Media and Media Analysis for Politics and Trends

Mitt Romney’s statement that “I like being able to fire people” while talking about health care put his campaign in damage control mode on the eve of the New Hampshire primary. It’s a slip that his competitors, including the Obama campaign, will be saving in their ad vaults. The slip is not enough to squash a likely win in New Hampshire, but is does point to a bigger problem that could squash Mitt Romney winning the presidency.

Romney continuously makes slips and gaffes that tell people that “I didn’t grow up like you,” or ” I can’t relate.” And that kind of slip up creates a non-intimate distance between Mitt Romney the candidate and voters.

This is important. If you look at Obama, Clinton, Bush (44) and Reagan, the greatest skill that got them into office was their ability to communicate a sense of intimacy. The public felt they know them. And that the candidate gets them, too. Romney often communicates a message that may be valid if you are willing to dissect it, but it’s still not warm and often incredibly tone-deaf. For instance:

On the PBS Newshour last Friday, in an interview with New Hampshire primary voters, a NH woman who came to see Mitt Romney at a rally says she was put off when, in response to saying how hard to economy was, Romney said he agreed it was hard on investments. That angered the woman who said, ” what investments?” She was just worried about getting by. Romney message might be right, but the delivery is cold and unthoughtful.

Remember Romney’s $10,000 bet with Rick Perry during the debate? In trying to show how serious he was to prove he was right, Romney sent the message that he has money to burn and lack of understanding not to flaunt it in front of people where that 10K could be half their salary.

His latest gaffe, “I like to being able to fire people,” smacks of the same tone deafness. I’m not going to play the role of the outraged and say I didn’t understand that Romney was saying competitive pressures on the marketplace might be good for prices and service. But again, it was a message delivered with no intimacy and with not emotional compassion for some who will hear it. It’s like singing a song with no feeling. The listener may wonder why you even bothered to try.

Besides George Bush (42) who was elected riding the coat tails of Reagan and his Democratic competitor Dukakis pulled off the feat of looking more wimpy and out of touch than he was, try to think of a candidate in the last 30 years who has been picked that couldn’t make an intimate connection with America?

It’s been said that George Bush (44) won because people said he was the kind of guy you’d like to have a beer with. Leaving out the fact that Mormons don’t drink alcohol, Romney currently comes off as the guy you’d imagine saying, “I’d love to have a drink with you, but that stuff will kill you.” That message is accurate, but creates and off putting emotional separation. He needs to fix it. Fast.