This week it was the privilege of both your bloggers to meet Mitt Romney, though on different occasions.  What follows are some thoughts on the opportunity.

LOWELL

My wife and I met Governor Mitt Romney and his wife Ann Friday night (one day after John did) at a small informal gathering at a private home in Los Angeles.  We have been discussing and pondering the experience ever since.  A few impressions:

• The Romneys are real, down-to earth, likable people.  I was deeply impressed by the Governor’s warmth and intelligence and his abiity to articulate his positions.  His command of detail reminds me of Bill Clinton; his sincerity and grounding make it clear he’s anything but another Clinton.  Because of the nature of the gathering I don’t feel comfortable discussing his responses to questions, other than to say they were fully consistent with all of his public statements so far on the issues that were raised.
• I did not get to spend any time with Ann Romney, the Governor’s wife of 37 years, but my wife did.  She describes Mrs. Romney as a person of uncommon depth, substance and courage who appears to have been a key motivating force for his decision to seek public office in Massachusetts and to explore a presidential run.  The depth and substance comes after a long happy and eventful marriage in which both partners were devoted to high-intensity public and church service, and from raising five successful sons.  The courage is evident from her urging her husband to seek office even after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis seven years ago.  I think one can tell a lot about a man or a woman by the spouse he or she has chosen.  (Witness the Clintons.)  The Romneys both seem to be exceedingly well-married. (They both look 10 years younger than their actual ages, by the way.)
• When Hugh Hewitt cites Romney’s campaign as a manifestation of “the MBA Effect on American politics,” he seems to be right on target.   Romney has clearly spent lots of time in front of corporate boards explaining business strategies with the ability to share an impressive level of detail without being boring.

In the interest of full disclosure, I believe I will support Mitt Romney for president if he chooses to run (and I think there’s little doubt he will).  Once I decide, I’ll disclose that here.

There’s much more to say and no time to say it.  In short:  I think Mitt Romney is the real deal, and that Republican voters will love him.  If evangelicals get a feel for his values, they should not have the slightest hesitation in voting for him.  Catholics will love him.

JOHN

I attended a smallish Commonwealth PAC fundraiser last Thursday night in San Diego.  I was able to spend a small amount of time with the Governor and considerably more time with some of his friends and family that were in attendance.  Given what this blog is, at base, about I feel the following comment is obligatory, though somewhat inane.  This is far from the first time I have attended an event of this type, and this one was quite typical.  Niether the fact that the candidate is Mormon, nor that a significant portion of the crowd was also, seemed to make a lick of difference.  Perhaps the booze was not quite as evident, but it was there and available for all that wanted it.

My next comment would be that this was one of the most gracious and least shark-like crowds I have ever experienced at one of these things.   Normally these kinds of events are populated with people, while nice and sincere, that are angling for their particular issue or desire.  This crowd seemed interested almost solely in supporting the candidate and his issues and concerns.

Speaking of which, Romney’s brief address was good, but also typical.  The lion’s share of the time he spent describing two important things.  First his private sector experience.  He is a relative neophyte to the world of governance.  Secondly, his health care plan in Mass. mostly examining it as an example of working across party lines.  He talked briefly on the GWOT, but not much.

The one gaffe of the speech was his failure, IN SAN DIEGO, to mention the immigration issue.  He was asked about it later and his answers were good, but when you are standing about 25 miles from the border, you need to let people know it is front and center in your mind.

I also had the opportunity to ask him privately about changes in emergency response to natural disaster from the federal government, an issue that is being used front and center by Democrats in the Gulf Coast region during the current election cycle.  He had some very interesting ideas about ways through posse comitatus that would enable the federal government to be much more proactive in those situations, should local conditions make it necessary.

I am being somewhat vague here because of the nature of the event was such that specifics were not the order of the day, and for purposes of this blog, not the root of the matter.  In sum, I found Mitt Romney to be an impressive potential candidate, he seems to have all the ingredients.  But most importantly, there seemed to be nothing in the event or the man that would make me be concerned about his religion - it simply wasn’t an issue.

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