Romney Operatives Concede That 'Romney Will Never Be More Likable Than President Obama'

Hope Voters 'Take A Chance On Their Guy'


“I think likability is important,” said Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (who played Obama in mock debates with John McCain in 2008 and will so so with Mitt Romney). “But it’s almost an acceptability standard.” That is, Romney will never be more likable than Obama but he doesn’t need to be. All he needs to do is reach a certain standard of acceptability in the eyes of voters — that if they are ready to fire President Obama than Romney needs to simply look like a credible alternative.

“At the end of the day, a lot of those voters who were unhappy said, you know what, we need a change, we need a fresh start…I’m going to take a chance on this guy,” said Portman of Reagan’s win.

“I think the person who shows up this year at the three debates is going to be a different person than the one who showed up four years ago who was talking about how to bring the country together,” predicted Portman. “I assume he’ll be more aggressive and more on the attack and, you know, it’ll be more personal.”

Implicit in Portman’s argument is the acknowledgment that Obama holds a massive edge over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on the question of which candidate is more likable. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Monday, 61 percent of respondents said Obama was more “friendly” and “likable” while only 27 percent said Romney outpaced the incumbent on those measures.


read: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/08/28/rob-portman-being-cool-doesnt-fix-the-economy/?print=1



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RNC Theme is Born - 'You Don't Have To Like Romney To Vote For Him'
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