Romney heart snowmobiles
by WonkoKevin
Mitt Romney has had a heck of a week in Wonkosphere, in terms of conservative sentiment–all week he’s been way above the average in “tone” (how positive or negative the buzz is about him). Romney sometimes been portrayed as the smoothest candidate of the bunch, best in front of the TV camera. But an article at The Caucus makes for good Sunday morning reading and hints that Romney is getting comfortable with some good old-fashioned retail campaigning.
Here’s how Michael Luo describes Romney’s day at the Grass Drag (which involves racing snowmobiles across the snowless grass) at Fremont, NH:
…Throughout his time at the grass drag, Mr. Romney had two conversational fallbacks: the Red Sox and children.
Time and again he marveled at the Red Sox victory the night before. Time and again he stooped to shake some child’s hand and guess their age, usually getting it right. He also scored points when he said he thought efforts to impose a speed limit for personal watercraft on the state’s lakes was “awful.” Mr. Romney, of course, has a lakefront vacation home nearby.
At one point, a young boy, probably eight or nine years-old, sidled up to ask him to sign a poster of his. It turned out to be of a bikini-clad woman, an advertisement for an energy drink. Mr. Romney suggested he sign the boy’s water cross magazine instead.
“I generally try to avoid signing pictures of scantily clad women,” he said.
Another drunken young man, not wearing a shirt, yelled out a greeting to Mr. Romney. Instead of ignoring him, Mr. Romney headed over to say hello to him and some young tank-top clad women with him.
Mr. Fehrnstrom shook his head: “He seems to be seeking out the drunkest people here.”
“The real question is, ‘Bud Light or Budweiser,’” the man said, holding up his beer can to signal his own answer, but Mr. Romney had already moved on to the next potential voter.
