What could make a top Romney adviser literally throw up during the convention? How about Clint Eastwood’s unforgettable speech to an empty chair? Insider stories like the throwing-up incident are peppered throughout Dan Balz’s new book, Collision 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America.
Washington Post Chief Correspondent, Balz, joined The Daily Rundown Monday to preview his book and share tales from the campaign trail.
A notable section of the book describes how Governor Mitt Romney had doubts about running for president and that his family even took a vote on what he should do.
“Ten of the twelve family members voted no. Mitt Romney was one of those ten voting against another campaign. The only yes votes were from Ann Romney and Tagg Romney,” writes Balz. Romney provided Balz with the most extensive post-election interview he has ever given.
The candidate’s son, Tagg Romney, said to Balz of the decision to run, “Even up until the day before he made the announcement, he was looking for excuses to get out of it. If there had been someone who he thought would have made a better president than he, he would have gladly stepped aside.”
Among the rich stories is an anecdote about the unexpectedly long length of Bill Clinton’s speech at the Democratic convention.
“What went up on the teleprompter was the cut version. But Bill Clinton had digested and memorized the whole speech. There were times when it looked like he was just riffing, which he’s famous for doing. He basically put everything back into the speech that had been cut out and when it ran past the 11:00 hour, the networks just stayed with it,” Balz said.
Karly Schledwitz