Deroy Murdock has culled some of these examples in his superb column "The Decency of Mitt":
Does a man who helps people care about and like them?Beyond generosity, Romney has demonstrated organizational leadership and personal courage while aiding others:
- After Joey O'Donnell, 12, died of cystic fibrosis in 1986, Romney built a playground in his honor. "There he was, with a hammer in his belt, the Mitt nobody sees," the boy's father and Romney's neighbor, Joseph O'Donnell, told Michael Kranish and Scott Helman, authors of The Real Romney. A year later, Joey's Park needed maintenance. "The next thing I know, my wife calls me up and says, 'You're not going to believe this, but Mitt Romney is down with a bunch of Boy Scouts and they're working on the park.' . . . He did it for like the next five years, without ever calling to say, 'We're doing this,' without a reporter in tow, not looking for any credit."
- Ellen Hummel's father worked with Romney at Bain Capital, but died when she was just 5. She later asked Romney to help her attend Columbia Medical School. He loaned her tuition money. Just before graduation, Hummel received a Christmas letter from Romney. "It was something caring," Dr. Hummel, now a Michigan general practitioner, told TheDaily.com. "It was something saying, 'This is a gift.'" Romney forgave Dr. Hummel's loan.
- In 1995, Romney heard about the Nixons, a family who moved to Boston. Soon after, a car wreck left their sons paraplegic. Romney called and asked if they were available on Christmas Eve. Romney, his wife, and his sons arrived with a stereo and other gifts for the crippled boys. Romney offered to put them through college and supported them through numerous fundraisers. As their father told Kranish and Helman, "It wasn't a one-time thing."
Five days after Melissa disappeared, someone rang Bain's tip line to ask about a reward. The NYPD traced the call to a New Jersey home, where a 17-year-old had, unbeknownst to his parents, hidden the disoriented and drugged child.
- Melissa Gay, Bain Capital partner Robert Gay's daughter, vanished while visiting New York City in July 1996. Then-CEO Romney closed Bain's Boston headquarters and jetted to Gotham to find the 14-year-old. Romney flew in his private-equity company's 50 employees and transformed a Marriott Hotel into a command post. He consulted the NYPD and recruited private eyes. He dispatched staffers to enlist Bain's business associates. Bain's printer, R. R. Donnelly, produced 300,000 missing-person fliers. Bain's CPAs at Price Waterhouse placed the handbills all over town. Duane Reade, a Bain-portfolio company, stuck leaflets in shopping bags at 52 local outlets.
Romney's focus and management saved Melissa. She now is a happily married mother who teaches fourth grade.
There are more examples of Romney's generosity and largeness of spirit -- of the heart he does not wear on his sleeve.
Then there is Obama. He shoveled snow for his wife. Almost enough said -- for Barack Obama seems to enjoy putting down people to their faces.
Maybe even his supporters are beginning to see the man behind the grin (smirk?) since his popularity has been plummeting.
