Reply #5: I suspect it is because Romney fits the smear characterization created to make Kerry unlikable

[karynnj]

They do have some things in common - they born were born into elite families, they are both tall and were blessed with better than average hair, both have a connection to Massachusetts.

But Romney does seem to have no position he is unwilling to change - while Kerry has been consistent on most positions - even a major one that does not help him on the left. (I respect that he did not turn John Edwards like demonizing the trade deals as the cause of the decline of the worker - which would have flown in the face of his more thoughtful view that explained it as a natural product of the globalization of the economy. Leading to him wanting to fix trade deals, rather than kill them.)

Romney is also superficial - at least on foreign policy. One would thing that after 10 years of the Afghan War, he would know tha the people are Afghans, not Afghanis.

Then there are values. Romney made his money at Bain Capital, which could have fit in in the first Wall Street movie. They bought troubled companies and "restructured them", a euphemism for firing most or all employees and selling off any assets. Now, he speaks of that successful businessman part of his life meaning that he can better deal with the economy. (I bet a strategy for "restructuring the indebted states and exiling unneeded inhabitants would be the equivalent.

Just looking at the fact that Romney was able to be a Mormon missionary in France (maybe because HE looks French?) instead of going to Vietnam shows which one pulled strings rather than serve his country. (In fact, the elite image for Kerry started back in the 197os as a way to try to diminish the image of a clean cut, honest, American war hero - by pointing out he really was not the boy next door, if your house was in a working class neighborhood.)

What I hope is that the fact that the Republicans were able to define negatively many things that were actually neutral or positive - that Kerry was wealthy, suave, dignified, well dressed, and could speak French, might rebound on them if Romney ends up their candidate. On these measures, it is Obama who is the less formal! Then throw in that in his case, the flip flop meme is real.