Tuesday, October 09, 2012

What Romney Needs To Do To Win

As this is posted, Election Day 2012 is a mere four weeks away. And don’t confuse this with the usual hyperbole that always surrounds presidential elections — this definitely is the most important election of our lifetime.

What’s at stake is the American way of life. It’s the America we’ve always known and loved, verses the America Barack Obama wants to create.

If that doesn’t scare you, either you aren’t paying attention, or you’re a Kool-Aid drinker.

The Democrats have defined the debate utilizing their tried and true, pathetic class warfare strategy. The problem is, it always works. They’ve successfully pitted us against each other by painting Mitt Romney as a mega-rich guy who got that way screwing people out of their jobs by sending them off-shore, as a guy who hates women, and who is completely out of touch with average Americans and their struggle to survive in the Obama economy.

Meanwhile, they blame the economic problems on George W. Bush, claiming Obama inherited this mess, neglecting to mention they’ve controlled the economy for the past six years — the last two of the Bush presidency, and throughout Obama’s.

But no matter what you think of Obama, this election is his to lose. The corrupt Lamestream Media has conveniently given Obama a free pass on the economy, and on abusing the Executive Order to circumvent the Constitution — something he has no moral qualms about doing. He apparently believes the end justifies the means to accomplish his agenda of turning us into a Socialist state, where the rewards of hard work and risk-taking are confiscation of the fruits of your labors in the name of “spreading the wealth.”

The Lamestream Media also fails to point out Obama has run up the highest debt in history — more than all the other presidents combined! Or that unemployment is the highest since the Great Depression, and has held steady his entire term; the federal bureaucracy has ballooned in size; and because of his policies, things aren’t going to even begin to get better until he leaves office. Obama didn't inherit those problems from Bush — he created them.

Is Mitt Romney my first choice for president? No. Frankly, the first time I saw New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on television, shortly after he was elected, my immediate reaction was, “There’s the guy America needs — a straight talking, no BS, guy who isn’t afraid to stand up to anyone.” I’d pair him up with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a young, smart, highly charismatic Hispanic who is also a true leader.

I don’t see Christie — or for that matter, Romney — bowing down and apologizing to our sworn enemies like Obama has. I don’t see Christie caving in to rabid environmentalists over drilling for oil on our soil, coal-fired power, or global warming. I do see him standing up to government unions the way Reagan did, and how he himself stared them down in New Jersey. I also see him renewing ties with Israel, who Obama has abandoned in favor of kissing the ass of our collective sworn enemies.

However, the chaotic way Romney’s campaign is being managed — given Obama’s performance as the worst president since Jimmy Carter — is pathetic. It should be like shooting fish in a barrel. To be honest, until Obama, I used to think W was the worst president since Carter, but no longer.

To quote James Carville, the campaign adviser who helped Bill Clinton get elected, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Romney and the Republicans need to embrace that, and stand up to the Democrats, who have perpetrated huge lies about the Republican economic platform without even a whimper from them.

Romney began to do that in the first debate, and his candidacy took a positive bounce from that performance. But it isn't nearly enough.

Romney has yet to refute the standard Democratic claim that “deregulation” is why the housing market collapsed, bringing down the economy. The “deregulation strategy” isn’t new. It worked in California, when over-regulation forced electric utilities to charge less than their generation costs, leading to power failures and blackouts. The Democrats blamed “deregulation” then too.

According to the Democrats, Republicans who want to restore the free enterprise system just want to, “…go back to the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place.” And it all sounds very persuasive — if you don’t know the facts — and is pure BS if you do. However, facts don’t speak for themselves, and while Romney avoids challenging the Democrats on this, the clock is ticking.

Democrats claim Republicans will sacrifice the poor in favor of “tax cuts for the rich.” This is another “Big Lie” that Romney needs to hammer on, and explain why — in plain English — it is totally false. If he doesn’t, he’ll guarantee losing the election because people are scared, and they’ll believe the "Big Lie," unless he continues to explain the truth in simple terms at every opportunity. Once in the debate isn't going to cut it. He needs to hammer it home every single day between now and the election.

Romney wasn’t the Tea Party or conservatives’ choice, nor has he reached out to them. It’s time he did. They’re united against Obama, and they’ll show up at the polls, vote, work the phones, put out yard signs and do the boots on the ground work every campaign requires — if Romney just asks. Significantly more of the country is Conservative and/or Moderate than Liberal. He needs to forget about courting or offending Liberals — they won’t vote for him anyway.

Americans are sick of watching our nation lose its status as a superpower because our current President believes America is the problem in today’s world. The Middle East is in flames, yet Obama didn’t have time to meet Benjamin Netanyahu when he came to the UN because of more important obligations — like appearing on Letterman and The View. Romney should have met Netanyahu at the airport when he landed. The contrast would have been stunning — Romney the Leader versus Obama the entertainer.

Romney should be running away with this election — even with the Lamestream Media acting as Obama’s official press office. He’s proven he’s an excellent manager, but Americans don’t want a good manager, they want a bold leader. Being a bold leader means articulating bold ideas and convincing people to believe in them. Be bold Mitt — time is running out.