Love Story

Famously, when a woman reportedly asked House Speaker John Boehner, "Can you make me love Mitt Romney?" he said, "No... the American people probably aren't going to fall in love with Mitt Romney."  Many, if not most, politicians seek love and adulation.  No doubt, this was a driving force for President Clinton.

I suspect that Romney views the voting public with disdain.  It is not that he is unworthy of their love, but rather their love has no worth.  He cynically tells them what they want to hear, and believes the public is too slow to notice his rapid shifts of position.

His strategy in every election has been to drive up his opponents negatives rather than push up his own positives.  Most campaigns, like the president's, seek to do both.   This is the only explanation for his focused attack on a third party ad that had never run on TV.  As a result the ad which implied Bain's closing of a plant lead to a women's death, has had over 500,000 hits and has been shown repeatedly on news and political shows.  He and his surrogates claim it is beneath the office of the president.

Will it work?  With a 2 to 1 spending edge over the past 45 days there is some movement in the polls.  Is hate more powerful than love?

From http:\\phoodphotospolitics.blogspot.com

Pot Party

Chef Kevin Meehan, according to his website, "spent the past decade refining his craft working tireless hours in America's elite restaurants, being mentored by renowned chefs in the kitchens of Mirabelle, L’Orangerie, Bastide, and Patina to name a few. Leading the kitchen at Café Pinot for the past several years was a great opportunity for Kevin, garnering him exposure and top honors on Food Network's “Extreme Chef” and winning him the “Best French Food 2011” accolade in the Downtown News."

He is now preparing dinners for private parties, either at your house, or sometimes, at his.  Above is the menu I had the privilege of enjoying at his home.  The meal was consistently superb.  The dessert was the best panna cotta that I have ever tasted.  The mellon soups was wonderfully refreshing and surprisingly multifaceted.  My favorite dish was the Corn Angnolotti, complex yet perfectly balanced.  Kudos to Alexis of "Eastside Foodies" for arranging the meal.  

Romney Wimps Out Again

On Sixty Minutes Romney said he is not running on the (fairly specific) Ryan budget, but rather on his own nebulous plan.  Picking Ryan, but distancing from his ideas, is like Bain Capital buying Burger King, but dropping the Whopper.  Soon we will all be saying where is the beef.

Picking a 42 year old white man is not bold, the boldness is Ryan's budget.  Burger King has become Wimpy Burger.  The only whopper is the misleading Romney budget.  For more thoughts see http:\\phoodphotospolitics.blogspot.com.

The Tea Party's Turn at Bat

When the highest paid  staff in history has its candidate singing "America the Beautiful," it is hard to argue they are running an issues campaign.  Had the Republican electorate but known, they would have nominated a better baritone.  Enter Ryan, stage right.  His budget is the tea party manifesto, game on.

Pundits are already proclaiming Ryan heir apparent.  Of course if Romney wins, Ryan's future will depend on the success of the Romney presidency.  A close loss should stand Ryan in good stead, but a blow out could change the GOP.

The dream of swinging for the fences only ends when you have a turn at bat.  For the right, Dole and McCain struck out because neither was a true conservative.  Romney fit that game plan until he picked Ryan.  If the tea party agenda pops out,  the GOP might move back towards the center, and Ryan might be benched.  I wonder if Romney knows the words to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

Ryan Pick: A Sign of Weakness

Paul Ryan may be an excellent selection.  He is bright, articulate and energetic.  He appeals to conservatives, including the tea party, but has won by large margins in a swing district.  So he may be able to appeal to some independents, particularly on the issue of the deficit.  Wisconsin may be in play.  But much of the importance of the selection is what it tells us about Romney and the state of his campaign.

Integrity dictates selecting a VP who would be ready on day one.  Ryan has neither the business experience that Romney extols, nor the foreign policy experience the country craves.  Perhaps Ryan can see Canada from his porch.

Boldness is often a sign of weakness.  McCain would never have picked Palin if his campaign was going well.  Ryan generates enthusiasm with the base.  With the distaste so many conservatives have for the President, this should be superfluous.  It is not.  More importantly, the selection belies the central tenet of the Romney campaign.

For the Romney team this was to be a referendum on a failed presidency.   Selecting Ryan is an acknowledgement that the Obama campaign has succeeded in making this a choice election.  Romney wanted the campaign to be only about jobs and the economy.  Ryan forces a doubling down on the Ryan budget, with Medicare restructuring and other potentially divisive issues.

Yet the talking point sent to key Republicans is classic Romney.  “Gov. Romney applauds Paul Ryan for going in the right direction with his budget, and as president he will be putting together his own plan for cutting the deficit and putting the budget on a path to balance."  As always he wants to have it both ways.

With the recent conservative drumbeat, in selecting Ryan, Romney appears to be dancing to someone else's  rhythm.  He may yet have to pay the piper.  Ryan is more popular with the base than Romney, and has eyes on being lead singer.  He may not follow the Romney playlist.  Still anything is better than another Romney rendition of "America the Beautiful."

Romney's Convention Speech Will Exceed Media Expectations

Every four years the press breathlessly ponders whether a party's nominee, particularly a candidate not known as a spell binding speaker, will deliver a good speech.   Amazingly each nominee succeeds.

The best speech writers are given ample time to craft a speech that the candidate is able to rehearse.  Yet we are amazed that individuals seeking the presidency, are able to read a teleprompter for 30 minutes.

Notwithstanding the usual borrowed eloquence, Romney's portrayal of himself is important.  Although the press will  proclaim that he hit it out of the park, if he allows the President to continue to define him, Romney will be watching the rest of the game from the sidelines.

Flower

A cool memory on a very hot day.  Taken in Puerto Vallarta April, 2010.