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Not Excited About Romney?
CE.com ^ | april 25, 2012 | David J. Peterson

Posted on 04/25/2012 9:11:41 PM PDT by Salvation

Not Excited About Romney?

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.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alldems4romney; carter4romney; clinton4romney; cyktust; dnc4romney; du4romney; kerry4romney; liberal; loser; mormon; obama; obama4romney; romney; soros4romney; yawn
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To: LibsRJerks
"What can we really trace all of this decline to? "

Our surrender of our public school system, kindergarten thru college, to the heathens.

41 posted on 04/25/2012 11:12:57 PM PDT by matthew fuller (Mitt Romney is the supreme exemplification of the word SMARMY.)
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To: GR_Jr.

Don’t worry. Neither will happen election night.

So you might as well be sad now.

Mitt will loose. He is suppose to.


42 posted on 04/25/2012 11:18:18 PM PDT by cableguymn (Good thing I am a conservative. Otherwise I would have to support Mittens like Republicans do.)
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To: Salvation

Dang, I forgot to answer how it’s either Romney or Obama?

MONEY is the “mother’s milk of politics.”

+As good Catholics we know: “For the >love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.” 1Timothy6:10.


43 posted on 04/25/2012 11:19:12 PM PDT by gghd (A Pro-life Palinista & a member of the NRA)
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To: Diogenesis

You forgot..

Cheats MI

Didn’t they change the rules after he tied with Rick?


44 posted on 04/25/2012 11:19:33 PM PDT by cableguymn (Good thing I am a conservative. Otherwise I would have to support Mittens like Republicans do.)
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To: Rytwyng
"I'll be voting for Ron Paul in the California primary. It'll probably be the last one ever... "

I voted for Ron Paul in the last TX Presidential primary ( the choices were RP, McCain, and Huckabee), just might do so again on May 29. (I despise RP, it's a protest vote, and he has zero chance of winning TX.)

45 posted on 04/25/2012 11:21:17 PM PDT by matthew fuller (Mitt Romney is the supreme exemplification of the word SMARMY.)
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To: gghd
Our job is to support Holy Mother our Church = a life of righteousness, prayer, fasting & alms-giving. +Vote wisely. I’m voting for >anybody but Obama.

Romney supports killing babies...he supports homosexuality....How can you with a clear conscious before God say you support the teachings of your church and yet support the Romney agenda????..... When you vote for Romney you Are supporting his agenda.....there is no line on your ballot where you can give your reason...it is a "For" the candidate and a "For" the agenda of that candidate.

Mitt Romney:

- created RomneyCare which is terribly similar to ObamaCare but even worse for it openly funds abortion

- put Planned Parenthood on the so-called "independent" board he created that offers $50 co-pay abortions

- thereby instituted tax-funded abortion on demand two years after his orchestrated "pro-life" conversion

- as late as summer 2011 continues to defend aborting tens of thousands of kids (denying their God-given right to life)

- supported destructive embryonic research after his false 2004 pro-life conversion

- put a pro-abortion Democratic judge on the bench after Romney had claimed a pro-life conversion

- fabricates a claim that a court ordered him to institute same-sex marriage, a travesty he committed did on his own

- single-handedly instituted same-sex marriage and later fabricated a claim that a court ordered him to do so

- bragged that he would continue to defend abortion "rights" after he claimed a pro-life conversion

- denies responsibility for the 10-member board that funds abortion even though his executive branch filled 7 seats

- pro-choice in '94; pro-life in '01; choice '02; pro-life '04; choice '05; life in '06; then funded abortion in '06

46 posted on 04/25/2012 11:21:32 PM PDT by caww
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To: DemforBush

You mean people like Bonhead and McCornhole? They will push Milt to the right?

BARTENDER!! I’LL HAVE WHAT THEY ARE HAVING!!!!!


47 posted on 04/25/2012 11:22:04 PM PDT by cableguymn (Good thing I am a conservative. Otherwise I would have to support Mittens like Republicans do.)
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To: DemforBush

You mean people like Bonehead and McCornhole? They will push Milt to the right?

BARTENDER!! I’LL HAVE WHAT THEY ARE HAVING!!!!!


48 posted on 04/25/2012 11:22:16 PM PDT by cableguymn (Good thing I am a conservative. Otherwise I would have to support Mittens like Republicans do.)
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To: caww

The conservatives will battle Romney head-on on every issue

Oh really....Name 'one' conservative who has the power and will to do that who we've already replaced in congress. How are our newbies doing? Please tell me.


You invented the quote attributed to me. I did not type that conservatives will battle Romney. I hope they do, but my post indicated that *Obama* presents a clear point of contention for conservatives, where Romney does not. Please re-read my post. I'm certain you have misunderstood, and misquoted, it.


49 posted on 04/25/2012 11:25:01 PM PDT by so_real ( "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.")
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To: Salvation

50 posted on 04/25/2012 11:26:33 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: Salvation
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....

51 posted on 04/25/2012 11:28:03 PM PDT by caww
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To: Salvation
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!

52 posted on 04/25/2012 11:33:42 PM PDT by caww
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To: Gandalf_The_Gray

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.


53 posted on 04/25/2012 11:38:44 PM PDT by caww
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To: Liberty Valance

54 posted on 04/25/2012 11:40:38 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: so_real

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.


55 posted on 04/25/2012 11:41:26 PM PDT by caww
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To: Salvation

56 posted on 04/25/2012 11:43:26 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: Salvation; katiedidit1; caww; b9; true believer forever; The Cajun; CutePuppy
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!


57 posted on 04/25/2012 11:45:36 PM PDT by onyx (SUPPORT FREE REPUBLIC, DONATE MONTHLY. If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, let me know.)
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To: Liberty Valance

58 posted on 04/25/2012 11:48:24 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: Liberty Valance

59 posted on 04/25/2012 11:50:12 PM PDT by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: onyx
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.

60 posted on 04/25/2012 11:54:41 PM PDT by caww
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