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Romney All Business In Campaign

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By MICHAEL LUO, The New York Times

Published: November 24, 2007

Presidential campaigns, with their boiler-room pressure, news media scrutiny and organizational challenges, have always functioned as something of a dress rehearsal for the White House. How do the candidates make tough decisions? Are they willing to listen to opposing points of view? Do they micromanage?

These questions have taken on a particular edge among the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, who have remained, for the most part, ideologically close to President Bush but are trying to cast themselves as more competent.

Mitt Romney, in particular, is staking his campaign in large measure on his image as a managerial guru. He has emphasized his advantage on this score on the stump, saying it derives from the data-driven, analysis-laden business practices he acquired in his years in the private sector - and which his aides say are evident in how he runs his campaign.

"What concerns me about Washington is that people have answers before they've gathered any data, done any analysis, solicited opinions from people who disagree," Romney said in an interview. "From the business world, you look at that and you say, 'You've got to be kidding.'"

No governing from the gut for Romney, his aides say. This is a man who relishes "metrics," is always on the lookout for data to frame discussions and brings a devil's advocacy to every discussion, whether it focuses on policy formation or advertising.

"He challenges everything you first give him," said Alex Gage, Romney's director of strategy. "The worst thing to do is go into a meeting with him and say: 'Well, we think this is the best thing to do. Anybody disagree? No, no, we all agree.' That will be a red flag for him."

Other Issues Remain In Question

Even as Romney's advisers talk up his management skills, however, they are not forthcoming on some of the tougher decisions Romney has faced since entering the race, like how much of his own money to pour into his campaign (of the $63 million he has raised, some $17 million has come from his own pocket), or how to deal with persistent accusations of flip-flopping. And many of the largest decisions are yet unmade, like if and when to give a major speech about his Mormon faith.

Any effort to cast Romney as a pragmatic, problem-solving politician must also take into account his partisan slide to the right since leaving the Massachusetts Statehouse, leading him to make blustery comments about doubling the size of the detention camp at the Guantanamo naval base in Cuba and to abandon ideas like requiring people to buy health insurance, which was at the core of his universal health care plan in Massachusetts.

"Prior to running for president, Mitt was not particularly partisan or ideological," said Eric A. Kriss, who worked with Romney at Bain Capital and later as the Massachusetts budget chief. "He was more likely to say, 'Show me the data.'"

Political observers typically cite the Romney campaign as the best-organized operation among the Republican contenders, from its hyper-focused field teams in early voting states to its efficient fundraising apparatus.

Romney has bona fide management credentials, with joint MBA and law degrees from Harvard (he attended Harvard Business School at the same time as President Bush), and a stellar business reputation.

His management approach is built on several core principles, he says, including picking the right team, demanding data, conducting thorough analyses and making sure to have ways to measure success or failure. He said he had developed the process over time in both the private and public sectors.

"I don't think there are many people who have had that experience in life, who have actually gone through that process again and again and again, and honed it down," he said.

Skills Acquired In Private Sector

Much of Romney's style was developed in his years at Bain Capital, the private equity powerhouse he helped found. He led a small team that singled out companies for takeover, revamped them and then sold them for profit. But the premium was less on operational prowess, which might be brought to running the sprawling federal bureaucracy, and more on salesmanship and deal-making, as well as on the kind of intense analysis he had employed as a management consultant.

As governor, Romney did little direct managing, delegating much of that to his staff, Kriss said. When addressing challenges, including solving the state's budget crisis and shaping its universal health care plan, he took an analytical approach. Both efforts began with Bain-style strategic audits.

Romney's style in the campaign is similar, his aides said, with Romney relying on a circle of lieutenants, many of whom are longtime friends who are familiar with what he expects.

"He describes himself as the chairman of the company and me as the CEO," said Beth Myers, Romney's campaign manager.

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