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In his standard campaign speeches, Romney tended toward hyperbole. The Wisconsin fabric factory he visited didn't have much air conditioning, though it was nowhere near as hot as some of the open-air venues he'd visited previously. "It's so hot in here the building is sweating!" he exclaimed as he took the stage. Earlier, in Ohio, pouring rain caught his attention. "This is courage!" he told the people who had braved the weather. Even energy policy sparked the obvious overstatement. Speaking to those gathered in the town square in Newark, Ohio, he criticized President Barack Obama's decision not to move forward with the Keystone XL pipeline. "I'll get that oil pipeline in from Canada even if I have to build it myself!" Romney said. After he had spoken -- an address could range from six minutes to as many as 20
-- Romney would shake hands with the people who lined up along the metal barriers in front of the stage. Grinning widely the whole time, he'd sign posters and memorabilia. But he didn't really stop to chat. "Appreciate your help today!" he told voters as he shook hands in Brunswick, Ohio. "Thanks for being here!" he would say. Or he'd offer just a word: "Wow!" His crowds were more excited than ever. And in interviews throughout the tour, voters said they found him unexpectedly personable. "He showed his humanity," said Marge Sowa, 69, a retired secretary who stood in the rain to hear Romney's speech in Brunswick, Ohio. "I thought he really showed a warm side." Romney was eager to engage on a friendly, personal level with the reporters who covered him. He twice walked to the back of his campaign plane to talk, the first time bringing three of his grandchildren to chat with the press. Flying to Michigan, Romney poked fun at himself. "I just want to tell you that we're about to go to Michigan," he said, before repeating a line that earned him ridicule during the primary campaign. "When we land, look around, and you'll see the trees are the right height." Amid laughter, he added, "That's all I got."
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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