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Justin Webb's America

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Working the crowd

  • Justin Webb
  • 16 Jan 08, 05:19 AM GMT

Justin Webb (far left) on the stage with Mitt RomneyI stood next to Governor Romney for a moment or two on the stage (a sign in itself of how small-scale and low budget the Republican effort is at the moment, compared with the big presidential-style hoopla surrounding Hillary and Barack) and witnessed the kind of incident that makes you wonder whether this man has what it takes to make voters like him. A girl (she might have been 14) was calling out: "Mr Governor, I had lunch with your cousin."

President Bush would have squeezed her hand and brushed her off - any decent campaigner would have - but Mitt Romney simply froze her out, did not answer, until she persisted to the extent that he had to say: "Great." Or words to that effect.

It sounded grudging and odd; and it did not need to. Of course, that doesn't mean he would be a bad president or that he is a bad man - but on a "rope line" he sucks, as they say here.

Romney triumphs

  • Justin Webb
  • 16 Jan 08, 02:29 AM GMT

At last he has won something big.

His supporters knew it from early on - it's a great day for him and, he says, a victory for optimism. But surely it is a victory for chaos as well! At least in the Republican party - we go on to South Carolina and Florida having had a clear winner in every contest so far - but not the SAME winner.

To be tired of American politics at the moment is to be tired of life...

Politics as usual

  • Justin Webb
  • 16 Jan 08, 12:13 AM GMT

It's back to politics as we know it now, after the heady crazed participation-fest of Iowa and New Hampshire. In those states the presidential madness took over and everyone enjoyed it, or pretended to. Even a woman taking the money at a toll booth had the time and interest to discuss the state of the race.

John McCain in the snow early on polling day in Michigan
Here in depressed Michigan, it is much more difficult to find the campaign amid the grim reality of daily life. Even the snow seems less, well, cheerful; it's the powdery sort that goes up your trousers but isn't thick enough to have any fun with.

Saw John McCain today and asked him if his insistence on banging on about issues like climate change might put off Republican voters. "My friend, there are worse things than losing," he replied. I think he means it.

Meanwhile, it is unusual to see anything very nice being written about Mitt Romney - at least by those not attached to his staff - but this is interesting.

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