Public image of Mitt Romney

One was a series of concepts for approaching tough problems and a problem-solving methodology; the other was an enormous respect for data, analysis, and debate.

"[1] Romney believes the Bain approach is not only effective in the business realm but also in running for office and, once there, in solving political problems such as proper Pentagon spending levels and the future of Social Security.

[8] During his 2008 presidential campaign, he constantly asked for data, analysis, and opposing arguments,[3] and has been described by Slate magazine as a potential "CEO president".

His use of words such as "guffaw," "brickbats," "dickens," "smitten," and "the big house," exclamations like "gosh," "golly," "darn," "heck," and the qualifier "if you will" led to The New York Times saying that he "can sometimes seem like an editor-in-chief, employing a language all his own.

It is polite, formal, and at times anachronistic, linguistically setting apart a man who frequently struggles to sell himself to the American electorate.

"[13] Friends and advisers have called his verbal quirks "Mittisms" and described his language as "old-timey", "1950s" and "the Gomer Pyle routine", while Democratic strategist David Axelrod once remarked that Romney "must watch Mad Men and think it's the evening news.

[22][23][24] As comedian John Oliver on The Daily Show put it, "Everything about Romney tells the tale of a man who just fired your dad.

[26][27] His early philosophical influences were often non-political, as during his missionary days when he read Napoleon Hill's self-help tome Think and Grow Rich, and encouraged his colleagues to do the same.

"[35] Journalist Daniel Gross sees Romney as approaching politics in the same terms as a business competing in markets, in that successful executives do not hold firm to public stances over long periods of time, but rather constantly devise new strategies and plans to deal with new geographical regions and ever-changing market conditions.

"[2] Writer Benjamin Wallace-Wells sees Romney as a detached problem solver rather than one who approaches political issues from a humanistic or philosophical perspective.

[38] Journalist Neil Swidey views Romney as a political and cultural enigma, "the product of two of the most mysterious and least understood subcultures in the country: the Mormon Church and private-equity finance," and believes that has led to the continued interest in the "dog on the roof" story.

In addition to missionary work in France in the 1960s, under the tutelage of Wesley L. Pipes, Romney has served as a bishop and a stake president in his church.

Romney's paternal great-grandparents practiced plural marriage, and went to Mexico in 1884 after the 1878 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. United States that upheld laws banning polygamy.

[citation needed] Romney has expressed his faith in Jesus Christ as his "Lord and Savior" openly to evangelical Christian groups.

The speech, which was widely regarded as evoking that of Senator John F. Kennedy's September 1960 pledge not to allow Catholic doctrine to inform policy, discussed the role of religion in American society and politics.

Romney's speech gave primacy to the American Constitutional right of religious liberty, which produces cultural diversity and vibrancy of dialog.

Romney declined to address further the specifics of his Mormonism, implying that any compulsion to do so would counter the Constitutional prohibition of a religious test for political office.

[56][57] In an interview with Newsweek, Romney said, "I don't think I defined religious liberty ... it includes all, all forms of personal conviction.

[60][61] During the Boca Raton debate of January 24, 2008, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams asked Romney: "Governor, we've got [a poll ...] in the morning that says ... 44 percent of respondents say a Mormon president would have a difficult time uniting the country.

And I don't believe for a minute that Republicans, or Americans for that matter, are going to impose a religious test when the founders said it's as un-American as anything you can think of.

[63] In it, Romney said he should neither be elected nor rejected based upon his religion,[64] and echoed Senator John F. Kennedy's famous speech during his 1960 presidential campaign in saying "I will put no doctrine of any church above the plain duties of the office and the sovereign authority of the law.

"[63][64] One academic study, based upon research conducted throughout the 2008 primaries, showed a widespread lack of knowledge among voters about Mormonism that tended to be resistant to factual information that would correct mistaken notions about the religion.

[65] Another study, analyzing a survey conducted during January 2008 found that voters had selectively internalized the notion of religious equality, and in particular not extended it to Mormons, thus making Romney's run more difficult.

[70] This parallels the Mormon belief that the United States Constitution is divinely inspired and that the U.S. was selected by God to play a special part in human history.

[71] Indeed, Romney's political beliefs regarding a limited role for government, a need for self-reliance, and requirements for welfare recipients, often reflect Mormon tenets adapted for the secular world.

[60] Declining to discuss details about his religion also reduced the risk that doctrinal differences will alienate evangelical Christian voters.

"[60] Mitt Romney was the third U.S. presidential candidate of the Mormon faith to have a high likelihood of achieving a major political party's nomination.

... My church abhors it, it excommunicates people who practice it, and it's got nothing to do with my faith.The question of whether Mormons are considered "Christians" remains a sensitive issue, with possible political implications.