A presidential campaign is overwhelmingly about style and perception. A candidate wants to project enthusiasm and excitement for his or her campaign. We all remember how the Obama campaign captured lightning in a bottle in 2008 by packing rallies full of passionate supporters and harnessing the power of social media. It generated a narrative of devoted grassroots support that the press repeated and amplified. If Mitt Romney becomes the Republican nominee, he must generate some excitement of his own or at least undermine Obama’s reputation as someone who can assemble a big crowd. So how’s Romney doing on that count? Here’s a photo of today’s Romney campaign event at Ford Field in Detroit: 
To be fair, the Romney campaign moved the event to the stadium after the original venue proved to be too small. But do you think most casual observers are going to keep those details in mind when they see pictures like this on the web or on the evening news? Right now, Romneybot-9000’s eyes must be glowing red as he decides on which staffer to dismember in front of the rest of his minions.
