Posted on 02/04/2008 8:48:07 AM PST by Jeff Head
What follows are my reasons for supporting Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination. I will admit upfront that Hunter and Thompson were far and away my 1st and 2nd choices for the GOP bid. I do not like the fact that I must now consider a 3rd choice...but that is the way things have turned out and given the remaining field and the stakes, I must choose the best I can. It is a sad day in our nation that this is the case...but it is.
Mitt Romney has an unarguably strong record in the private sector managing, making over, and creating busineses that were not only profitable, but that employed tens of thousands of Americans. Detractors will point to the fact that in some instances, employees were laid off when he either consulted with, or managed certain companies and had to cut out excess or failings to improve the bottom line of the organization.
Would those same detractors rather that the entire business fail? That all of the employees lose their job? Let's face it, our economy is a free market economy, not some socialistic economic farce like the marxist nations adopt that attempts to relegate employment and work to a state entitlement. In the free market, business succeed or fail based on their profitablity. Succeeding is good for every one, the individuals employed, the management, the share holders (if there are any), and for the economy. Mit Romney has made a career out of understanding this and making it happen.
...and this is not to mention, which you will never hear from those same detractors, the fact that Mitt has created businesses that employ far, far more people than he ever had to let go. Like Staples for example.
I might add...this management on Mitt's part goes far beyond what one of his chief opponents and detractors has tried to make light of as "merely managing". It takes a real leader to manage in the fashion that Mitt has done in business. Decision making, leadership, getting people on board with the necessary changes and then moving forward. Mitt clearly has been able to do this in the private sector and to marginalize that accomplishment and effort by either discounting it as simply "hiring a manager", or equating it to not wanting to have someone who "hands you a pink slip", is a slap in the face to the entire private sector and smacks of narscistic and socialistic views of the free market economy which is so critical to the well being and health of our society...including its government. Those other candidates prove by their own words a basic misunderstanding of the free market economy, and an almost contempt for it. Mittt understands the free market and what it takes to be successful in it like no other in the race and it is a critcal issue facing us all.
Now, let's talk about Mitt's changes. Mitt comes from a culture, the LDS faith, that believes people in a society which is free, should obey and sustain the law. It is engrained into the fabric of that culture. Even when you do not agree with it. Mitt was a bishop and a stake president in that organization...volunteer, non-paid, leadership positions where he faithfully executed and put forward to the members of his church in that area the church's position on any number of issues...most notably abortion and homsexuality. The LDS church is one of the most outspoken opponents of abortion and homsexual agenda. Mitt could not have held those positions (before his political career) without sustaining the church's position on those issues.
So, what happened? This is something that has troubled me. Despite a faith that decries these things and is reconginzed as among the most conservative segments of society as a whole, Mitt, when running for governor of MA, one of the most liberal states in the union, vocally supported abortion rights and homsexual rights, , but extending to the 2nd amendment as well. I believe Mitt ran on those planks for several reasons, none of which I agree with. One, his parents were fairly socially liberal, as he indicates with his refernce to his mother. She was personally against abortion and would not have ever had one...but she supported the so-called "right" to choose.
This is a key to understanding Mitt's earlier position.
I believe Romney has always been personally against these things...but since the law of the land said it was "legal" he rationalized his support of it using his mother's "I am against it but feel that people should be able to choose", to rationalize his own political position in a liberal state where that type of thing was required to get elected.
Second, his cultural position in the LDS faith to "support and sustain the law" led him to rationalize supporting and sustaining bad law in these areas in conjunction with his political career.
I do not agree with any of that. Never have, never will. Irrespective of what a group of people "proclaimm" as the law, as the Supreme Court did in 1972, there is still fundamental right and wrong. Romney was wrong on this...he convinced himself to politically support "laws", and follow the example of his parent on something that was intrinsically wrong, as evidenced by his own personal feelings against it.
But, like Reagan, who also changed positions on the very issue of abortion, Romney changed. He admits it openly. He says he was wrong. I believe that changing hearts and minds on this issue is a big part of the fight and I will not discount a man who has professed that change openly nd publically. I will welcome the change...although I personally would have rather seen several years of support for the new positoion before supporting Mitt for president. Unfortunately, I do not have that luxury in this election. But I have listened closely to people like Santorum, Hastert, Tancedo, and others who have discussed just these issues with Romney before endorsing him. I believe those men...and I believe in my own heart that Romeny can and has changed.
The platform and issues Romney is running on now are, therefore, much more closely aligned with my own. From the War on Terror (which Romney correcly identifies over all his conteders as a war against Islamic Jihad), to the battlefronts in Iraq and Afganistan, to Gitmo, to ANWR, to abortion, to marriage, to his economic policies, to taxes, and any number of other issues...Romeny is now much more closely aligned with my own feelings on these issues than any other GOP candidate, and certainly than either of the democratic candidates.
I also know this about Romney...he is a man that tries to keep his commitments. From his clear virtue with his wife and family, to keeping business promises, to keeping his political promises. He takes notes specifically on those promises and then tries to fulfill them. I believe he will do the same here and be true to the commitments he is making and the people who are lining up and supporting him.
As a result of all of this, and despite the fact, as I have said, that Hunter and Thompson were far and away my 1st and 2nd choices...with the field that remains in the GOP, Mitt Romney now has my vote and support in this election. I believe he has the positions, I believe he has the conservative support, and I believe he has the resources to carry the fight to a successful conclusion against McCain and then against the democrats.
If he wins, I believe he will hold the line against the DNC, and against the members of the GOP who tend to align with liberal issues. I believe he will continue to take the fight to the enemy in the war, and believe he will institutue economic policies that are much more healthy and much more sound and good for the nation than either the tax and spend liberals, or the compassionate conservative spending policies of the current administration. Romney is much more likely to leave us fiscally sound than any of the other contenders.
I also know that there are others who fundamentally disagree with this. So be it. They have a right to their feelings and their research and their decisions based upon it. Particualrly in an election where the GOP is down to 3rd and 4th choices I will not discount or smear them for it. It is their right to do so...it is their duty to study it out and make their best decision. I may not agree with their decisions at this point, but I support them in coming to their own...and will try and rationally set forth my own reasoning in an attempt to influence others.
Finally, I will personally also not join the ranks of those who will either not vote at all, or vote for the DNC as an effort to try and bring about such bad conditions that the conservatives must change. I would rather, for the sake of my family and community, find someone who will hold whatever ground possible, than give it ALL over to those whom I know will take away as much ground on all fronts as possible. That is a course that is, IMHO, fraught with danger. We may lose too much ground and not be able to get it back in our lifetimes, or those of our children. I will not risk that. But that is my opinion and my own decision and the direction I will choose throughout this election.
Having said all of this, admittedly, Romney still has has a huge mountain to climb. Big name party leaders (of the Ford and Rockefeller variety IMHO) are lining up behind McCain and Huckabee seems intent on splitting what remains of the conservative vote. But with what happened in Maine on February 2, where Romney won with a majority over both McCain and Huckalbee combined...and with the overwhelmimng majority here on FR now supporting him (and this is probably the most conservative site on the internet), and with the backing of people like Hastert, Santorum, Tancedo, and so many others...I believe Romney does has the best chance, and he has my support in going for it.
Break out the beer goggles and vote! LOL.
Anything to stop McCain.
Understood...and completely understandable. I kept reading, kept listening (not only to Romney, but to the other candidates, and to the people coming out in support of Romney...and watching who Romney is now surrounding himself with)...and the decision came on its own.
This one is staggering. Mitt Romney’s defenders have argued that we should overlook his reversals on numerous issues because he took his earlier positions as far back as 1994, and anybody could change in that time period. But over the weekend, Romney flip-flopped again on guns, only this time, he reversed a position he held less than two months ago. Conservatives who have been rallying around Romney out of hatred of John McCain really need to take a close look at this...
Very well stated. I also had Hunter and Thompson as my top choices and I much prefer Romney over McCain for the very reasons you mentioned.
Understood. Good luck on your decision. it is not an easy one at this stage. For the reasons I have given, I now have been able to make mind. In fact. made it some time ago and have just got around to articulating it.
Mitt Romney will keep his promises.
I can’t help myself from laughing. That’s funny.
This bears repeating over and over again until those people understand this point...
Thompson was a prominent McCain supporter in 2000, and it’s likely he would back the Arizona senator if he dropped out of the race. But Rollins and Huckabee have repeatedly slammed Thompson since a debate in South Carolina, when the former senator tore into Huckabee, accusing him of “liberal” policies on foreign affairs and economics. In turn, Rollins called Thompson “a successful lobbyist and so-so actor” who was “never a Reaganite,” noting Thompson had backed Reagan’s GOP opponents in primaries in 1976 and 1980.
He would not same scenario different year, these people putting thier captions on Fred Bashing McCain, forget the history of what has allready set precedent.
LOL
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/15/a_mccain-thompson_alliance.html
I agree and tomorrow my state primary will too.
I pray that the conservatives will rally around Romney...like they did in Maine over the weekend.
Thanks.
>I also know this about Romney...he is a man that tries to keep his commitments. From his clear virtue with his wife and family, to keeping business promises, to keeping his political promises. He takes notes specifically on those promises and then tries to fulfill them. I believe he will do the same here and be true to the commitments he is making and the people who are lining up and supporting him.
Nails it right there. And that has been the main reason I support Romney today. Today he is right. And he’s proven to keep his word.
Doesn’t matter what he argued for in the past, when he not agrees those positions were wrong.
Actually, some of the Romney hating moonbats would have preferred exactly that. It would be more fair, you know.
Reagan said it best when he predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall by saying the enemedia would react by writing headlines about "Thousands of Border Guards Unemployed."
These type of headlines actually swept Clinton into office. The enemedia were able to stampede millions of American voters over the cliff.
They are already gloating that their power to do the same today now hasn't been diminished. I appreciate the fact that Mitt Romney has been able to withstand the onslaught this long. I hope he can carry on after tomorrow.
It has become clear to most of us that despite less than stellar conservative bonafides, he is hated by the enemedia. And that alone, in my opinion, elevates his status as a future conservative leader.
I just CAM to this thread to see what it was ‘bout....
Very Series it is - maybe even hugh...
That the decision is your own is all I ask of anyone.
Personally I think Romney is among those who have seen the outrage of the American people over immigration and will try to act accordingly. McCain on the other hand couldn’t care less what the American people want.
I am still very concerned about China as I’m sure you are.
Kiss of death alert.
Hey, when McCain is the nominee could you please endorse Hillary next?
Great...hope it goes just that way, and in many, many more places than the MSM, DNC, RINOS, and others believe possible.
A so-so actor! Well then, Huckabee is a failed preacher.
Thank you, thank you for your thoughtful post!!!
GO MITT!!!
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