On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney has expressed his love for America, mangoes, papayas, pie, water, laughing, good pretzels, American cars, the existence of wind, legal immigration, all of the Constitutional amendments, ice skating, and trees of a certain height. But if you’re looking to understand where the GOP presidential candidate is coming from, it’s best to examine a different set of objects. As Romney prepares to accept his party’s nomination in Tampa, here’s our virtual tour of his defining moments as told through the objects, both literal and metaphorical, that he’s encountered on his journey.
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 ?Image credits:
AMC Rambler, 1954: Flickr/aldenjewell; Daddy Swag: OldPolitics; Scissors: Shutterstock/Kutlayev Dmitry; Cow Palace: Wikimedia Commons; The Stanford Axe, 1965: Flickr/HairOfTheBear; Think and Grow Rich, 1966: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection; BYU Football Cupcakes, 1968: Flickr/SweetToothFairy; Wedding Cake, 1969: mittromney.com; Look Magazine, 1970: Douglas Gilbert; Adding Machine, 1976: John Wolff’s Web Museum; Seamus: Wikimedia Commons; Necktie, 1984: Shutterstock/Mary Rice; Key Ring, 1984: LDS Doctrine; Scantron Form, 1994: Shutterstock/Vixit; Ampad Notebook, 1995: Ampad; Life-like Doll, 1996: Shutterstock/yamix; “Fat Cat” Ad, 1996: AEI; Angel Moroni Statue, 1997: Shutterstock/Action Sports Photography; Horse Mask, 1998: Archie McPhee & Co.; Olympic Pin: Ken Bullock; Utah, 2002: Flickr/Snap Man; The Big Dig, 2006: bigdigbook.com; Official Portrait, 2005: Wikimedia Commons; Elmer Fudd, 2006: Warner Brothers; Flip-flop, 2008: Shutterstock/tanatat; Car Elevator, 2012: American Custom Lifts; Tax Havens, 2012: Shutterstock/Maria Skaldina; Paul Ryan’s Budget, 2012: Pete Marovich/ZUMA.
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