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Friday, October 26, 2012

\'Big\' Talk From Mitt Romney

AMES, Iowa - Mitt Romney is going big.

Over the past 24 hours, Mr. Romney has called for “big change,” described a “big choice,” warned of “big challenges,” foreseen “big opportunities” and hailed “big moments.”

The strategy, in a word, is big.

Closing arguments in presidential campaign tend toward the grandiose, but Mr. Romney's reliance on the word is mostly a way to construct a stark contrast. To argue, as he now does, that President Obama's campaign is becoming “smaller and smaller” in its ambitions and focus, his vision and rhetoric needs to become bigger and bigger. Thus, the big motif. His aides do not appear to have reached for a thesaurus. He used the word a dozen times on Thursday alone.

On Friday, Mr. Romney will attach the adjective to problems, challenges, opportunities and change, according to excerpts from a speech on the economy that he will deliver here at 1 p.m. Eastern. Aides said the speech will be â€" wai t for it â€" big.

Follow Michael Barbaro on Twitter at @mikiebarb.