Romney’s Speech

Romney began his session on the soapbox by accepting the Republican nomination, which he then wrapped in a close-lipped smile. His immediate promise of humility was then branded in my mind throughout the rest of the speech, stumbling to keep up amidst the hurdles of every cavalier promise and expected allegation. Next, Romney introduces Ryan as being “the best of America”, his only shortcomings lying in his iPod playlist. Obligingly, the camera focuses on a smiling, proud wife, hand in hand with her idea of the mast of the American filial dream. As Mitt goes on to describe one such dream, the viewer is forced to take in the nostalgic words beneath a prominent forehead, silvering at the edges. The next sections heavily reminded me of a passage from Norman Mailer’s Miami and the Siege of Chicago where Mailer describes the complexity of Republican pride: “the faith existed in those crossroads between the psyche and the heart where…the cognition of grace…and adoration of America congregate…They believed in America as they believed in God—they could not really ever expect that America might collapse and God yet survive…that America was the savior of the world..”. As Mailer later emphasizes the prominence of a Republican’s mission to serve, Mitt’s speech responded to all these theories. America, “a nation of immigrants..driven”, is said to be in pursuit of both riches and a “richness of life”. We are all supposedly on quests to give to church and charity, save the elderly, and whatnot. Obama is said to have disappointed us by squashing these missions, and hope and change–what we were promised–is ours because we deserve it, circumstances are just an excuse. Romney’s aggressive passion for foreign policy taunts the current administration with promises to bring in the “backbone”, and accuses Obama of walking away from alliances and other noble pursuits. Although Romney seems to get carried away in his feudal aspirations, he does happen to make one admirable comment, “I wish Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed”. For a second, I gain some of the optimism he has been preaching about, but among over-obvious attempts at pathos (the bedside table lonesome for its loyal rose), frightening promises for foreign policy, rhetorical archery aiming for (oddly enough) a seduction of the feminists, an overwhelming build-up of expected duties and philanthropies for the average American, the wince-inducing, corny shots of a restless infant after Mitt’s golden nugget of quality parenting advice, and then a strange image of Neil Armstrong’s flag-gripping ghost possessing the same esteemed qualities Romney claims to radiate—optimism and humility—it slips away.