Why Romney Lost

American Thinker ^ | January 28, 2013 | Dr. Charles T. Kenny

[LucianOfSamasota]

Conservatives instinctively ground all of their ideas and policies in time-tested philosophies of man and of government. Most successful Republican candidates also paint a picture of what they can do and how their ideas are better than their opponents. This is why people evoke the memory of Ronald Reagan so often; because he is the last Republican candidate for president to conduct his campaign explicitly and consistently within this framework.

During the presidential campaign, Romney did talk about what he could do and what he would do as president, but he never presented his ideas and policies in the context of conservative principles. Nor did he paint a picture of how his ideas and policies would work better than what Obama has done and will do.

Secondly, he almost never drew a conclusion about how his ideas and policies would make a difference in voters' lives. Much the same as a carpenter needs to take a punch and set the nail into the wood so it will sink below the surface, a speaker must set his point in granite by drawing a conclusion that matters to the listeners and to their lives and connects with them clearly and explicitly on an emotional level.

For example, Romney repeatedly promised that he would repeal ObamaCare, but he did not say WHY he would do so. He did not talk about what is wrong with what Obama and the Democrats did when they passed the bill, nor did he explain how the voters' lives would be better with ObamaCare repealed.

[Sirius Lee]

Romney did what he set out to do.

[greyfoxx39]

Romney and has bunch all believed that he was foreordained to "save the constitution" and that his mormon "specialness" along with praying and fasting would be enough. That is the mormon mindset.

Anyone who believed that his racist past would be ignored in a battle with Obama was either stupid or naive.

[ex-NFO]

I believe that Republicans at the national level lost, largely because they’ve allowed themselves to be caricaturized by Liberals. They were successfully painted as the the un-cool, small-minded, mean-spirited, etc. party, without an effective response.

I know a number of Obama supporters. Many of them are in favor of family, hard work, accountability, discipline, community involvement (Big Brothers Big Sisters), and even religion.

And yet, these same smart people support someone who is the antithesis of all of those things. It’s because they don’t know any Republicans, but they know Republicans want to take money away from poor people, want to kick granny out into the street, want to grab money from people who don’t have it, and give it to rich people who don’t need it.

Paul Ryan is “that guy who looks too good, there must be something wrong with him, he probably cheats on his wife”.

I believe this is the battle that needs to be won. The same battle the Rush won many years ago, where listeners said “hey, here’s a guy that thinks like me”. I’m not sure who the right messengers are, though.

[AdaGray]

It is much simpler. He lost because he was seen as Ruling Class by the 2/3’s of the country that is the Country Class. Much of the base simply couldn’t vote for a man trying so hard not to offend the Establishment to which he belonged.

[Voltage]

Nothing will change until the checks bounce. Until then those receiving free things will continue to vote for free things.

[TexasFreeper2009]

In the end people are shallow and principally vote for who they like the most.

And face it, Romney just wasn't likable, and being a Mormon just made it all the worse and caused millions of conservative Christians to stay home.

[Blood of Tyrants]

He lost because he played at being nice to Obama instead of attacking him.

[newsfollower]

I am so sick and tired of hearing how Romney lost because he didn’t campaign well enough or he wasn’t a ‘true good conservative.’

Just take a look at the voting blocs. Minorities voted overwhelmingly because they wanted to see a minority person in charge. If the GOP comes back to power, it’s going to be because they run a
woman and get 66% of the
White vote and then start doing something about these immigration problems.

[MissesBush]

Thanks.

[MissesBush]

Oh please. You’re a fanatic with the Mormon hate. Take a pill. What happened? Did a Mormon guy steal your girlfriend from you years ago? There’s nothing racist about Romney or the LDS faith. It is one of the fastest growing religions in black Africa. Not even the loons at MessNBC used such slander against Romney. Meanwhile as you call the LDS religion “racist” many Southern Protestant congregations are still segregated by color. And shall we get into the role many Southern Protestants, ministers and congregations included, played in fighting desegregation? To be fair, some helped fight for it too.

Regardless the LDS Church or its past wasn’t even brought up in the campaign other than by a tiny nut fringe like you no one gave 2 second’s worth of attention to. And no one who’s run for President in the last half century has more bigotry in his past than Obama and his long term friendship with Rev. Wright and his white hating, Jew bashing sermons. If Obama can win despite that then a long abandoned policy by the LDS on Blacks holding the priesthood wouldn’t have mattered to anyone. The problem is the US news media and the cult of personality they’ve helped to create around Obama, that his record of scandal and failure are covered up and anyone who dares oppose him is destroyed.

[MissesBush]

You hit on an important point. We have to take apart the unions and their power to have any hope, and work to get federal laws enforced against union dues and resources being used in political campaigns. Add to your comments my post #13 on here and you have the 2 biggest reasons Romney lost, both outside of his control.

[MissesBush]

You hit on an important point. We have to take apart the unions and their power to have any hope, and work to get federal laws enforced against union dues and resources being used in political campaigns. Add to your comments my post #13 on here and you have the 2 biggest reasons Romney lost, both outside of his control.

[MissesBush]

You’re right. I’ve watched politics for years and even worked in political consulting for a brief time and Romney ran a pretty strong campaign. I give his campaign a solid B. Romney’s first debate performance was masterful. His few missteps were largely media-stokes tempests in tea pots while Obama’s wretched 2012 record, and frankly of his entire 4 years, was entirely soft soaped by the media. Obama’s “bitter clingers” comment from 2008 never got a tenth the play Romney’s out of context and oft misquoted 47% comment got. The media was a huge headwind for Romney to overcome. I don’t think any other candidate could have done it. Heck, the media even ensured their darling Hillary was brought down by their bigger darling Obama in the 2008 Dem primary.

That said, Romney’s turn out op failed him badly esp the Orca vote targeting software his people used. But I blame that on some of his campaign staff more than I do the candidate. Romney also should not have let his foot off the gas in the final debate. But other than this I think he gave a fairly strong performance in the campaign.

[Kenny Bunk]

Romney Lost because he had NO Plan, NO Program to Implement it, and NO Leadership to articulate the plan, the program, and the sale of it to an increasingly idiotic populace, a good half of whom cannot be bothered to vote.

For a fellow my age, this was a Pat Boone re-run and I am a Jerry Lee Lewis kind of guy. I mean how much artificially flavored, no fat, 0-calorie, imitation vanilla, whipped frozen yogurt-type dessert product can a reasonable man swallow? Romney, you Ken-doll, you are boring. That namby-pamby whey-faced jackass' anus had better not ever meet ME in a dark alley.

Fraud? Yeah there was massive fraud. But The Mormon Milquetoast conceded faster than a $5-hooker can turn down a motel bedspread. But, only after spending 'bout a $Billion in party funds in his feckless, ball-less, passion-less bland campaign. Ryan? Don't get me started. My grandson would have made mincemeat out of the crooked, senile, old fart "Knew Nothing about Benghazi?" Joey Plugs.

But thanks to the silent RINO Party, fraud is now becoming ever more solidly institutionalized. Voting drags on for weeks in state after state, giving the Democrats plenty of time to maximize the Negro, Mexican, and female vote where it counts the most, not to mention the dead, and the "virtual voter," and their families who exist only in the computers of the DNC and state committees.

Fraud. It gave us Kennedy and no one said a word. That was the historic tipping point, since which the Democrats have become not only more technically adept, but bolder than cat burglars. Why not? Who's to stop them?

[Kenny Bunk]

I have been explaining the Hispanic Identity Thing to Freepers for years!

In Hispanic cultures, your name is no simple matter. José García y Lopez marries María Gomez y Gonzalez. She then becomes María Gomez de García ... for starters.

Down at the welfare office, her name becomes De García on one card. Gomez, on another card, García (without the "DE" on another card. José goes by Gomez and Lopez, but he was very fond of his grandfather Salcedo, so he can be known as Gomez de Salcedo. And so on. It can be quite endless, given that most Hispanics have a couple or three first names!

Every "identity" has ID, social security cards, DLs, even a passport. there exist addresses and bank accounts that receive MILLIONS in SS benefits to the different identities of individual multiple SS card holders.

HisPANIC, Liz. Next wave: Venezuelans. Then the BIG one, from Brazil. You and I live in what will become the northernmost Latin American Country. 50 years.

[38special]

I knew he’d lose watching the third debate. He simply took a dive.

[Liz]

Phony pathological liars whining that they're "just here for a better life". The freeloaders who violate our borders and "do the jobs Americans won't do" have more criminal enterprises than ya' can shake a stick at.

<><>ICE's "documents and benefits fraud task force" found a common practice among "impoverished" illegals is to buy several faked identities for several thousand dollars each----the illegal then votes and rides the US gravy train under several names.

<><> Jose Madrigal---the Washington state rapist---had some 30 identities. And probably voted and collected US benefits under every single identity.

<><>June 26, 2010 An illegal using multiple identities was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay back $3 million in fraudulently obtained unemployment compensation. Manuel Mejia Ordonez, got eight years for conspiracy to commit mail fraud........and identity theft.

<><> Hilderberto Salinas sold state drivers' licenses issued out of the state’s Motor Vehicle Agency in NJ to illegals with multiple identities who did not have the necessary id's....among 40 people who participated in the widespread ring. "Impoverished" illegals paid $2,500 to $7,000 apiece for the licenses.

<><> July 21, 2006----NJ BERGEN RECORD---Pelcastre brothers, Angel and Jorge, Dallas, Texas, were a walking threat to US national security, expert document forgers who, for a few thousand dollars, could give anyone a new identity, NJ L/E authorities said. The Texas brothers were a "one-stop shop" for a myriad of fake US documents, including birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver's licenses----for any state in the US------ passports and resident alien cards, said state police.

The Texas brothers turned a NJ hotel room into a business office and were readying a massive cache of fake Social Security cards for delivery to a local NJ identity broker. Officers happened upon two cars bearing Texas plates in a NJ hotel parking lot. The Texas brothers were followed to a NJ office supply store nearby where they purchased computer supplies. Officers then followed the Texans to a NJ storage facility in Secaucus, NJ, where the Texans loaded several boxes into a car. One of them stood lookout.

After a search, police recovered laminating sheets with built-in security features, pages of blank documents waiting for fake names and information, finished documents, computers and software to create the fake IDs.

All told, the haul was worth about $500,000 on the street when sold to "impoverished illegals." Police also recovered $6,000 in cash, which was the first payment from a NJ fake document broker for a shipment of 500 phony Social Security cards. ####

<><> US Dept of the Treasury Says Illegal Aliens Collecting Billions in Tax Credits According to the US Dept of Treasury’s Inspector General, more than $4.2 billion in additional child credits were paid out in 2010 to illegal immigrants. In 2005, the pay outs totaled $924 million. This program allows low income earners to claim a $1,000 per child credit. $20 billion EITC is estimated to have been paid out to these cunning "impoverished" illegals. Most of them are collecting over and over again-----using multiple identities-----falsifying official apps---claiming children they do not have and/or falsely stating kids are back in their homelands.

REFERENCE March 8, 2012 KENNER, La. -- Kenner police arrested illegal Marvin Baca who sold false W-2 forms to another illegal immigrant for $1,500. Baca sold fraudulent W-2 forms for $1,500 to other Hispanics here illegally.

Police said that on one of the forged W-2 forms had a SS no of a person living in Virginia. Police said illegal Hispanics purchase fictitious W-2 forms and file false tax returns with the government to receive EITC refunds. Baca was charged with one count of ID theft and two counts of forgery.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Decent ? Decent men don’t spend years lying about their record or dispatch thugs to launch character assassinations on good people like Gov. Palin to advance their own personal agendas. Willard is not only not decent, but is a very despicable phony.

[greyfoxx39]

Oh please. Mitt lost. The "mormon moment" became a mormon fail. The GOP turned a blind eye to the actual strength/vote fraud of Obama because it was Mitt's turn.

Choosing political consultants and operatives based on the holding of "temple recommends" the way mormon businesses do resulted in Mitt's egocentric belief that he is "the one mighty and strong" to the point that he didn't even have a concession speech prepared.

"Romney had not written a concession speech as of Tuesday afternoon, but was forced to acknowledge his loss after midnight on Wednesday morning. In less than five minutes, Romney ticked all of the historical concession-speech boxes: accept defeat, congratulate victor, look forward, call for unity."

As to racism in mormonism, when the first black member of the "twelve" is ordained, ping me.

Your claim, "There’s nothing racist about Romney or the LDS faith. It is one of the fastest growing religions in black Africa." has no basis in fact. Kenya for example:

Note the actual numbers in the Adventist and JWs versus the paltry mormon number.

Major Religious Groups Kenya

#	Faith	Congregations	Active Members	Adherents	Percent	Annual Growth
1	Protestant	0	0	11924597	38.00%	1.53%
2	Catholic	0	0	8786545	28.00%	1.53%
3	indigenous beliefs	0	0	8158935	26.00%	1.53%
4	Muslim	0	0	2196636	7.00%	1.53%
5	other	0	0	313805	1.00%	1.53%
6	Jehovah's Witnesses	280	15018	41861	0.13%	1.53%
7	Seventh-day Adventists	2398	573700	1147400	3.66%	19.00%
8	Latter-day Saints	31	2437	8124	0.026%	8.07%

Country religious adherents data courtesy of the World Factbook.LDS membership and unit data are derived from the LDS Church Almanac. Seventh-day Adventist statistics are from the Adventist yearbook statistical reports. Jehovah's Witness data are from the Jehovah's Witness yearly statistical report. Other data are from a variety of sources available upon request.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Kenya

Official LDS Statistics LDS Members: 8124 Missions: 1 Temples: 0 Stakes: 1 Districts: 1 Wards: 5 Branches: 26 Total Congregations: 31

Derived LDS Statistics Approx. Active Members: 2437 Percentage of Members Attending Church Weekly: 30% Average members per congregation: 262 Average active members per congregation: 78 LDS, as percent of population: 0.0258% Active LDS, as percent of population: 0.0077% LDS, as percentage of churchgoers: 0% National population per LDS congregation: 1012274

Annual LDS Membership Growth Kenya

#	Year	Members	Annual Growth Rate	Wards	Branches	Units	Unit Growth Rate	Proportionality Ratio
1	1990	300	0%	0	3	3	0%	0
2	1992	500	25%	0	3	3	0%	0
3	1994	1400	47.37%	0	11	11	57.14%	1.206
4	1996	2200	22.22%	0	14	14	12%	0.54
5	1998	2800	12%	0	13	13	-3.7%	-0.308
6	2000	4039	18.12%	0	17	17	13.33%	0.735
7	2002	5508	15.39%	5	16	21	10.52%	0.683
8	2004	6285	6.59%	5	20	25	8.69%	1.318
9	2006	7340	7.74%	5	22	27	3.84%	0.496
10	2008	8124	5.07%	5	26	31	6.89%	1.358

LDS membership and unit data 1976-2000 from Mark Davies' WW-LDS

There is nothing to boast about in an average growth of 500 members in 16 years of which approximately 30% are active.

[ejonesie22]

Romney and his clan have mucked up two freaking elctions for Republicans with their antics and craziness. While voter fraud was rampant there is more than enough blame to be placed at this guy’s feet. The faster and further we pull away from this clown the better of we’ll be.