Mitt Romney has 3 year to image himself as the Man Of The People?

(Kristofer Lorelli-race42012).History has proven that Republicans win the White House when their candidates are perceived as the ‘common man’, who voters can picture themselves having a beer with. When Republican candidates are perceived as aristocratic or possessing an overweening manner, the Democrats win the White House.

Nixon, Reagan and Bush (W) were viewed as honest and neighborly by swing voters and all three won consecutive Presidential elections. Irish Catholics in South Boston, Kensington PA and west side Chicago, considered Reagan to be a member of the extended working class, Irish Catholic family (even though he was Protestant and a Hollywood actor). Nixon was acclaimed as the man of the people through his focus on crime prevention, the creation of the DEA and his appeal to small town America. President W. Bush campaigned on a platform of compassionate conservatism and sold voters on an image of a western rancher and a likable, down to earth, plain spoken dude.

Over the course of the last six months, Governor Romney has improved his conservative message on economic and foreign policy. He has not wavered or changed policy positions based on public opinion polling, sticking to the core talking points of pro-growth capitalism and liberal internationalism. Governor Romney is an improved candidate from 2007-2008, but he still has one major obstacle to overcome.

How can he alter his image, from a beneficiary of the ruling business and political class, to a typical suburban ‘Joe’? How can Governor Romney relate to middle class swing voters, without allowing his hair style, his number of mansions or Aspen ski wear to be branded into the minds of voters by the liberal press and Democratic political machine?

Most Romney detractors will scoff at the idea of Mitt wearing earth-tone colors, cowboy boots and hair spray rather then hair gel, but it can work and it is a first step. Governor Romney must become the western, Utah Mitt, in place of the northeastern, German car driving, Ivy league Mitt. This re-modelling worked for George W. Bush, as his image as a belt buck wearing, southern talking, BBQ hosting, fly-over city living, father of two was embraced by enough voters to win him two Presidential elections.