Michael Medved: Washington Republicans see Mitt Romney’s new side

People often have two sides to them – the side they share publicly and a side they keep more private. When you’re running for president, your private life is suddenly much more public.

According to conservative commentator Michael Medved, it’s former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s hesitancy to put his personal life in the public’s eye and make himself more relatable that has left many Republicans with an ‘anyone-but-Mitt’ attitude.

The turning point was a Detroit Free Press interview, where Romney was far more “emotional,” according to Medved. However, he believes Romney’s tone is changing.

The presidential hopeful made a campaign stop in Bellevue, Wash, speaking at a dinner Thursday evening and a rally Friday morning. Medved attended both events and said the Romney that spoke to supporters was different.

“He gave a pitch last and it was fine. It was very organized – what he’s going to do and how he’s different from Obama, but it was kind of pro forma. And it did seem last night, that this was a guy who is on part of a long campaign.”

Friday morning, Medved said that instead of making sure he hit all of his talking points, Romney felt the emotion of the crowd. It was a different man; a presidential candidate, who Medved said, has only recently started to share his personal life with the public.

On the stage in Bellevue, as the crowd’s energy sparked new life in Romney, he started mentioning his wife, saying that he wished she was there to see the crowd and feel the emotion.

Medved called it “pretty racy” and definitely different for Romney when he started to tell the story of how he met his wife, and stole his first kiss with her when giving her a ride home.

“This morning was different because he was responding to the crowd,” Medved told 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross & Burbank Show. Medved had been asked to speak to an overflow room at the rally because they didn’t actually see Romney and only heard the audio from his speech. That’s when Mitt unexpectedly came bouncing in, clearly still excited from the other room’s buzzing activity.

His energy in Bellevue isn’t the sort of thing you expect from Romney, but Medved equated it to the palpable energy he felt when he attended his first political rally at age 11, when he waited two hours in line to meet then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy.

It has taken a long time to begin to see this side of Romney and Medved said there are probably two reasons for that. “He’s reluctant to speak about Ann, because she doesn’t like it – and she’s sick, as she’s been battling Multiple Sclerosis for years.”

The second reason, said Medved, “He’s felt allergic to talk about [his faith.]” Romney has been described as someone who is deeply committed and passionate about being Mormon. But, because his faith is still considered somewhat controversial to mainstream America, he tends to keep a distance when public speaking.

We could be witnessing Romney’s turning point, if Medved is right, as he begins to let you see more of the human side.

Super Tuesday may seal the fates of the GOP presidential candidates, but first Washington state will hold its caucuses on Saturday. It could give the winner much needed momentum heading into Tuesday.

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