Romney doesn't need to be likeable, just likeable enough

Portman argued that Romney’s challenge (changing voters’ image of himself) is less daunting than Obama’s (changing voters’ perceptions of the economy). “I do think likability is important,” he said. “But I think people will have learned between 2008 and now that liking somebody or celebrity status or ‘Wow, he’s cool’ doesn’t fix the economy. And I think our argument this year is the far easier argument to make, which is that he didn’t fix it; we will.”

Romney’s challenge with voters may be similar to that of Ronald Reagan in 1980, except that Romney needs to cross a threshold of minimum likability rather than that of competence. Portman and Graham both set the bar at Romney proving himself “acceptable” to voters. “It’s almost an acceptability standard,” Portman said, rather than persuading voters to “swoon” for him, as they did for Obama in 2008.

In other words, Romney doesn’t have to make himself likable. Just likable enough.