My Mail From Mitt

Mitt Romney is carpet bombing my mailbox. Either on "Monday Morning" or "Wednesday Morning" he writes me, soliciting my support for Romney for President Inc. or, alternatively, for the Republican National Committee (RNC). I wonder if Monday and Wednesday won in tests, or if it's just what the creative teams for the candidate and the GOP fall back on.

Gov. Romney has asked for me to sign a RNC "Pledge of Support to Restore America's Promise." He has asked for my emergency contribution to help the RNC raise $12 million in the next 20 days. (Again, I wonder about testing and if the $12 million and 20 days are deliberate.) And he has also asked for my input on a confidential 2012 Presidential Issues Survey.

All of the letters — for both the RNC and his campaign — are signed "Mitt" and do not include a title, with just his name typed below the signature. It's block printing, the "i" in his signature looks like a colon, he only crosses the first "t," and he consistently favors a blue felt tip pen. The informality strikes me as playing to the "candidate you'd most like to share a beer with" strategy while the letter copy contains all the conservative rhetoric and GOP messaging you'd expect.

Ann Romney, Mitt's wife, also got in on the action on behalf of the RNC. I would have used a stamp with a mailer's cancellation mark on the closed-face gray baronial with her name printed in the cornercard in navy blue, but otherwise the package is spot-on. The two-sheet, two-page letter is "on message" with the "restore America's promise" refrain, but it is also warm and personal with a mention of meeting people on the campaign trail:

"In addition to the economic struggles I mentioned earlier, many people are facing devastating health issues. Because they are aware of my own health struggles, we share a special bond. I always take the time to listen and offer whatever encouragement I can because I know what it is like to face a devastating diagnosis and have an uncertain future. When you're hit with something really hard, you have a choice: you can give up or you can push on and keep fighting. This applies to all kinds of struggles."