4 reasons nobody wants to read about Mitt Romney
Political websites may be sharply divided along partisan lines, but they all agree on one thing: Mitt Romney is "traffic poison"
"In the war of partisan trash talk that frequently consumes online political media, one truth has emerged from this year's election coverage that transcends ideology," says McKay Coppins at BuzzFeed: "No one wants to read about Mitt Romney." At BuzzFeed, for instance, "two sets of similar, photo-heavy posts [that] focused on the early lives of President Obama and Mitt Romney... [were] comparably promoted." The Obama photo series outdrew Romney 10-to-1. And anecdotally, on many websites across the political spectrum, "the well-starched Republican's traffic poison" has writers and editors longing for the days of John McCain, Sarah Palin, and "the Obama-Clinton blood feud." Romney has roughly a 50-50 shot to be the next leader of the free world. So why isn't anybody interested in stories about him? Here, four theories:
1. Americans assume they can't relate to Mitt
Voters may not be thrilled with Obama, but "Romney is still seen as horribly out of touch and painful to watch on TV," says Taylor Marsh at her blog. Even after four years, Obama's story is still innately compelling, "the tale of a man who began so humbly and ended up the most powerful person in the world." Romney? If he's had any travails, they're certainly "not comparable to your average American's struggle." It could be that if people took the time to read about Romney, they'd grow to like him. The bad news "for Team Mitt is people don't seem to care enough to find out."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. Mitt is trying to fly under the radar
Romney has wisely figured out that "no buzz is good buzz," says Reihan Salam at National Review. He effectively sticks to his script, saying the same thing over and over, and letting Obama be the story. That's not hard: No matter what you think of him, "Obama is a charismatic, larger-than-life figure who attracts considerable attention...." That was a boon in 2008, but today, as journalist Richard Rushfield notes, "there is no such thing as positive attention in the Twitter age," and "anyone who sticks their head up is going to just have it picked apart by 100,000,000 gnats."
3. Matt Drudge is on Team Romney
If Romney is trying to keep his name from the headlines, he has an ally in the the reclusive publisher of the eponymous Drudge Report, says Coppins at BuzzFeed. Drudge's site is "the largest single source of traffic to the political web," and as Romney's GOP primary rivals noted, sometimes bitterly, The Drudge Report "rarely links stories critical of the Republican nominee."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
4. No one cares about another boring white guy
Romney may not have been presumptive GOP nominee for long, but he's still "old news," Daily Caller columnist Matt Lewis tells BuzzFeed. "In a sense he's been running for president for five years," and anyone interested in the race this early surely knows all about him. On top of that, Romney's "a middle-aged white guy, which is boring because it is so common in our history." It would clearly be better for the political web if he were, say, a woman or Latino, and that's "one of the reasons we should all be rooting for Romney to pick someone like Marco Rubio for veep."
Read more political coverage at The Week's 2012 Election Center.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Tesla cuts prices in 'intensifying' EV war
Speed Read Electric vehicle giant has struggled in the face of weakening demand, competition from China and technical setbacks
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay: unwind at this picture-perfect resort
The Week Recommends The retreat that's ideal for recharging your batteries while experiencing life on an Indonesian island
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
The World War Two experiments that made D-Day possible
Under The Radar Scientists performed gruelling tests on themselves paving the way for the iconic invasion
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published