◼ What is most striking about the last days of this year’s presidential campaign is that Barack Obama has gone petty, urging his supporters to vote out of “revenge,” while Mitt Romney has gone large, offering a vision of a bigger and better America. Byron York captures the mood at Romney’s huge rally in West Chester Ohio last night: “Romney closes big: ‘Love of country’ vs. ‘Revenge.’” - John Hinderaker/Powerline
◼ link - Byron York/Washington Examiner
Obama’s “revenge” remark was valuable to Romney not because it could be turned into an attack ad. “Revenge” was valuable because it underscored, a thousand times, Romney’s new emphasis on the bigness of his own campaign versus the smallness of Obama’s. Romney’s closing argument is filled with words and phrases that convey a largeness of vision: destiny, renewal, purpose, better life, better days, better future, fresh start, new beginning, a bigger, better country. In the campaign’s final days, Romney is pushing hard on the idea that things really can improve with new leadership; in his West Chester speech, Romney used the word “better” a total of 15 times.
A critical part of the theme is that Romney is now asking people to join him in a larger cause....
“We’ve journeyed far and wide in this great campaign for America’s future…” Romney said. “The door to a brighter future is there. It’s open. It’s waiting for us. I need your vote. I need your help. Walk with me. Walk together…”
The crowd erupted in cheers of ROMNEY! ROMNEY! ROMNEY! and then WE WANT MITT! WE WANT MITT! WE WANT MITT! It was a bigger, better moment.
