Story by Annika Grassl
Recently, Netflix released a documentary chronicling the presidential campaign of Mitt Romney.
The documentary followed Romney, his family and staffers from 2006 until the 2008 election.
I thought it was endearing that the documentary showed Romney’s human side by showing him racing his family down a large hill on sleds.
The documentary showed the feelings of Romney’s family about the decision to run for president when the documentary showed their discussion around the family room in 2006.
However, the documentary showed Romney’s ability to use the downfall of others to make himself look better when they filmed him at a fundraiser in Los Angeles, where he made fun of the losers of presidential campaigns.
The documentary also provided candid interviews with the members of the Romney campaign, which are much different then what we see in the interviews on television.
I liked how Romney wanted to build a brand name. The only downfall of this brand name was that his brand was very religion based.
The documentary even showed the Romney’s gathered in prayer in a hotel room while on the road with the campaign.
Romney showed his ability to accept his own failure when he admitted that he had faults but had a clear vision for the United States.
I loved to hear the candid comments from Romney about the Republican debate. I enjoyed hearing Romney’s comments about the media’s interpretation of what he says in his statements.
One of the most interesting aspects of the documentary was the comparison between what media claimed Romney stated versus what Romney himself claimed he stated.
It was very honest of Romney’s son to comment that Romney not getting the nomination in 2008 was actually a good thing because then the family could return to their normal lives.
This being said, it was shocking to hear some of the things that were overheard by reporters from Romney.
I enjoyed the moments of Romney’s family and staffers while using a hand-held camera. The commentary from staffers while watching the debate between Romney and President Barack Obama was very interesting.
I enjoyed expediting the roller coaster of the debate through a staffer’s eyes as Romney won and lost points depending on the questions that were asked by the moderator.
I enjoyed having a frontrow seat to the discussion that Romney, his wife, Anne, and Romney’s staffers had following the debate.
This gave me an interesting insight into Romney’s thoughts about how Candy Crowley handled the moderation of the debate.
Grassl is a first-year law, politics and society and public relations double major and can be reached at annika.grassl@drake.edu
