Not Excited About Romney?

CE.com ^ | april 25, 2012 | David J. Peterson

[Salvation]

Not Excited About Romney?

• Politics
• April 25th, 2012
• David J. Peterson

This year’s GOP primary has been an odyssey filled with sound and fury. But, like elephants who never forget, millions of Republicans are muttering “haven’t we seen this movie before?” Conservatives who were looking for a solid alternative to Democrat Barack Obama are angry and disappointed. The party rank and file was opposed to the nomination of Mitt Romney, seeing him as a weathervane – willing to adopt any position or cause to suit his ambitions.

The Republican establishment, which is dominated by big business and the Wall Street elite, heard the same chorus of protests when Senator John McCain was nominated in 2008. The party elites argue that, as a centrist, Governor Romney has the best chance of beating the incumbent president in the November US elections. They claim that since his term ended in Massachusetts, a left-leaning stronghold, Romney’s positions have “evolved” and he is now closer to mainstream conservatives. Yet, his detractors say fielding a candidate who is clearly unable to articulate any coherent moral outlook is a big blunder.

American voters have not warmed up to the nominee. Since early 2011, Romney support among Republican voters in statewide polls never rose above 20 to 30 percent. In an ABC survey in March – just 34 percent of all voters had a favorable opinion of him. His unfavorable score, nearly 50 percent, was exceeded only by one other Republican, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, and by only one top candidate in 28 years, Hillary Clinton in 2008.

It is a mystery how a candidate so unpopular among average voters could remain the “front runner”. In addition, the single issue where Barack Obama is most vulnerable is his controversial national health care mandate. Unbelievably, it turns out that the original model for the “Obamacare” health law was first enacted by Governor Romney in Massachusetts. Both laws require everyone with income to purchase health insurance. As with Obama, Romney’s plan provides free contraceptive coverage, which Catholic and other religious institutions must pay for!

The outcome of the GOP primary season poses the question: is democracy taking a long sabbatical in the country where it all began back in 1776? First, there is the obvious issue of disparity in money. Multi-millionaires like Romney have a tremendous advantage over opponents. At the same time, candidates who are not responsive to the wealthy elite will always be swimming upstream. With access to unlimited donations raised by “SuperPacs,” the GOP winner shelled out hundreds of millions in slick attack ads – helping to vilify his opponents in every state primary. The two expected nominees have already raised a combined total close to US$400 million. Overall spending by both presidential campaigns in 2008 was $1.7 billion, 10 times what it was in 1976, and perhaps this will double in 2012.

A second major concern is how Governor Romney was originally designated as the front runner. Who determined that the Republican nomination was his, unless a challenger could snatch it away? It is hard to escape the conclusion that a corrupt bargain was in place from the start involving the top US elites, the GOP establishment and the national media barons. In modern election contests, the big media carefully frame the race between two poles, the liberal Democrats against conservative Republicans. In the primary debates the media make it next to impossible for a dissenting candidate to get anywhere near the nomination.

From 1970 to 2000, America’s former Christian culture has been stripped away like bark from a tree. As with Sarah Palin – a leading Christian conservative who was nominated for vice president in 2008 – a candidate who openly talks of a serious commitment to Christian or Biblical moral virtues is considered a “cult follower” or extremist.

This year former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Senator Rick Santorum and even Texas Governor Rick Perry were all bullied and ostracized by partisan TV journalists. When Perry or Santorum made foolish statements, the media labeled them hopeless bumpkins who were unfit for higher office.

Mitt Romney’s blunders were criticized but labelled as just bumps in the road. But the front runner made several mega-gaffes where he appeared to be getting coaching from Ebenezer Scrooge. During the worst economic crisis in almost a century, multi-millionaire Romney stated “I am not concerned about poor people”. Elsewhere he bragged about how he enjoys firing people. He described government loans which saved two-thirds of the auto industry and over 1 million American jobs as a terrible mistake. After first stonewalling on his taxes, he revealed that by using loopholes and off shore accounts he paid only 14 percent, a rate well below that of most middle-income Americans.

For independent minded voters, including social conservatives and Christians, there is a temptation to simply avoid the race or to stay away from the polls this fall. The damage done by Obama in the next four years may not be as bad as one or two terms under a slightly less liberal alternative. Before he suspended his surprising campaign, Rick Santorum said the difference between Romney and his Democratic rival is negligible. Arguments about the lesser of two evils, which surface like a swarm of cicadas every four years, are sounding hollow.

As Plato noted in the Republic – in an oligarchy “there is not one state but two, one of the very wealthy, and one of everyone else. “If history is a guide, then Ben Franklin’s remarks at the 1787 Constitutional Convention should be noted. When asked – ‘what have we got?’ – he replied, ‘A republic if you can keep it’.” As in earlier eras, 21st century Americans will have to provide their own answer to his timeless warning.

 

David J. Peterson is an author and a high school teacher with a degree in economics. He lives in Chicago. 

This article was originally published on MercatorNet under a Creative Commons License.

[caww]

Yuck, what have they done to us?

It isn't so much what they have done to us...it's there's not enough of us fighting back Salvation....and the churches have far to much liberalism within them. So the "truth" is rarely visible or heard.

We are at the very least in the beginning of the last days....He said this would come...and that from and by our very own....

[caww]

I’d like to see Texas mount a huge write in campaign for Newt, for Santorum, for Perry, for Sarah, for anyone but Willard.

Actually that's not a bad idea.....

There were three running im my district I was uncertain about....I wrote in John Doe,Mary Doe,Frank Doe..as I wasn;t about to leave anythign blank. Ends up my ballot had the only write ins!

[caww]

Why you ask? So we the spectators of their game will cheer them on as they give us a show... and keep the cash flowing to their coffers...so they can continue to eat at the table we provide for them and leave their offices wealthy and ready for whose “turn” is next.

[Liberty Valance]

[caww]

You’re correct and I do sincerely apologize...I did misunderstand your post. Thank you for pointing that out and not letting it just go by.

[Liberty Valance]

[onyx]

A VERY good analysis of the situation.

RYL? I love you, Salvation, but I disagree.

The writer, like the MSM, neglects to even mention Newt Gingrich, when in fact, beginning in Iowa, this dirty primary has been all about stopping Newt Gingrich when he was running away with the election, both in Iowa and in the national polls.

The despicable Romney spent over $43 Million in vicious attack ads, the first $20+ Million against Newt Gingrich and later against Rick Santorum in his insatiable lust for power campaign that was solely dependent upon destroying his top rivals, NOT promoting his sorry self or promoting his ideas for a better America.



Romney absolutely ruined the primary for every one of us. He robbed us from the primary we all deserved. A primary of real ideas, real solutions for the real problems our nation faces.

Newt Gingrich and some of the other conservative candidates tried early on to present their ideas and solutions during debates, but Romney's attack ads and the lamestream favoritism to Romney, made it impossible to keep the national attention focused on ideas and solutions; instead the media were only to happy to play into the horse race and the spats and personal squabbles!

Remember Herman Cain? This writer didn't mention him either!

[Liberty Valance]

[Liberty Valance]

[caww]

The despicable Romney spent over $43 Million in vicious attack ads,.... the first $20+ Million against Newt Gingrich.... and later against Rick Santorum in his insatiable lust for power campaign that was solely dependent upon destroying his top rivals,... NOT promoting his sorry self or promoting his ideas for a better America.

Romney absolutely ruined the primary for every one of us. He robbed us from the primary we all deserved. A primary of real ideas, real solutions for the real problems our nation faces.

You are absolutely correct.....and there were others helping Romney to do this as well. Even McCain did some strong arming, I think it was when Santorum was on a roll and he stopped an Endorsement.

There were so many "favors" called in during this Primary Onyx...for the Gop, as well as the Powerful and Wealthy LDS leadership, were not about to let Romney loose this at any cost.

[onyx]

I’ll NEVER vote for that dirty scum bag liar.

[stpio]

Can we “offer up” to God the pain of Romney and Obama?
Talk about a “suffering”, it’s so unfair, where are goodness
and virtue?

[Liberty Valance]

"This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."
--- Admiral Josh Painter - (Fred Dalton Thompson) Hunt for Red October - 1990

[gghd]

Thank you for your comment. “Next time” for me will depend upon ‘God willing & the creek don’t rise.’

I’m obligated to vote as a Catholic. The Catechism has a Section in it: The duties of citizens. #2238-2246.

There has been enough information about Obama to determine Obama is anti-God & Obama is pro-death. I was at Mass & the Priest stepped >out of the Sanctuary & then told us that Obama gave the Bishops ‘the finger.’

I plan to vote for >anybody but Obama. To NOT vote for the Republican candidate will >actually end up being a vote for Obama as the choices appear to be Bad (Romney) or Worse (Obama).

+If you look at my tag-line, according to Obama, I’m a person that clings to both guns & religion. The Pope owns guns. & ALL Christians should emulate The Holy Father & >actually embrace The Cross like Jesus Christ.

Job42: “Then Job answered the Lord and said: ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered.’
‘I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know.’
‘I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you.’
‘Therefore I disown what I have said and repent in dust and ashes.”

ALL my obligations are ultimately to God.

[faithhopecharity]

For starters, we need to figure out exactly how so many other capable candidates were left behind or defeated in the Republican primary/caucus selection process.

[gghd]

Please see my reply #64. The choice is between Bad & Worse. I’m obligated to choose. I’m obligated to vote.

There has been NO religious authority in the Catholic Church that has told Catholics NOT to vote.

There is enough information for me that I have decided to vote for >anyone but Obama. As Catholics, we are obligated to vote. To vote for anyone but the Republican candidate is ultimately a vote for Obama.

If UPPER management tells The Holy Father it’s time for a Holy Crusade, then I’m wearing the Crusaders Cross. That hasn’t happened yet so I plan to be at the voting booth on election day.

ALL our obligations are ultimate to God. We ALL answer to God on Judgment Day.

Please read my comment post #64.

[onyx]

Thank you very much!

[gghd]

This is a general observation. THERE ARE WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. It’s a warning from Jesus Christ.

There seems to be people in a Catholic thread encouraging people to NOT vote for Romney.

Catholics are obligated to vote. It’s in the catechism.

In the election, it appears as though the election will be between Bad=Romney & Worse=Obama.

To NOT vote for Romney will be a vote for Obama. Beware the wolves in sheep’s clothing. The list of sins placed in this thread about Romney can be said about Obama.

I was at a Catholic Mass & the Priest stepped >out of the Sanctuary & walked up to the pews. The Priest said, “Obama gave our Bishops the finger.”

[rawcatslyentist]

Not Excited About Romney?

No!

[caww]

There are ‘more’ than two choices of “bad” or “worse” for President. One does not have to support the “Party” Candidate....I am a free voter, not hostage to a Party nor their candidate...and for the record I mentioned nothing of “Not Voting”...nor would I consider doing that.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these,... “LIFE”..

We are given LIFE by our creator..no man has the right to take that LIFE......the unborn children have the right before God and man to have Life..to LIVE!

Romney’s position defiantely opposes God’s Word and the Declaration of our Country....killing the very life which God gives is murder with intent in abortion.

Now if Romney does not uphold ‘the sanctity of LIFE’..then what would make anyone believe he’d care about their life..... let alone the life of this nation?

[Maurice Tift]

   What exactly is there to get excited about?

  I think it's time for Romney to get out of the race.

[Biggirl]

Would do a write-in help as an alternate to Romney?

[lentulusgracchus]

(Article)

From 1970 to 2000, America’s former Christian culture has been stripped away like bark from a tree.

This was deliberate, and I suspect two groups: East Coast urbanites, who are either cynical materialists (often Leftists, even Communists) or liberal Jewish voters who dislike believing Christians and "Flyover Country" citizens and regard them as The Enemy (see Here: http://tinyurl.com/6w37svf); and movement homosexuals, who began campaigning to overthrow the public morality as long ago as 1957, when they tampered with a UCLA study by Dr. Evelyn Hooker about the etiology and susceptibility to treatment of homosexuality, and went on to stage coups d'etat, first against the mental-health professions in 1973 and then against the MSM, as described in Hunter Madsen and Marshall Kirk's After the Ball, which was more forthrightly titled, when it was an alternative-newspaper series in (significantly) Washington, DC, "Overhauling Straight America". The whole idea was to force the entire American people to abandon their values and be "friendly" to homosexuals and pederasts.

[lentulusgracchus]

....and the churches have far to much liberalism within them

That's the Red cabal (National Council of Churches, which has Communist ties) shaking hands with the Lavender cabal. There has been an underground network of gay seminarians at work in several mainstream churches since the 60's, and homosexual turncoat Protestant prelates were among the early leaders of the attack on American morality and the public's sense of right and wrong.

[lentulusgracchus]

To NOT vote for Romney will be a vote for Obama.

Buncombe. Absolutely false dichotomy. People can vote their conscience -- and trying to force them to sacrifice their consciences is a worse sin than anything you've conjured.

Don't play games with the gameplayers, they will steal your minds and your souls.

[napscoordinator]

no need to fear Romney will lose in a landslide.

He will big time. That is the problem I have with the GOPe most. They have no idea how much people are not motivated about voting for Romney. And it is not just excitement in voting, but going door to door campaigning for Romney, making phone calls, even passing out pamphlets. I don't see any of that happening. The GOTV will be nonexistent. I just don't see how Romney could win. Even myself, I am voting for Virgil Goode so someone will have to work extra hard to cover my two votes (me and my wife) and there are tons of folks like myself who won't vote for Romney. I just hope that people will vote for Virgil Goode and he can win. That is our only hope for the next four years. It is 100 percent a shame that Newt is dropping out.

[muawiyah]

Why do we tolerate Carl Rove. He’s obviously deranged ~ the man is a campaign analyst in his professional life so he must have some understanding of what it means when people stop going to primaries.

[sayuncledave]

Romney was, and is, largely supported by the Republican establishment. To be fair, those people are allowed to have their own opinion, as are we all. And yet, no one else was given much but short shrift, regardless. As an orthodox Catholic, I cannot support a candidate who is anything but prolife, nor can I support one who leans toward homosexual unions. While the cards may have been in Romney’s favor, by both the establishment Repubs and Mr. Romney’s not-inconsiderable wealth, that doesn’t change the facts for me: I cannot, and will not, support him. In all honesty, I’d love to see the much bally-hooed brokered convention. We need Presidential Material, not presidential material, and Willard is definitely the latter.

[muawiyah]

As you now there's this term "RINO" that gets tossed around. Many believe it means LIBERAL, yet, in reality, it initially meant a DEMOCRAT (or fringe party) politician who sought office by running as a REPUBLICAN.

Most RINOS were found in Southern States.

Modernizing it just a little you find that RINOS ARE POLITICIANS whose political leanings are something other than classical Republican or Conservative yet they seek office as Republicans, or they support such people with time and money.

Several months ago I went through the political career backgrounds of all the Republican candidates for President. At the time there were 10 such people. 7 of them had questionable non-Republican party ties or events in their backgrounds. They were then, in fact, arguably RINOS.

Lots of Freepers were campaigning for those RINOS. So there's your answer about "Exactly how so many other capable candidates were left behind or defeated"

[muawiyah]

Virgil has always been a good man. The Democrats hate him intensely. If it looks like he’s getting some traction the Democrats in Maryland will have him shot down like they did George Wallace so many years ago. Their hitman was released from prison not too long ago.

[who knows what evil?]

What can we really trace all of this decline to?

G-d was removed from the classroom in the early 60's...it has been straight down the crapper ever since...

[who knows what evil?]

Catholics are obligated to vote.

They do...in New England; they vote for Barack Obama.

[.30Carbine]

You have placed some of the best comments of the primary on this thread. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge on the subject. Jesus did say that the falling away must happen first...

REMINDER: The National Day of Prayer is the first Thursday in May.

[9YearLurker]

This article on Romney’s claimed and actual record on illegals is all anyone needs to know about the guy:

http://pauldrockton.com/Illegals.html

[SaraJohnson]

When they banned God by building that fake wall of separation they started dictating culture to the people. They began a long march through all our institutions to dismantle or culturally cleanse America’s secular morality and ethics which they targeted as influenced by God and therefore illegal. Since constitutional ideals come out of Christian thinking about justice, they cleansed all that, too.

In it’s place, they installed humanism which is amoral, anti-God Marxism with a twist of tribalism’s separation of hearts and minds by stoking race jealousy hate and revenge.

[who knows what evil?]

Excellent post...you have nailed it.

[SumProVita]

I’ve been as vocal as any here at FR about my opposition to Romney. But I honestly do not think the two would govern the same. The GOP majority in the House and the likely gains in the Senate could keep Romney at least semi-honest. Mitt is not a conservative, and never will be “one of us.” He might, however, be pushed into center-right territory ala H.W. Bush. HW was no Reagan, but I’d take him in a heartbeat right now over Obama.

An Obama 2nd term, by contrast, is going to be pure, unabashed leftism.

__________________________

I agree.

[SumProVita]

What can we really trace all of this decline to?

_____________________________

“Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.” ... Alexander Solzhenitsyn

[Quickgun]

I disagree with those who claim Romney is as bad as Obama. 4 years of Romney, we probably can survive, and keep up the movement for more conservative candidates. 4 more years of Obama, and this nation will be exactly like the former Soviet Union. Obama and his czars, and Holder will have complete control over everything. We won’t make it through that with any semblance of freedom as we know it and no recourse except civil war, and quite possibly, not enough resources for that, either.I’m certainly not campaigning for Romney, I’m just asking folks to take a long look at the administration we have now before they decide to stay home on election day. IMHO, staying home in 2008 is what got us here.

[SaraJohnson]

In a just world, Rove would have been run out on a railroad after he messed up representing Bush’s point of view and challenging the left’s BDS. Because of his total incompetence, radicals came to power. He worked during the elections then mounted his throne and sat on his fat a$$ once Bush was in office.

[Sirius Lee]

I’m voting for >anybody but Obama.

Virgil Goode is not Obama. AND he's Conservative to the core.

[annalex]

is democracy taking a long sabbatical in the country where it all began back in 1776?

This is how broad franchise democracy works, we are just taking a long time realizing it. The outcomes are determined behind the scenes as the moneyed interests and their lackeys in the media position the candidates for victory or loss.

The public mood is a factor. This season, the public mood would have carried to victory any of the Republican candidates. So, the manipulators rolled out the least conservative of them and made him Republican front runner. They did so by marginalizing all others, who all had a potential to seriously rock the boat. That way, no matter whether Romney or Obama win in November, the system does not change. The slide away from local government toward a bureaucratic all-powerful centralized state will continue, the only unknown is the flavor of the poison.

[muawiyah]

I suppose in a worst case scenario you could campaign for Romney and get him elected along with a Republican House and Senate.

Then he could be impeached, convicted and taken out and executed ~ along with Rubio just in case anybody has any idea he's an improvement.

I think the Democrats might shape up a tad if we did that eh!

There are other options ~ one of which is that Romney bows out now!

Ann Romney is going to be living uncomfortably no matter what happens though.

[Patton@Bastogne]

.

Agreed ... a GREAT article ...


I am 57 years old, an experienced political campaigner (Bush-41-43, Bob Dole, Juan McCain) ...

I am genuinely "sick and tired" of the GOP E-RINOs destroying my beloved America ... one "stupid compromise" at a time ... year after year ...

On the other hand, I don't really "personally" blame Bush-41, Bob Dole and Juan McCain for their attitudes ...

Why ?

They don't give a DAMN-DAMN-DAMN about anything, expect power and money ...

Dittos for the Clintons and Mitt Romney and Rush Limbaugh and Herman Cain ...



======================



Call me anything you like ... I would understand, too ...

But my gut feeling is that Mitt Romney WILL NOT be the GOP 2012 Presidential Nomonee ...

It's gonna be Newt and Sarah Palin ...

I guess it's just intuition ... who knows ...



======================



But even after Newt and sarah win the 2012 general election ...

I am FOREVER FINISHED with the "Republican Party" ...

Period.

A few weeks ago the National GOP sent me a "Political Polling Questionaire" ... with a request for money ...

I sent them a handwritten note ... telling them to "go to hell" for the way they treated Newt Gingrich ...

and enclosed a Tea Party bumper sticker ... in the envelope ...


Those "Political Jackals" in Washington can go straight to Obama's bedroom in the Whitehouse, for all that I'm concerned ...



.

[Retired COB]

What? He is a carbon copy!

I call him "Obama Lite", and I'm not just talking about skin color.

[SumProVita]

Frequently, frustration speaks without intelligent thought and consideration of the results.

[Berlin_Freeper]

I have done a lot of bad things in my life. I am not going to top it all by voting for Romney.

[muawiyah]

MItt should simply drop out now. His candidacy is going to put the Democrats back into full power.

[katiedidit1]

My big battle is with the RNC now. They pulled every dirty trick in the book to rig the election and primaries for Romney.
We know what happened to Newt in Iowa and as Onyx posted, “Newt was offering solutions” It was Newt the establishment and democrats feared. Why should the dems fear Romney? his record is almost identical to Obamas.
and NO surprise Newt was omitted from this article.

[southphilly]

Stay home in November, will be a vote for Obama...that will show them!!