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| Romney's concession phone call: what did he say? | Romney's concession phone call: what did he say? |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| We've all been there. It's 1am, you've just lost the American presidential election, and now you've got to call the victor to concede. What the devil do you say? | We've all been there. It's 1am, you've just lost the American presidential election, and now you've got to call the victor to concede. What the devil do you say? |
| This, as history now records, was the quandary facing a certain Willard Mitt Romney – or, as David Lynch termed him last week: R-Money – in the early hours of Wednesday morning. For variously obvious reasons, it must have been a difficult moment. There was no love lost between R-Money and Obama during the campaign – at one point, the president implied that Mitt caused cancer – while only hours before Romney had boasted that he was so confident of victory, he had only prepared a winner's speech. All 1,118 words of it. Not that he's counting or anything. | |
| Emotions aside, though, there's an art to timing the concessionary phone-call. Too early, and you risk either upsetting your supporters (who want to feel they at least made things close) – or worse still, foreclosing the possibility of a win. Too late, and you're seen as divisive and bitter. | Emotions aside, though, there's an art to timing the concessionary phone-call. Too early, and you risk either upsetting your supporters (who want to feel they at least made things close) – or worse still, foreclosing the possibility of a win. Too late, and you're seen as divisive and bitter. |
| "The losing candidate has an important duty," said Steve Schmidt, the senior Republican strategist who advised John McCain on when to concede in 2008, on NBC last night. "That's to concede the election in a graceful manner and begin to unite the country." | "The losing candidate has an important duty," said Steve Schmidt, the senior Republican strategist who advised John McCain on when to concede in 2008, on NBC last night. "That's to concede the election in a graceful manner and begin to unite the country." |
| Republican Bob Dole is an example of how not to do things. In 1996, he seemingly conceded to the incumbent, Bill Clinton, before polls even closed in California. Half an hour later, the concession was retracted and the mistake was attributed to mythological creatures. "Either a gremlin or some other thing caused it to be released,'' explained Dole's hapless press secretary. | Republican Bob Dole is an example of how not to do things. In 1996, he seemingly conceded to the incumbent, Bill Clinton, before polls even closed in California. Half an hour later, the concession was retracted and the mistake was attributed to mythological creatures. "Either a gremlin or some other thing caused it to be released,'' explained Dole's hapless press secretary. |
| In the hours leading up to the phone call, the candidates simply hang about. "Everyone's sitting there," says Schmidt. "They've showered in the hotel. They've moved over to the [campaign] site. They're restless – a lot of it is just watching TV." (So restless, in fact, that this year Romney's aide Garrett Jackson preferred to spend the evening chasing the younger members of the Romney clan down the corridors of a gloomy hotel. He released a photo of the shenanigans. It's supposed to be touching, but really it looks more like something out of The Shining.) | In the hours leading up to the phone call, the candidates simply hang about. "Everyone's sitting there," says Schmidt. "They've showered in the hotel. They've moved over to the [campaign] site. They're restless – a lot of it is just watching TV." (So restless, in fact, that this year Romney's aide Garrett Jackson preferred to spend the evening chasing the younger members of the Romney clan down the corridors of a gloomy hotel. He released a photo of the shenanigans. It's supposed to be touching, but really it looks more like something out of The Shining.) |
| Nearby, explained Schmidt, will have been "a war-room of young kids". These strategists do the number-crunching on the results as they're announced and ultimately advise the losing candidate on when to give in. "It's a tough moment," Schmidt continued, "when you have to tell the candidate, as I did, that we've lost Ohio: you're not going to be the president of the United States." | Nearby, explained Schmidt, will have been "a war-room of young kids". These strategists do the number-crunching on the results as they're announced and ultimately advise the losing candidate on when to give in. "It's a tough moment," Schmidt continued, "when you have to tell the candidate, as I did, that we've lost Ohio: you're not going to be the president of the United States." |
| But even at this stage, the phone call can go wrong. In 2000, Al Gore famously rang George Bush to concede once it looked like he'd lost Florida. Minutes later, Gore was back on the blower. Some of the Florida results looked flawed, and he wanted to stay in the race. "Let me make sure I understand," an enraged Bush apparently replied. "You're calling me back to retract your concession?" "You don't have to get snippy about it," Gore shot back. Snippy, however, didn't even begin to describe what followed. Legal wrangling continued for weeks, and it wasn't until December that Bush could safely call himself president-elect. | But even at this stage, the phone call can go wrong. In 2000, Al Gore famously rang George Bush to concede once it looked like he'd lost Florida. Minutes later, Gore was back on the blower. Some of the Florida results looked flawed, and he wanted to stay in the race. "Let me make sure I understand," an enraged Bush apparently replied. "You're calling me back to retract your concession?" "You don't have to get snippy about it," Gore shot back. Snippy, however, didn't even begin to describe what followed. Legal wrangling continued for weeks, and it wasn't until December that Bush could safely call himself president-elect. |
| John Kerry, Gore's successor as Democratic challenger, achieved rather more grace – mostly because his loss was that much more obvious. "Congratulations, Mr President," was his gambit at the start of a measured five-minute-long conversation between himself and George Bush in 2004. | John Kerry, Gore's successor as Democratic challenger, achieved rather more grace – mostly because his loss was that much more obvious. "Congratulations, Mr President," was his gambit at the start of a measured five-minute-long conversation between himself and George Bush in 2004. |
| And what of old R-Money? Well, in the end, it seems he opted for the Kerry school of concessionary telephony. Shortly before 1am, east-coast time, a Republican aide told CNN he had called Obama for a "short, polite" chat. Good for him. | And what of old R-Money? Well, in the end, it seems he opted for the Kerry school of concessionary telephony. Shortly before 1am, east-coast time, a Republican aide told CNN he had called Obama for a "short, polite" chat. Good for him. |