It will probably be awhile before I see the documentary, but this Guardian review makes Mitt sound intriguing. Apparently, Greg Whitely was brought on board by Mitt's son Tagg to film the campaign from the ground, and in so doing found a warmer, more amiable Mitt than any of us saw during the campaign. You had to wonder how Mitt ever got elected Governor of Massachusetts after that horrid campaign, in which he got twisted "every which way but loose" (to borrow from a Clint Eastwood movie).
It seems the intent of the documentary is less about politics as it is about the man, giving us an intimate portrait of the Man Who Would be President. Unfortunately, it came too late as far as Mitt's aspirations were concerned. He should have had Whitely back in 2008, then maybe a movie like this might have actually helped him in 2012. Instead, his political career is over, and all he can do is sit back like Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront and ponder what might have been.
Maybe there is an acting career for Mitt? If nothing else, he can become a pitch man for a more moderate Republican agenda now that he has been relegated to the sidelines. His "nemesis" Chris Christie seems to be struggling in this regard after revealing himself to be little more than a thug in "Bridgegate" and Hurricane Sandy, an event Mitt felt brought him down.
For the Romney campaign, Hurricane Sandy couldn't have come at a worse time, changing the dynamics of the election as Obama and Christie got front billing. Whatever Mitt-mentum Romney had was lost, as he was probably the worst casualty of the storm as far as Republicans were concerned.
However, you never felt Republicans were ever behind Romney. Mitt pretty much had to go it alone, having survived a scathing set of primaries that made him an all too easy target for the Democrats in the Fall. One could understand him wanting to put as much distance between himself and his political foes as possible, but he needed them to shore up the base of the party, and that never happened. Instead, we saw the GOP looking like it was about to implode.
Anyway, it is nice to look at Mitt in hindsight like this and not in the Oval Office. The documentary will be released by Netflix.
So which is it Mitt? No. 1 Foe or Best World Leader,
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