Posted on 08/11/2014 8:07:16 AM PDT by Phillyred
Almost every day, it seems, brings a headline demonstrating how right 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was, and how wrong President Barack Obama was, on the critical issues facing America.
In 2012, Romney warned that Obama’s failure to secure an agreement to keep a residual military force in Iraq would threaten the U.S. gains made at such a high cost in American lives and treasure. “America’s ability to influence events for the better in Iraq has been undermined by the abrupt withdrawal of our entire troop presence,” Romney asserted.
The chaos in Iraq today supports Romney’s view. With no U.S. military presence to constrain Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Shiite politician persecuted Sunni leaders and gutted Sunni participation in government and the military. Worse, it set the stage for Sunni sympathies to turn to the fanatical Islamic State in Syria and Iraq that has conquered a significant part of the country and waged genocide against religious minorities. Obama has had to order U.S. air strikes to protect U.S. personnel in the Kurdish region and to support Kurdish militia to keep ISIS from capturing all of northern Iraq.
In the 2012 debates, Obama mocked Romney for calling Russia America’s top geopolitical foe. Today, Russia has stolen Crimea from Ukraine, funds and provides weapons and men to Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and even threatens an invasion of the country. President Vladimir Putin meddles in the Mideast, seeks to expand Moscow’s clout in Latin America, and harbors renegade Edward Snowden.
On domestic issues, Romney in 2011 advanced the idea of giving veterans a voucher to obtain medical care they could not get at a Veterans Administration hospital. This year saw the VA scandal reveal that long waiting lists for hospital treatment were hidden. Legislation Obama signed this week allows vets to seek help outside the VA system.
Romney understood that the nation’s outdated, complex tax code encourages U.S. corporations to park assets overseas and invest in other countries. He recommended tax reform to keep that money and business in America and boost the economy. Obama does nothing about reform but demagogues as “unpatriotic” corporations pressured by the tax code to seek profits and better returns for shareholders overseas.
As governor in Massachusetts, Romney demonstrated an ability to work across party lines, and, as a business executive called upon to save the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics from scandal and financial ruin, he proved to be a problem solver.
Obama has never demonstrated a commitment to bipartisan leadership. In the opening days of his presidency in 2009 with the nation in financial crisis, Obama rejected GOP ideas for economic stimulus by telling Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, that “I won.” Obama’s re-election meant only further gridlock in Washington.
All this hasn’t been lost on the public. Polls last month showed Romney would handily win a rematch and that he would be a 2016 front-runner in New Hampshire, which hosts the first presidential primary. Even some GOP donors warmed to the idea of a 2016 Romney bid.
Romney ruled it out. Probably with good reason. Another run would require his confronting the ghosts of 2012 — his “self-deportation” immigration rhetoric, his writing off of the “47 percent,” and his failure to defend his own business record.
While Romney might have been the president the country needs today, it’s not so clear he’s the candidate of tomorrow.
“Romneycare” Romney is the perfect candidate for the GOP-E!
And that is exactly why “Romneycare” Romney is exactly the opposite of what will put America back on the RIGHT Track!
Too bad that Bishop RomneyCARE,
aka Mr. Willard GayMarriage,
was so limp against Obama.
Limp as old jello, unlike backstabber Bishop RomneyCARE
against any conservative or his/her children.
The 2012 Republican National Convention demonstrated to the GOP's conservative base that he clearly had no use for them. The program didn't feature a single prominent spokesman from the Tea Party wing, not even Sarah Palin. One night there was to be an appearance by a "mystery guest" whom we hoped would be Sarah Palin, but it tuned out to be some old has-been movie actor. And Newt Gingrich was apparently not allowed to give one of his trade-mark barnburner speeches but instead made a plodding, platitude-laden joint address with his wife, which seemed clearly out of character.
Instead of firing us up, that convention left us less than enthused.
Are you serious? Supporting abortion and queers (even to the point of them adopting and abusing children) is minor ?
Finding those things unacceptable makes a person a "so-called" conservative?
Incredible.
The Democrats do things differently. Their party is run by a very small minority of extreme left wingers. They are communists, but that word has fallen out of fashion and no one votes for communists. So, they call themselves progressives and welcome any and all to their party, all you need to do is bring votes and money.
They succeed by disciplining the politicians of the party. Cross the party leadership and you are dead politically. They will destroy you and every Democrat politician understands this. That’s how a very small minority got to a position where they are running the country.
Most people in this country are self described conservatives, but many of them get run off by other conservatives on grounds that they are not “pure” enough. No welcome mat at our door. Our politicians do whatever they please because we refuse to discipline them. Many are just professional politicians and will vote whichever way the wind blows.
Without internal discipline and without a change of attitude among Conservative voters that would rather rant against RINOs than win elections, we are doomed to be controlled by the looney left.
Democrats don’t exactly have a corner on LIVs. The GOP has its own set of LIVs who vote for the likes of Romney.
Managerial ability?
Why do people care?
People continue to think BO is bad at protecting and preserving the constitution because he can’t manage. But that’s not true. He’s bad at his real and only job because he doesn’t believe in it so Hess dooming something else.
Romney cares about the constitution enough to let the pr staff place it as wallpaper during a debate
He can manage to fulfill the liberal agenda. So what ? He can manage to put down conservative candidates and ensure dem victory
Why is this so impressive?
Agreed!
The p-word always surfaces. No one's flawless, especially political candidates; I'm not looking for one. But I do demand that the person I vote for not be an abortion-supporting, queer-loving liberal.
" No welcome mat at our door. "
For those stances? Certainly not.
"Our politicians do whatever they please because we refuse to discipline them. Many are just professional politicians and will vote whichever way the wind blows."
The way to discipline them is to prove to them that moderates and liberals will get zero support from conservatives.
"Without internal discipline and without a change of attitude among Conservative voters that would rather rant against RINOs than win elections, we are doomed to be controlled by the looney left."
Yet it seems to escape you that by promoting candidates like Romney, you are VOTING for the left.
There are more important things than elections.
With respect, any candidate who relies on being elected via people voting "against" the other guy, is a very bad choice. Voting "against" is purely an emotional summation of intent; mathematically speaking, a vote is only ever FOR something/someone, or FOR something/someone else. Even when you vote "against" a ballot proposition in intent, mathematically what you are doing is voting FOR nixing that idea. With individual candidates, however, there is NEVER an option of voting for nixing them; there is ONLY the option of voting for someone else. I repeat: voting "against" is 100 percent pretend, a fiction of the mind.
I take responsibility for what I voted FOR, which is why I refused to vote for Romney in 2012 and will refuse again in 2016. People who take responsibility for what they voted "against" are taking responsibility for an entirely imaginary action.
You weren’t bothered by Romney coming out as pro-abortion again after winning the nomination?
How about when he restated his support for gay Scout leaders or ran pro-choice ads in Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin, losing all three states?
Romney is no genius. Anybody with a brain and free from ideological shackles could see with specificity the train wreak that is Obamaa.
This country has been mismanaged for decades. Government controls about 40% of GDP and growing. Our entitlement programs and other so-called mandatories consume two-thirds of the federal budget and are on automatic pilot. They will consume the entire budget unless reformed. We have a $17 trillion national debate and over a hundred trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities. We need to reduce the size of government and make it run more efficiently. It is also a national security issue since we are now fighting the classic battle of Guns vs Butter in a welfare state. America is in decline.
Unless we solve these systemic, structural problems, the Republic is finished no matter who sits in the WH. I want competence more than anything else at this point in the WH. Is there any candidate out there of any political persuasion who can run the government in a competent fashion. Perhaps, Scott Walker or Jeff Sessions, but I really can't identify one.
You have clearly convinced yourself that Obama is a better option than Romney. I hope that you are pleased with the situation that we are in. I am not. I did not support Romney in the primary process, but I didn’t support Obama either. In the end, I had to choose. Life is like that.
I agree with the first part that argument. The GOPe (and the Democrats who voted in the Republican primaries) rallied around Romney. I don't believe that it was an active conspiracy but it accomplished its goal of keeping real conservatives off the top of the ticket by promoting the "severely conservative" candidate. I still say shame on any conservative who voted for this clown in the primaries - next time do your homework. I'm less critical of those conservatives who voted for Mitt in the general election, although I didn't.
The part of the argument that I don't buy is the second half. Once the GOPe had secured their man as the nominee, why not go all out to win the general election? There have been few better openings for the GOPe to get their guy in as POTUS than in 2012. Obama was struggling and America appeared poised to change leaders if one emerged. While the GOPe agree with a lot of Obama's policies, they are generally more aligned with Romney's corporate welfare, socially liberal mindset. What would they have to lose? IMO, Mitt Romney ran a poor campaign because he is a poor campaigner. In his previous campaigns (of which he won exactly one), Romney was an uninspiring candidate.
What segment of America does Mitt Romney represent? Who actually can relate to him, or better yet, who does he related to?
Owning the comment?
He was recorded saying it at a fundraising dinner with his big $$$$ GOPe donors, a waiter put the recorder on a table.
He didn't intend to tell us that, that was a message to his rich buddies.
Romney knew it was a loser (wrt to the election). Common sense would tell anyone it was.
It was a classic GOPe moment, same GOPe who wants amnesty. "Those lazy Americans refuse to work, that's why we need immigration reform, immigrants are willing to work"
Right. Don't respond to any of my points---just retreat to the standard senseless meme.
" I hope that you are pleased with the situation that we are in. I am not. I did not support Romney in the primary process, but I didn’t support Obama either. In the end, I had to choose. Life is like that."
Exactly right. That's why my choice is to shun liberalism and to think ahead to the day I have to stand before Jesus. I don't want to have to try and justify my support for baby killing and love of queers.
If you prefer to keep rationalizing to yourself, have fun.
The GOP candidate, Jack Ryan, a millionaire investor, good looking with some good ideas was real competition to Obama until a compliant CALIFORNIA judge allowed the opening of SEALED 6 year past divorce filings between Ryan and his ex, the actress Jeri Ryan. With much frothing at the mouth, the Obama-loving media focused on an ACCUSATION of marital coercion and sexual bad behavior found in 400+ pages of the record. Jack Ryan, who prior to his run was teaching at an inner-city Chicago school, dropped out of the race within days.
The irony here was that this was the SECOND time in that 2004 campaign that the NEED FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE had unsealed sacrosanct divorce records. Obama's team had done almost exactly the same thing against his principal Democrat opponent in the primary, Blair Hull.
So, Chicago Sun Times, when you run stories like this, I say that you are late to the party and you stink of the mud!
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