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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs There a Chance Voters Will Find Romney's Klutziness Endearing?
Mitt Romney occasionally comes off as so out of touch he might as well be a foreigner. We laugh at his gaffes and his malapropisms, but when Dubya did the same thing, voters found it endearing.
Can it be that Romney's clumsiness will strike a sympathetic chord among voters? Is Mitt the millionaire you can like?
AJTheMan
(288 posts)DJ13
(23,671 posts)Umm, no.
Kalidurga
(14,177 posts)painfully awkward kind of klutzy. Mitt is the poster millionaire for the painfully awkward kind of klutzy its like he is trying to convince people he is human. I am still skeptical.
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)nt
Smilo
(1,944 posts)the bank in the USA and his money bounced to the Cayman Islands.
rocktivity
(44,577 posts)If only because we know the consequences of it can be.
rocktivity
NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)(At least in 2000, before he destroyed the economy and laid ruin to the country).
Bush's stupidity was "Putting food on your family"
Romney's stupidity is "I'm not concerned about the very poor" and "I like being able to fire people"
Voice for Peace
(13,141 posts)Response to rocktivity (Reply #6)
Post removed
cali
(114,904 posts)There are plenty of DUers who shop at WalMart.
That pic came from a Google search "WalMart rednecks." You are correct that there's no way of knowing whether the woman really is a redneck. My apologies for accepting Google's results without checking further.
cali
(114,904 posts)Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,836 posts)gopiscrap
(23,765 posts)you sure as shit shouldn't be shopping at Wal Mart!
treestar
(82,383 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)Gman
(24,780 posts)that kills everything else.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)The voters I talked to like Obama, and there is no way they will ever vote for Romney. They acted like he is a joke. This is in a lower middle class section of Los Angeles -- lots of second-hand cars and apartments.
No one seemed to find him endearing. Of course, in LA we have lots of Hispanics, and Obama is revered especially because of his stance on immigrant children. And those who don't care one way or another like Obama either because of the healthcare bill or because of his stand on gay/lesbian rights. People told me all kinds of things they like about Obama. I did not hear one good word about Romney.
The only people I have met so far in this area who don't like Obama are a female neighbor who claims she votes her "morals." I don't yet know what morals she is voting that would cause her not to vote for Obama. When I find out, you will probably hear about it. Then there is a neighbor who is a Ron Paul fan. We shall see who his second choice is. Because Ron Paul has no chance of getting a nomination. And, frankly, I can't see that Ron Paul fans will switch to Romney. Some might, but a lot of them won't. They may try to write in Ron Paul. They are a significant contingent. They won't find Romney endearing.
One very well informed voter complained that Romney is such a liar. He is.
SoDesuKa
(3,173 posts)Americans love klutzy guys, l-o-v-e love them. I'm afraid that low information voters may decide Mitt Romney is good-hearted and friendly, but he just tries a bit too hard. Anything as complex as the "issues" in the election will sweep over their heads, that's what always happens.
I don't think Romney has a real shot of winning the presidency, but his impact will be felt down-ticket. It's important to regain the House of Representatives, and a good showing by the GOP presidential candidate can complicate that.
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)Slapstick isn't Presidential.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Kablooie
(18,641 posts)As is his tripping his daughter in law in a family sports meet so he could win.
Charms the hell our of me.
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)I'm just asking the question.
Oh, and no. I don't think being a buffoon is going to endear him to anyone.
SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)Solly Mack
(90,785 posts)That said...
Stupid people do exist.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)^snip^
Presented with a list of eight personal characteristics that could describe the candidates, 81% of respondents said Obama "is likable;" 64% said the same of Romney.
I will need to see those eight personal characteristics and see if they actually describe Romney or not.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Gallup previously reported a big advantage for Obama when Americans were asked to choose whether Obama or Romney was more likable. The June 7-10 poll -- which asked Americans to rate Obama and Romney separately on each characteristic -- supports that conclusion, but finds that most Americans still perceive Romney as likable.
Overall, half of Americans believe both candidates are likable, with 28% ascribing this trait only to Obama and 12% only to Romney. Just 4% consider neither candidate likable.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/155351/Likability-Top-Characteristic-Romney-Obama.aspx
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)Last edited Thu Jul 5, 2012, 07:54 PM - Edit history (1)
But seriously folks....
OK, I stand corrected. It is a straight up "is likable" question.
Even so, those are not great numbers. 61% thinks he changes his positions on issues for political reasons. Only 50% find him honest and trustworthy, so I think that means there is 50% who won't vote for him since they don't think he is honest and trustworthy. Then 46/45 % on understanding problems and sharing values.
Strong and decisive leader can be misleading too. W. was a strong and decisive leader, he just made all the wrong decisions.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)the guy should have ZERO % Likeability. HAHAHA
I agree...if you go to the link you can see the side-by-side comparison with Obama.
Lucy Goosey
(2,940 posts)...but I would have said the same about Dubya, and I was obviously wrong, so I can't really tell.
I certainly don't find his difficulties with imitating normal human behavior endearing.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,836 posts)Bush is klutzy and awkward, but in a different way. He isn't very bright and is inclined to saying things that made you think he had some kind of learning disability. And occasionally he showed up with some kind of scrape or injury on his face, like the time he fell off the couch because he "choked on a pretzel." I suspect alcohol may have been involved more than mere klutziness. "Klutzy" just suggests physical clumsiness, like Gerald Ford was said to have been (actually, Ford wasn't normally clumsy - he was a former athlete - but he had the misfortune of having been photographed falling down the steps of AF1, and Chevy Chase ran with it).
Mittens doesn't seem to be unusually physically clumsy. He's not especially athletic but he doesn't fall down steps or choke on pretzels. His awkwardness arises from his inability to relate to people outside his social class. He's spent his whole life in a privileged bubble. He probably doesn't even talk to the help except to tell them to fetch something. So when he tries to do the normal politician's meet-and-greet routine he has no idea what to say. He seems more alien than klutzy, and that isn't endearing. Bush seemed at least kind of friendly in his stupid, incoherent way. You could have a beer with him, although after he'd drunk all your beer he'd pee in your rosebushes, puke on your shoes and pass out on your living room floor. Romney would refuse your offer of beer, say something rude about the lemonade you served instead ("This is that canned stuff, right? Doesn't taste like fresh-squeezed." , and then leave as quickly as possible, and his chauffeur would knock over your mailbox in the process.
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)despised Bush. By that contrarian measure (whereby my emotions are the opposite of the broad middle of the country's), I suppose it is possible.
But in his comportment, Romney seems like he comes from a different planet or is channeling the Borg. I just don't see him becoming 'likable'.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)even than the thought of diarrhea running out of Seamus' anus on the roof of his car.