GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan fell into the trap of spouting facts and figures during a vain attempt to connect with younger voters Saturday.
The candidate held a 15-minute Hangout on Google+, but Ryan made the mistake that most Republicans make – sticking with facts and figures rather than making an emotional connection.
Ryan seemed visibly tense and wooden while spouting off facts and figures. As a result he just failed to connect.
Effective campaigns connect with the heart, not just the head.
The same was true during his appearances on the Sunday talk shows this week. His cadence seemed almost robotic and not relaxed in all three appearances over the weekend.
Paul Ryan the wonk was clearly on display in each of the situations and not Paul Ryan the man. Voters want to see the latter and not be bored by a stream of facts that they don’t relate to.
Having the right policies means nothing if you don’t connect with what average Americans and youth especially are feeling and experiencing. That was what made former Presidents Reagan and Clinton popular and got Barack Obama elected.
Talking about the right trade policies, the right fiscal policies or the right economic policies just will not cut it. If Ryan wants to do things better as the campaign winds down into its final hours, he needs to learn how to tell stories that convey the deeper meaning about the message he wants to convey.
Reagan was a master at this. He had a story or a joke for every situation that he could use to disarm his critics.
Ryan knows what hardship is like, having lost his father at an early age and having had to wait tables and work at McDonald’s to get by, so he should learn from Reagan and spend more time relating these issues to real lives and real people. Feel their pain in other words.
About John Rossomando
