Today former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney launched his presidential exploratory committee from what appears to be a luxury box perched atop the world’s fanciest high school football field.
Watch Romney’s announcement here:
For the 2012 campaign, Romney has decided to forego the ubiquitous suit and tie in favor of an open-collared plaid shirt. Hopefully his team will advise against red in order to avoid confusion with former two-time presidential candidate Lamar Alexander.
Romney’s video was well-produced, and I thought the language was clear and well-written. But I couldn’t escape the sense that Romney will need to do more than discard the ties in order to make a stronger connection with people. If I were prepping Romney for his announcement video, I would have recommended shorter segments that could be delivered sans-tele prompter.
In a relatively weak Republican field, Romney looks like a heavyweight. But he’ll have to do a better job convincing voters that he has the passion — not just the right words — to be a successful presidential candidate.
