The Atlantic: Mitt Romney's 'Them' Problem [View all]

[highplainsdem]

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/09/mitt-romneys-them-problem/262890/

Mitt Romney's campaign on Wednesday released an ad featuring the candidate speaking straight to the camera, all by himself:

It's not the most polished video in the world. But you can see the thinking behind it. The candidate will directly address the voters, making a spare, authentic, heart-to-heart appeal that he cares about how "too many Americans" are suffering.

And then he says it.

"President Obama and I both care about poor and middle-class families. The difference is my policies will make things better for them."

Them.

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The problem with Romney's campaign is not just a secret video, or media- and PAC-hyped candidate gaffes. It's an approach to talking to and about people in a way that is othering, rather than empathetic -- so much so that in direct appeal to middle-class voters, Romney doesn't think to say (or, rather, no one on his campaign thinks to have him say), "The difference is my policies will make things better for you."

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