Romney's Practice Sessions
Mitt Romney may have a unseen weapon for this town hall-style debate: dozens of secretive practice sessions that began many months ago.
Aides to Mr. Romney began organizing frequent, off-the-record discussions with voters six months ago, with a specific goal in mind: making the candidate comfortable talking to ordinary people about their troubles and supplying him with anecdotes to tell during crucial moments of the campaign.
The sessions, typically held before or after public events in far-flung locales, around a small table with light food and beverages, had the advantage of being shielded from reporters, so that any of Mr. Romney’s awkward moments or offhand remarks remained private. Aides said he had witnessed — and learned to react to — men and women become emotional about everything from foreclosed homes to their children’s academic achievements.
Most important, the roundtable discussions offered Mr. Romney a chance to become a practiced retail politician in intimate settings, something at which he is likely to excel Tuesday night at Hofstra.
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