Mitt Romney gaffe monster: Why does he misspeak?
Why does Mitt Romney so often get tangled up by his own words like he鈥檚 trapped in jungle underbrush?
It happened again Wednesday during an interview with the Ohio News Network. Asked whether he supports the Blunt amendment 鈥� legislation that would exempt religiously-affiliated employers from providing employees with contraception 鈥� Mr. Romney said he didn鈥檛. to attack Rick Santorum, saying he didn鈥檛 believe campaigns needed to interfere in the relationships of husbands and wives.
The problem is that Romney does support the Blunt amendment. That鈥檚 a GOP given, since it would overturn an Obama administration health-care mandate. Within hours, Romney was on the Howie Carr radio show doing a mea culpa.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 understand the question. Of course I support the Blunt amendment ... I think every Republican is supporting it,鈥� said Romney.
We鈥檒l judge this as a gaffe, not a flip-flop. Romney wasn鈥檛 against the bill before he was for it 鈥� he was against it all the time, but that wasn鈥檛 what was coming out of his mouth.
Why does he misspeak so often, or say stuff that makes him seem like J. Thurston Romney III? If he鈥檚 not putting his wife in several Cadillacs that were undoubtedly purchased from his NASCAR team-owning friends, he鈥檚 betting Rick Perry $10,000 that corporations are people, my friend. Or something like that.
Well, we鈥檝e got a couple of theories, above and beyond the obvious one that campaigning for president for years on end is tiring.
His mouth is faster than his brain.聽
Watch the Ohio News Network interview, and it seems like Romney has already moved past the actual question and is setting up to go after Mr. Santorum. His mouth is moving, but his brain is still formulating anti-Rick stuff. Anybody who鈥檚 appeared on TV can understand this phenomenon. You鈥檙e not there to have a discussion. You鈥檙e there to move from one-liner to talking point, and back.
There鈥檚 a technical neurology term for this, by the way. It鈥檚 called 鈥淢outh-moving-faster-than-brainitis.鈥�
He babbles.聽
Some of Romney鈥檚 other verbalosities have come when he鈥檚 trying to fill empty space. A voter or interviewer will ask an open-ended question, and just sit there, and Romney feels compelled to say something. It鈥檚 an old reporter鈥檚 trick: don鈥檛 ask questions, just stare at the person you鈥檙e grilling. You鈥檇 be amazed at how many people just start rattling away.
He suffers under the Imperious Curse.聽
OK, this is our editor鈥檚 theory: Somebody else is controlling Romney and gleefully forcing him to say unfortunate things. In the Harry Potter world, there鈥檚 something called an 鈥淚mperious Curse,鈥� in which you control another person鈥檚 thoughts. It鈥檚 like that. Hmm, who would do that? Who reads a lot, is himself verbally dexterous, and beams like a happy kid whenever Romney blurts out something bad? Gingrich!!
Not every pundit thinks Romney鈥檚 gaffes are , or that big a problem.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say that stuff is irrelevant, especially in primary elections where there鈥檚 so little to differentiate the candidates in the first place, but the truth is that there鈥檚 a lot more to being a good politician than sounding like one,鈥� wrote political scientist and blogger Jonathan Bernstein yesterday in the Washington Post.
Romney鈥檚 political skills are underrated, according to Mr. Bernstein. The former Massachusetts governor is good at raising money and organizing allies and political networks. He鈥檚 also generally molded his policy positions to what the primary electorate wants.
If Romney wins the nomination and loses the general election, . If he becomes president they鈥檒l be minimized.
鈥淗e鈥檚 not a great politician. But he鈥檚 a good one,鈥� added Bernstein on his own A Plain Blog About Politics.
