on Gingrich, we are yet to hear this core presentation from Romney:
“I was fortunate enough to be born in this country. And I was fortunate enough to acquire a skill set that has enabled me to profit from free-enterprise opportunities as well as run an Olympics and govern a state. I don’t apologize for success in a capitalist system that will always have winners and losers. The charge is to always max out on winners. My track record underscores that reality. As your president, I want to put these skills and experiences to work to help those who also deserve the best chance to realize their potential. America is not the land of guaranteed results, but it remains a beacon of opportunity. However much this economic landscape has changed over these last few years, that reality hasn’t changed. It takes the right leadership. I can do this. This is America. We can do this.”