NYT's Gail Collins: Renovating Mitt Romney
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/opinion/collins-renovating-mitt-romney.html
he folks who spoke during the first two days of the three-day convention were supposed to do foundation work, preparing the public to regard the presidential candidate who emerged on Thursday night as a kindly dad or a favored sibling whos always such great company when youre feeling down.
They failed completely. It was as if, instead of fixing up the targeted house, the renovators decided to do some engine work on a recreational vehicle parked three blocks down the road.
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Ann Romney, poor woman, was left stuck with the entire burden of the conventions yearning for a candidate remake. It turns out that her grandfather was a coal miner, too! It is possible that the only person in the entire city of Tampa this week who does not have a coal miner in the family tree is Mitt.
Tonight I want to talk to you about love, she said. The critical point was that Ann loves Mitt and Mitt loves America. What could be better than that? Then, half an hour later, Governor Christie decreed that respect trumps love. If these people cant even decide where love ranks on their to-do list, you can appreciate why they found it impossible to get together to build a new presidential candidate.