Mitt Romney political campaign ad

The main message of Mitt Romney's ad seems to be that control of government needs handing back to the American people, as can be seen when he says "I believe our laws ought to be written by the people". This important idea that the government should work for the people has been prevalent in American thought since the Revolution in the second half of the 18th century, when they rebelled against the rule of King George III and gained independence. It is so fundamental to they way Americans believe that government should work that it was written into the Declaration of Independence, which states that the government should "deriv[e] their just powers from the consent of the governed", and the Bill of Rights, which gives states power over anything not delegated to central government. Mitt Romney is linking back to these ideas, especially when he says "I believe in the people of America", suggesting that if he gets into power, he will be ruled by what the people want.

However, there was some contradiction to this 'grass roots' message. For example, the words "Strong. New. Leadership." flash up towards the end of the ad. These tie in to American ideals and the way they think about themselves - they are the 'New World', where people can remake themselves and live the American Dream - but the words also suggest a central figure taking control. This is exactly what some Americans object to about Obama, as they think he is taking too much control over their lives and not allowing them their liberty. Yet  Romney is also proposing to be a single leader, and mentions schools, which some voters think should be a state-run issue. By using these terms though, Romney could be appealing to the popular idea of the President's strength and power, reassuring the people that he will make everything better for them. This is one of the duties of the government set out in the Declaration of Independence.