The New York Times reviews a new biography of Governor Romney written by two Boston Globe reporters. Both the Globe and Times lean left so we can a priori doubt the claim of fairness.
Actually, I am surprised to find the picture of Mitt drawn by the reviewer to be relatively fair and not excessively negative. I spent 30 years teaching Management at the university level, and what I see described is a good business manager - data-driven, goal oriented, ready to change course when needed.
His shortcomings in public relations are out there for all to see. Mitt makes the right moves but, unlike a Bill Clinton or a Ronald Reagan, the magic just doesn't happen.
Business managers can definitely succeed in spite of a wooden public persona. They are measured by profits, return on investment, earnings per share and gross revenues. Consistency is not an issue.
Politicians are elected based on their public relations skills and consistency. They are only reelected based on results, which are roughly analogous to the measures used to judge business leaders.
So we may be looking at a contest between a President with no results facing off against a contender with weak public relations skills. I therefore expect a low turnout in November; I hope I'm wrong.
