Romney: My Wife Thinks I Should Run
Romney's interview with Piers Morgan was a chance for him to reach a broader though less politically plugged in audience and a preview of how he may present himself in 2012.
Closing Thoughts:
This was an incredibly short interview but it was helpful to see how Romney might decide to run. The interview also displayed the divide between what non-ideological outlets like CNN are interested in vs. a Fox News interviewer.
1. No question about how Romneycare would hurt his campaign. That is a hurdle for Romney in the GOP primary, not the national election.
2. Romney's style so far has been deferential, going out of his way to say nothing but good things about Sarah Palin.
3. Romney's comment that "People in America want to know, who can get 15 million people back to work" hints that he would campaign with an ear to the economy. He did not mention anything about healthcare or repeal.
So far at least, no sign that he plans to track further to right in his rhetoric or presentation.
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Update at 9:57pm:
Wait! Piers Morgan does end up asking Romney if he is running for President or not, and Romney remains coy, saying he hasn't made a decision. But he does say that he wife thinks he should run. (he 'quotes' Mrs. Romney with a remark along the lines of 'she thinks it would be great for President who understands small business.')
Romney is asked straight up about Sarah Palin and how she would affect a GOP primary. Romney says he can't tell us about the politics.
But Morgan isn't satisfied and presses for Romney on to say how he really feels about Palin. Romney states that she is an "Extraordinarily powerful and effective voice" who will bring "great attention" to the primary process. He concludes that "the more people on the stage, the better."
So at this stage in the cycle, no overt attempts to cast himself as the more sensible contrast.
Morgan then asks the expected question in an unexpected way: why does your WIFE think you lost last time?
Romney gives the expected "John McCain ran a very good campaign" and the "I also wasn't able to talk about the issues that were central to why I was running" response. Again, both fairly standard answers.
But those are not the most softball questions that he got. Morgan then pivoted to Romney's very impressive resume, his education, his experience, and the fact that he doesn't even smoke or drink. "You're pretty perfect, aren't you?"
Romney suggests that his family would disagree with that assessment.
Morgan then asks whether Romney still stands by the remarks he made during the 2008 campaign about his Mormon faith. Unsurprisingly, Romney says that he does still believe that what he said about his faith is true and remarks approvingly on America's tradition of religious tolerance.
We begin to get hints of what candidate Romney would actually say on the campaign trail if he had a chance: "People in America want to know, who can get 15 million people back to work." In terms of other specifics, after making a plug for his book, Romney adds: "I would reverse all the policies in America that have made it hard to start new businesses."
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Update at 9:36pm:
The focus on foreign policy here is understandable given world events, but we also see that there isn't much difference at all between that Romney is saying and what the White House and State Department have said. For what it's worth, Romney is no John Bolton.
Before the commercial break, Morgan promises to go hardball on Romney "I won't ask you if you're running for President, I'll ask you when!"
Update at 9:30pm:
Romney is not wearing a suit, we have a light blue blazer with white squares, and a yellow-beige shirt - no tie.
Morgan asks Romney: Is Mubarak a dictator?
Romney wobbles, saying he is a "monarch like" figure, but does not say he will call him a dictator.
Romney is essentially endorsing the White House line for there to be some sort of managed transition process. Again, no real partisan fissures over this crisis.
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Update at 9:26pm:
We transition away from Tony Blair and into Mitt Romney mode. Before the commercial break Morgan promises to ask Romney what he would do about Egypt.
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Update at 9:06pm:
Piers Morgan is currently running interviews and commentary on the protests in Egypt, but we'll keep watching to make sure we catch Mitt Romney when he appears.
It also appears that his interview with Tony Blair will be broadcasted first.
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Mitt Romney faces several unique challenges in his 2012 Presidential run. His signature achievement was healthcare reform in Massachusetts, but the its similarity to Obamacare makes it politically toxic among the conservative base. He doesn't have a Fox News contract so has a reduced cable news presence, and his commitment to "Values" issues has always been hard to lock down.
With this in mind, FrumForum will be liveblogging Mitt Romney's appearance on Piers Morgan on CNN tonight. Morgan's new show reaches a broad audience, but also a less politically plugged in one. How Romney presents himself tonight might preview how Romney will try to sell himself in 2012. We might see whether Romney still tries to present himself as a more moderate potential candidate, or if he will follow an example that Tim Pawlenty is setting and try to tack further to the right.