The Romneys and Their “Perfection Problem”
Hugh Hewitt predicted it, we’ve commented on it, and now the L.A. Times is actually doing it: Criticizing Romney for being too “perfect.” Here’s a taste of the piece, by Fay Fiore:
By central-casting standards, the former Massachusetts governor is the perfect presidential specimen — a comforting throwback to the 1950s, when nobody got divorced (they fell in love in high school and that was it), mothers stayed at home (he dubbed Ann the Romney CFO — chief family officer) and the greatest parental challenge was making the boys practice their piano (Ann used to pinch their necks).
But as his campaign picks up speed in a wide-open GOP field, Romney comes face to handsome face with an unusual challenge: Can a candidate appear too perfect? It’s a question that modern American voters, fed a steady diet of infidelity, divorce, pot smoking, high-class call girls and foil-wrapped cash stashed in freezers, have not had to ponder in a long time.
So Ms. Fiore, who has difficulty concealing her contempt for the Romneys’ values, and their apparent ability to adhere to those values, thinks a significant number of voters will be turned off by how well that family seems to live their lives. This reminds me of what we said a few weeks ago. John suggested that the word “nice,” when applied to Romney, is code for “Mormon.” I added:
Romney seems to have set, and lived up to, high personal standards of behavior. His wife and sons seem to have done the same. That drives most MSM writers nuts, and they will either ridicule him as a goody two-shoes or work very hard to find some flaws in what they see as a too-perfect persona. Example: On a hunch, I did a Google search for “Romney” and “Stepford,” and sure enough, the first hit was this cartoon, which combines the “too perfect” slam with the “Romney’s kids didn’t serve in the military” slam. That’s just the beginning; there are pages and pages of hits on news articles, op-ed pieces, and blog posts referring to Mitt as the Stepford husband, Ann as a Stepford wife, and the sons as Stepford sons. Add that to the endless Osmond comparisons . . . .
What does all this have to do with The Question, you ask? Well, we have been predicting for over a year now that the most ferocious and insidious political attacks on Romney’s religious faith will come from the left, and from the MSM (but I repeat myself). What Ms. Fiore’s piece, and all the “Stepford” slams, boil down to is that Romney is just too perfect Mormon. Religious candidates and others with high personal standards of behavior all have a stake in this. Our politics and our culture will be a lot better off, I think, if voters will react the way this woman did when Fay Fiore asked her about the “too perfect” theme:
When Kirsten Doogue, 32 and a registered independent, is asked if the candidate who had just knocked on her door was “too perfect,” she scoffs: “That’s just a ridiculous complaint.” She and her husband are on their front porch in stocking feet, their 1-year-old baby asleep inside. “Maybe I’m still young and hopeful to have a perfect life myself.”
Here’s to the common sense of the American people.
Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney, Fay Fiore, Los Angeles Times, Stepford , Mormon, Hugh Hewitt
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