Friday, September 21, 2012

The Alternative


The Republican base is so fond of expressing their virulent, often irrational hatred of Barack Obama. They actually have little to say about the alternative, Mitt Romney, his proposals and prospects for changing the economy or foreign policy. That is understandable because Mitt, being a serial flip-flopper, changes his positions so often that it is difficult to know what he stands for. He has changed positions on abortion rights, nationalizing MA's RomneyCare, Support for Tarp/Stimulus, Stem Cell research, minimum wage, immigration amnesty, Social Security privatization, campaign spending limits, global warming, banning assault weapons… just to name a few.

Lets face it. The man is weak. He lacks any conviction and the courage to stand behind his beliefs (what ever they may be on any given day). His views will change based on whatever presents him with the best opportunity to satisfy his blind ambition. That lack of conviction has led him to get in bed with the social conservatives. He has adopted the radical Tea Party views of anti-abortion choice, anti-gay marriage equality, anti-immigration reform, anti-birth control access… you get the idea. With his VP choice of Tea Party's poster-boy Paul Ryan, it will be awfully hard to shake off the influence of these social conservatives and evangelicals. This weakness of conviction and history of flip-flops will be his ultimate downfall during the debates and weeks following up to the election.

One thing he has stood firm on is the economic policy of George W. Bush. You know, those policies that REALLY pushed our economy off the financial cliff in late 2008; the policy of lowering tax rates for the highest tax brackets and deregulating finance and business. These are the policies that led to the reckless behavior of Wall Street and toxic mortgage trading that ultimately destroyed the housing markets, plummeted stocks and led to losing jobs at the rate of 750,000 per month resulting in a +10.6% unemployment by the time it had bottomed out. That trend has since been reversed and has been slowly but steadily improving despite a shameless Republican congress bent on obstructing any White House legislation to increase job growth.

So what does Mitt Romney have to offer? Return to the tried and failed Bush policies, a weakness of character, and a social conservative agenda. Yeah, that is some great vision for the future. I think I'll stick with Barack Obama. I think most of America will do the same.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Incompetence Revealed

The revelations in the last couple of days that further reveal Mitt Romney's character have been eye-opening. David Brooks wrote a very intelligent Op-Ed piece in the Times this morning. There are a lot of things that Brooks says here that all of us will agree and disagree on from very different viewpoints. That is what makes it such a compelling read. PLEASE take the time to read this article.

I think you will see what I mean by his summation in the last two paragraphs:
Sure, there are some government programs that cultivate patterns of dependency in some people. I’d put federal disability payments and unemployment insurance in this category. But, as a description of America today, Romney’s comment is a country-club fantasy. It’s what self-satisfied millionaires say to each other. It reinforces every negative view people have about Romney. 
Personally, I think he’s a kind, decent man who says stupid things because he is pretending to be something he is not — some sort of cartoonish government-hater. But it scarcely matters. He’s running a depressingly inept presidential campaign. Mr. Romney, your entitlement reform ideas are essential, but when will the incompetence stop?

A link to the entire article.

Republicans are so fond of writing about Obama's so-called incompetence. Surely Romney's "shoot now, aim later" statements on the day of the Libya tragedy points to Romney's own lack of ability in handling a crisis. Add to that the 47% rants and you have to question what kind of president this guy will make.

Today's Romney Tapes are a further example of a man who can't be trusted to this job. Here he blabbers away to a group of wealthy donors that Palestinians don't want peace, that a two state solution is an impossibility. While that kind of bluster may sound great for cocktail party conversation or at your neighborhood bar, it certainly is not something a presidential "hopeful" should be spouting off at a fundraising dinner. These are words that can seriously compromise sensitive negotiations, ideas that need to be held close to your vest. If Mitt were to become president, these would be factors that could dictate the outcome of a Middle East settlement. Once again, Romney comes off as very Un-Presidential, perhaps even dangerous.