Romney's old school persona questioned

Published: Aug. 19, 2007 at 4:09 PM

BOSTON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Campaign observers have questioned whether former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is actually as old-school as he comes across or whether it is a political ploy.

With the candidate for the Republican presidential nomination gaining a reputation as a throw-back politician with comments straight from "Leave it to Beaver," some observers have argued his public persona is a fabrication intended to draw in supporters, The Boston Globe said Sunday.

University of California at Berkeley linguist Geoffrey Nunberg, who is among those detractors, said Romney's alleged ploy is a disservice to Republicans nationwide.

"It's condescending, because it implies listeners are going to be taken in by that sort of thing," Nunberg said. "It doesn't impute a very high level of intelligence to Republican voters."

But Harvard University professor David Gergen dismisses such allegations, saying Romney's persona appears to be the real deal.

"This 'Ozzie and Harriet' world in which he lives seems to be his true world," Gergen told the Globe. "For that reason, there are some who find it a throwback. Others are very comfortable with it."

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
NBA: Cleveland 109, Miami 102 (9 min)
UPI Sports Calendar for Friday, Nov. 13 (13 min)
NHL: Nashville 3, St. Louis 1 (38 min)
NHL: Tampa Bay 4, Minnesota 3 (SO) (40 min)
UPI NewsTrack Sports (43 min)
NHL: Detroit 3, Vancouver 1 (51 min)
NHL: New Jersey 4, Pittsburgh 1
fark
Experts wonder if the upswing in retail theft may be connected to the unemployment rate. What the...
MPAA shuts down an entire town's wi-fi because one person illegally downloaded a movie. Take that,...
Verizon has found a way to charge you for accidental keystrokes
Coming to a hipster douche near you: 1890s fashion. 'Cause nothing says "manly" like knee socks,...
Tennessee man found asleep in a ditch with a loaded rifle and a bottle of moonshine
If there are aliens on other worlds, did Jesus die for their sins, too? After all, every Gelgamek...