What If Romney’s the One?
By Jason Johnson | Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 | PoliticsEver since the Reagan Administration ended, conservatives have been looking for the next great president who can boldly reform the federal government. During this campaign alone, we’ve looked at reform-minded governors, successful businessmen and career politicians alike and yet, for one reason or another, all fell short. What if Mitt Romney is the one we have been waiting for?
I know there is much in Gov. Romney’s record to give conservatives pause (it was not for no reason that George Will called him a “recidivist reviser” but what if he makes up in instinct what he lacks in conviction? Consider the attacks launched by Govs. Huntsman and Perry and Speaker Gingrich, a trio Michelle Malkin writes have “gone Occupier,” based on Romney’s record while at Bain Capital. As the editors of the National Review point out, when taking over companies on the verge of bankruptcy, it is to be expected that some employees will almost certainly lose their jobs. It’s an unfortunate reality of business, but that’s the way the free enterprise system works.
Conservatives pine for a president who can slash the excess spending and regulatory burden in Washington; if Huntsman, Gingrich and Perry get the vapors at the mere thought of firing employees in under-performing corporations, what, praytell, do they propose to do with the federal workers whose jobs will be lost when they eliminate the Departments of Education, Energy and the one Gov. Perry forgot–transfer them to the Department of Defense? If this were 1981, would any of these gentlemen be willing to make the same gutsy call to fire the striking PATCO workers that President Reagan did, or would they stand down?
Getting America’s fiscal house in order will require our next president to make some very tough calls on a host of issues. Would President Huntsman, Gingrich or Perry have the courage to make those same judgment calls as Citizen Romney made at Bain? If they can’t take the pressure of the New Hampshire Republican primary without going Occupier, how will they handle the pressure not to compromise on the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy when their presidency is on the line and the media depicts them as heartless philistines?
I’m not saying that Mitt Romney is the one we’ve been waiting for, or even that he should be the Republican nominee (there are two solid conservative candidates still in this race who are not attacking free enterprise by way of Mitt Romney), but based upon the hysterics of the “true conservatives,” grassroots Republicans could be forgiven for asking if Romney is, surprisingly enough, the only candidate in this race who’s “not for turning.”
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About the author
A lifelong political junkie, Jason caught the political bug as a fifth grader after meeting George Allen in 1993. Since then he has studied political science at both the undergraduate and graduate level. When not perusing the blogs or volunteering for conservative Republicans, Jason enjoys cheering on his beloved Virginia Tech Hokies and spending time at his Bedford County home.
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8 Responses to "What If Romney’s the One?"
Well reasoned and well stated.
The irony.. Romney is attacking conservatives and others to the right of him from the perspective of someone on the right. You can fool all of the people some of the time or some of the people all the time.
Really? Romney the next Reagan! I can tell you were a 5th grader in 1993. If anyone has the personality and the caunas of a Reagan, it would be Newt. Even though the media is in the bag for Romney…even ultra-fringe Glenn Beck.
Romney has no backbone and thats proven in his explanation of liberal Supreme Court appointees. Because he had to work with a liberal legislator. Really?
Reagan, he’s definitely not.
[...] What If Romney’s the One? [...]
If Romney’s the one then we all get behind him.We have to get rid of Obama.
Ken: Thank you, sir!
Turbo: It is ironic, isn’t it!
John: If you read this carefully, you would know that I didn’t say Romney IS the next Reagan, but I did posit that, based upon his record at Bain, he seems to have what no Republican since Ronaldus Magnus has had: the courage to make painful cuts to right a sinking ship (for more on this topic, see D.J. McGuire’s excellent piece “Huh? Part 2″). The key, of course, is whether he would bring that same mentality with him to Pennsylvania Avenue. Based upon their politically motivated meltdowns, Romney seems more Reaganesque in his defense of the free enterprise system than “true conservatives” Mssrs. Gingrich and Perry. If they throw first principles out because they’re not polling well, what do you expect they will do when the heat is really on?
As to your comment about Speaker Gingrich being closer to Reagan, I have a difficult time imagining Ronald Reagan attacking the free enterprise system as a means to bring down Gerald Ford in ’76.
Good point!! If he is the nominee, I hope he wins and does what it takes to correct this mess before it is too late. If he wins, I hope he quickly asks Ron Paul to be Secretary of the Treasury. Then maybe the Ron Paulers will be treated like human beings by the “Establishment”.
Of course, the Ron Paul support would totally be discounted as a factor in defeating Obama and you guys would naturally return to calling them names. However, at least for a little while, there would be harmony in what is pretended to be a “big tent”.
He is no Ronald Reagan, but in this one case we need to hope that any nominee will fix this mess we have established for ourselves. Continuing big government and unchecked spending is only a recipe for complete failure. Anybody but Obama.
Jason, I admire Romneys business accumen. He is probably underestimated for that. Would I invest in a company like his? I already do
No argument on his private sector creds. My problem and the problem so many have is they hear what he is saying but do not know who he is or what he truly believes. What is in the mans heart? How will he persevere in a general election under assault from a radical and very successful organizer? Do we fight fire with fire, water or do we send in unicorns with cans of whipped cream to handle this?
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