Posted on 08/27/2008 7:52:58 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
10. Inexperience. Romney, a one-term governor who did not run for reelection, has precisely one-third of the elective experience that Dan Quayle had when nominated for Vice President, and Quayle was attacked for his inexperience. A Romney nomination would cut against the grain of one of McCain’s best arguments – Obama’s inexperience – and this is particularly true when placed against Joe Biden.
9. Rommey supporters typically say that he would be good on the economy. But why, exactly? Paul O’Neill and John Snow were both highly successful businessmen, and yet were weak as Treasury Secretary. Why would Romney be any different – and would McCain want to be seen to hand over control of the economy to his vice president? Business and government require different leadership styles. Few people can handle both well, and Romney’s thin record as governor provides little evidence he can. The conservative Tax Foundation stated that the total state and local tax burden in Massachusetts rose 5.1 percent on Romney’s watch, and the state ranked 46th in job growth from 2003-2005 (in the middle of a boom). In any event, skill in business is very different from skill in finance – or governing.
8. Thin skin. In the Republican debates, Romney always wanted to be the focus of attention, taking more than his allotted share of time and reacting badly when others questioned his statements or views. McCain clobbered him in the debates, helping assure his own nomination. Joe Biden would do likewise.
7. While “anybody but _______” efforts rarely work in American politics (think Carter, Reagan, Mondale), this one did. At least three candidates – Huckabee, Giuliani, Thompson – decided that they simply preferred beating Romney and effectively worked together to stop him. What was it about Romney they so disliked? This also doesn’t say much about his ability to unite the party, keep support, or exert political leadership.
6. Whether one is pro-choice or pro-life, Romney’s flip-flop on abortion seems terribly insincere. To believe the story as it was originally told, Romney was concerned over stem cell research. Ask any of your active pro-life friends: they will probably know many people who are pro-life except for the stem cells issue and will have met no one who became pro-life because of it. His palpable anger when asked detailed questions about his views does not give credence to the sincerity of his conversion.
5. Can Romney supporters point to even one poll – just one poll – showing that he would have won reelection in 2006? It is not good enough to say “oh, but he said he wanted to run for President, so there were no polls.” (What about Romney internals?) George Bush faced this dilemma in 1998 and won reelection handily as Governor of Texas. What does this say about Romney’s record as Governor? Isn’t the better conclusion that he won (with less than 50% of the vote) only against a very weak Democratic candidate from western Massachusetts and governed in an undistinguished fashion? If we want to say that Barack Obama’s record is thin, we must say the same about Romney’s, so he cannot be the nominee.
4. In 2004, some very effective advertising mocked John Kerry for windsurfing off Nantucket as a sign he was out of touch with the people. How, then, would the people react, in a time of economic gloom, to learning that Romney’s hedge funds – based offshore, presumably to avoid U.S. taxation – are named after a lighthouse on the same island? Can’t you just picture the ads now?
3. With McCain’s implicit one-term pledge, a Romney nomination – giving the vice presidency to a deep-pocketed candidate – would sharply divide the Republican party by effectively conceding the 2012 nomination to him, sidelining both up-and-coming candidates like Governors Pawlenty, Palin, and Jindal and current figures such as Mike Huckabee (who came in second, remember – Romney did not). How will the party react? The same consideration does not apply for a pick of, for instance, Pawlenty, Jindal, Governor Jon Huntsman, or Rep. Eric Cantor. They do not have the money to dominate the party and the conservative movement as Romney does. The 1988 primaries show that a sitting Vice President can be effectively challenged – but Romney would begin the race with a huge advantage simply because of his personal wealth. Allegations have already been raised that Romney’s foundation money has been used (improperly?) to bolster his political image And given this, would President McCain have any assurance that Romney would be loyal?
2. Can Romney supporters name a single major accomplishment of Romeny’s as Governor that would please conservatives? His “RomneyCare” health plan? Unlikely, as the candidate himself walked away from it during the primaries. Did he have any ability to persuade the legislature? After the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage, did Romney even switch a single legislator to vote in favor of placing a constitutional amendment on gay marriage on the ballot, so the people could deicide rather than judges? If so, who? The burden should be on Romney supporters to provide the names and details. Did the Legislature not like him, or is it better to say that he simply walked away from the issue? The Boston Globe’s valedictory editorial (December 26, 2006) sums it up well: "Romney himself admits that a number of his goals remain unmet. His inability to lower the nation's highest unemployment insurance rate, to secure merit pay for teachers, and to reinvigorate the Republican Party were among the frustrations he listed."
1. On a family vacation, he put the family dog in a cage on top of the car while driving for 12 hours, across an international border – an experiment in logistics, aerodynamics, and animal welfare that predictably failed when the dog became ill. Over 50 million American dogs – and 40 million American dog owners – would be horrified. For my own part, I think Obama's selection of Joe Biden (one of the least wealthy men in the US Senate) makes a Romney pick a very, very dangerous exercise in bad optics
Being a huge dog lover, the fact (if true) that he put his dog in a cage ON TOP OF HIS CAR for 12 HOURS!!!!! Is a huge turn off because it is so incredibly stupid!!!
Please John don't pick Mitt!
#59 meant regarding Frum, not you.
Romney graduated from the Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in 1965 and earned a perfect score on his SAT. After attending Stanford University for two quarters, Romney served in France for 30 months as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He actually speaks fluent French, the only candidate of either party to do so despite Obama's advocating that Americans should learn Spanish or a foreign language.
Subsequently, Romney attended Brigham Young University, where he graduated as valedictorian, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in 1971. In 1975, Romney graduated from a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration program coordinated between Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He graduated cum laude from the law school and was named a Baker Scholar for graduating in the top five percent of his business school class.
He entered private business and co-founded Bain Capital. During the 14 years he headed the company, Bain Capital's average annual internal rate of return on realized investments was 113 percent, making money primarily through leveraged buyouts. He invested in or bought many well-known companies such as Staples, Brookstone, Domino's, Sealy Corporation and Sports Authority.
Romney left Bain Capital in 1998 to head the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee. He and his wife have a net worth of between 250 and 500 million USD not including Romney`s blind trust in the name of their children, which is valued at about $100 million.Romney served as president and CEO of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games held in Salt Lake City. In 1999, before Romney was hired, the event was running $379 million short of its revenue benchmarks. Plans were being made to scale back the games in order to compensate for the fiscal crisis.
On February 11, 1999, Romney was hired as the new president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Romney revamped the organization's leadership and policies, reduced budgets and boosted fund raising. He also worked to ensure the safety of the Games following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 by coordinating a $300 million security budget. Despite the initial fiscal shortfall, the Games ended up clearing a profit of $100 million, not counting the $224.5 million in security costs contributed by outside sources. Romney contributed $1 million to the Olympics, and donated the $825,000 salary he earned as President and CEO to charity.
Romney was elected Governor of MA, which is the most Democrat state in the nation. He has five sons and one wife, a model family without hint of personal scandal.
Talk about a resume of accomplishment and achievement. This is it. Obama's, McCain's, and Biden's pale before it. It is not even close.
What does being mormon have to do with anything?
I don’t believe that dog story. But I also don’t think it will be Mitt. And I do like Mitt.
.
See #62.
Best choice is a subjective judgment. Cantor is not the person I would select to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency, especially when you have the oldest man ever to run for the first time for President and with a history of serious medical problems.
Ah, much better.
But, as noted, Frum is Jewish and, by definition could care less how the goy worship God, as long as they are monothesitic.
I really, really doubt he would care what Christian denomination Romney believe about, as it would be lumped together as “Nohadic” and thus “OK.”
Thompson truly disappointed me. I was looking forward to learning more about him and possibly voting for him, but he didn’t really campaign. Thompson got in late, was wishy washy- didn’t seem to put much effort in, and got out early. I came to the conclusion he did not want to be President, someone must have convinced him to run.
Many around say Romney would be a drag on the Republican ticket, but this poll shows the opposite: 49% of Republicans say they’d be more likely to vote for McCain with Romney on the ticket, 23% less likely, and 35% no difference.
http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=802651
A strange result for the possible VP some say would be a disaster for the ticket. Other possible candidates polled less well than Romney.
Recent Videos of Romney at the DNC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5OoBidKNsQ
Romney “Joe Biden is an impenetrable thicket of words.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgIePVmIeTc
Frum’s editorial is full of hyperbole, “Romney wanted to be the center of attention in the debates.” Oh really? Every candidate does.
McCain, a self-described maverick, will depress the vote of a far larger percentage of conservatives who won't vote for someone who supports amnesty and a cap and trade system to address the hoax known as manade global warming. The former will destroy this country with the stroke of a pen and the latter will wreck our economy. In this election, we are being offered an echo, not a choice.
I am currently watching the GOP platform hearings. The McCainites were successful in blocking an amendment in the platform that would support drilling in ANWR [vice Alaska]. The big concern expressed by the McCainites was that it would hurt McCain because he does not support drilling in ANWR. Those in favor of the amendment cited the fact that all Reps would be running on the platform and the vast majority of Reps favor drilling in ANWR. It was a close vote, but the amendment was killed.
BINGO!
His being a cultist isn’t a plus.
Sarah Palin, come on down!
By “arrogant” you mean that they refuse to bow to your lies and insults.
Bingo, you nailed it. Why the Romney supporters just refuse to acknowledge Romney's high negatives is beyond me. Why in the world would McCain want to bring in a man with such high negatives that would sink his campaign???? It just doesn't wash IMO.
No, by arrogant, I mean arrogant.
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