The formula never changes.
Political victory parties are orchestrated, by-the-numbers love-ins: for the candidate–and for all those celebrating vicariously. They include maneuvering an adoring, squeaky clean demographic behind the candidate for that national-victory-speech tight shot. Also cueing up the high-decibel, Country and Western music and making sure at least one prominent sign mentions “vets.”
And the bigger the election, the bigger the media turnout. But the contrasts with the Rapture crowd are still starkly the same. Another day at the over-the-top, news-event office for the chroniclers. More familiar sound bites. Another deadline.
The most recent Exhibit A: last week’s Florida primary gathering for Mitt Romney at the Tampa Convention Center. Some observations:
* Upstairs at the “Media Filing Room” several hundred national, print-media types were getting ready for the Panhandle vote to end and the Romney Show to begin. They were flanked by two huge TV screens. Both tuned in to CNN.
* Within a minute of the closing of the Panhandle polls at 8:00 p.m., CNN had its projected winner based on early-voting totals and exit interviews. Exit drama, enter overanalysis. John King seemed to savor using the verb “shellacked” in describing Newt Gingrich’s impending, double-digit loss. Could it be that he was reveling with a cause after having been humiliated by Gingrich at that South Carolina debate?
* Downstairs, a break-out room was packed with Romney supporters, staffers, local politicos, the ubiquitous Ron Weaver and electronic media. Yes, Candy Crawley was in the house, noting that this was “The most excited ballroom I’ve seen (in the past few weeks).” That’s because the exuberant crowd actually did the Panhandle countdown out loud. The thousand or so awaiting Romney were flanked by two huge TV screens. Both tuned in to FOX.
* The pleasant Ann Romney introduced her husband, after introducing her kids and grandkids and then giving some shout outs to Secretary of Agriculture Adam Putnam, CFO Jeff Atwater and Attorney General Pam Bondi. She also mentioned the three South Florida amigos, the Brothers Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who back her husband as well as a notorious, counterproductive foreign policy with Cuba. It comes with the pragmatically loathsome territory.
Can’t help reflecting on the contrast with Callista Gingrich. There’s a real good reason why she doesn’t introduce her husband. No need to further underscore that she could be the First Mistress.
* Within 15 minutes of the network projections, Mitt Romney came bounding in–looking not unlike a wizened, more mature version of Robert Redford in “The Candidate.” Cue Kenny Chesney again for “This Is Our Time.”
It wasn’t a stemwinder, but Romney’s speech was what it needed to be. He congratulated his opponents, warned Democrats that a “competitive primary prepares us–doesn’t divide us,” sprinkled in mantras about “restoring America’s greatness” and “fighting for the America we love” and lashed out at Obama. The latter included a snidely ironic reference to Obama’s “colleagues in the faculty lounge.” This coming from a guy with two Harvard degrees. No, he won’t be using that line in the post-primary campaign
* We’ll give the last word to former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker who was exchanging high fives with Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe after Romney’s presentation. He is now an official “Senior Advisor on Urban Policy” for the national campaign. He came to that role circuitously. He backed Romney four years ago, but then curiously–ok, dumbfoundingly–hopped on the Herman Cain pizzawagon in 2011. Now he’s back on board.
“I didn’t participate in that decision (to defy the RNC and move up the Florida primary to Jan. 31),” underscored Baker. “But I think it was the right one. Look around. I think it was vindicated tonight.”