Republican Anti Romneyism is Pathological not Ideological

“Yeah, I understand it. Everyone in the Republican establishment wants Romney and they’d like everyone else to go home,” Gingrich told ABC News’ Jon Karl in an interview Tuesday. “They’d like to have a coronation, but that’s not how this is done.”

There is weird thinking in the USA conservative movement that Governor Mitt Romney is not a true Conservative.  This kind of thinking betrays a pathological bias more than an ideological divide between Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Santorum and Speaker Gingrich.

The best way I can describe it is to make analogy with the Christian Church. Firstly, let me say clearly that this analogy is not anger toward  or indiscreet criticism of the Christian Church.  I love the Christian Church, warts and all.  However, the analogy of Christian and indeed, Jewish and Moslem denominationalism fits the current Republican scene.

Christians, including Mormon Christians, proclaim that Jesus is the Christ.  They adhere to the creedal formulations of the Church and they distinguish themselves from other faith religions.  However, within Christianity, there are various labels for various Christian Churches.  The two big ones are Roman Catholic and Orthodox.  Then there are the many so-called Protestant  groups, like Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist.

All of these groups aka. “denominations”, profess Jesus as the Christ, that God is Trinity in character, and that a person is granted eternal life through a relationship with God through Christ in faith.  That applies to 100% of the groups mentioned as being Christian.  So what’s the difference?  Why are there denominations?  An adequate answer to both questions would require a treatise.  However, a simplification would be to say that all the denominations are a result of social/economic/political and cultural differences between various people at the time of the inception of each denominational group.   Not much help in understanding the core basis of denominationalism, is it?  That’s because there is no simple answer, denominationalism is a phenomenon.

Today, the battle within the Republican party is between the so-called Conservatives, Moderates and Liberals.  They are all part of the established Republican party which party is the only Republican party there is and the only one entitled to be listed on the ballot in fifty States as Republican!  Like all the groups within Christianity are Christians, so all the groups within the Republican party are Republican.  The names they call themselves, their denominators, are self-imposed qualifiers.  Over time, these qualifiers have become nuanced so that a Conservative in 2012 is not the same as a Conservative of 1912.

It is this writer’s opinion that in other elections the nuances between the groups and even within the groups were allowed to blend.  This blending producted hybrids known as Moderate Liberals and Moderate Conservatives.  The adjective “moderate” allowed Republicans the flexibility to pull the right and the left toward the center of the Republican spectrum.  However, the advent of Talk Show radio has introduced an element of rigidity into the party which denies that such moderation is allowed.  Rather, Talk Show hosts insist upon a definition of Conservative which precludes the hybrid, Moderate-Conservative designator.  And in the present context, Governor Mitt Romney is seen to be a hybrid and not purely Conservative.

From my seat along the sidelines of politics, it seems that Liberals and Moderates are still willing to allow flexible definitions of a person’s political philosophy.  So, they allow that a person can be strictly Conservative in economic politics while being moderately Conservative in social politics and maybe, conservatively liberal regarding international politics.  It is possible, there may be many so-called “pure” Conservatives who also will allow flexibility regarding Governor Romney because they feel that he has the best chance of winning against President Obama.  Sadly, it is becoming evident that Talk Show hosts like Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh, (to name the best, biggest and most influential) are fundamentally opposed to any graduated designator.

In the title to this article I use the concept that this refusal to allow moderation of so-called “pure” Conservatism is pathological rather than ideological.  I believe that an ideological difference can become nuanced when influenced by reasoned conversation.  However, both Santorum and Gingrich and their promoters say that they are essentially anti Romney.  Since they denominate themselves as the true Conservative in distinction to Romney’s Moderate Conservatism, then, I believe, their opposition to him is unreasoned, ingrained, emotional and I suggest, pathological.

Republicans May be Best At Snatching Defeat from Jaws of Victory

This writer has Republican roots and generally is Republican.  However, I am distressed at the persistence of the Republican electorate to seek defeat from the jaws of victory.

The continued debate within the Republican party over who should be the candidate to face President Obama may be healthy in a classroom environment but may be fatal in the election process.

This is my take:

Gingrich is a very powerful intellectual and his ideas and the uniqueness of his visions are often refreshing.  However, he also displays fatal flaws. They are the following:  that he does not have a broad-based, energetic, organized, election campaign organization.  I appreciate Speaker Gingrich, and I hope that he will continue to wholeheartedly contribute to the process of political debate in the USA.  However, the nation needs not only ideas, it needs a person who can energetically and enthusiastically makes the ideas into reality.  And although when Mr. Gingrich was Speaker of the House of Representatives, and although he was able to make remarkable progress by working closely with President Clinton, he is not displaying the same gregarious ability in reaching out to fellow Republicans.  Rather, he has conducted a partisan political rebellion within the Republican party which seeks to divide the party.  Therefore, this writer believes Speaker Gingrich should be encouraged to end his campaign and instead throw his considerable intellectual and political acumen behind the main candidate.

Mr Santorum is the spoiler.  Senator Santorum enters this race having been a Washington political insider, both as a Congressman and Senator. While I laud many of his strongly held Roman Catholic beliefs and I appreciate his working class roots, I find Senator Santorum’s claim that it is Romney who is the so-called “establishment” while Mr Santorum is the “working class alternative to ??”  Personally, I have named Senator Santorum the “spoiler” because I am distressed at what I regard as his assertion that his position representatives the true “conservative” position within the Republican party.  Frankly, I spotted Senator Santorum’s presidential aspirations several years ago when he was a frequent guest on the Greta Van Sustern, Fox News program.  Yet, Mr. Santorum has a very small political organization and his organizational skills at establishing a viable political alternative to “?” are revealed as weak.  For both Senator Santorum and Speaker Gingrich, I ask the simple question, “Why didn’t you expend the tremendous efforts, energy and enthusiasm shown By Governor Romney in building up and funding a viable political alternative?”

Why is the above question of tremendous importance?  It is because both Speaker Gingrich and Senator Santorum  both have displayed a lack of political entrepreneurship which is essential to a successful campaign and a successful Presidency.  Rather, they have depended upon spontaneity and the mercurial nature of the news media.  They are not positive candidates with viable individual political platforms.  They are the “anti Romney” candidates.  This is a weak and disingenuous position which seeks to spoil the other person’s success by playing the role of antagonist to Romneys Protagonist.  And while I know that I am torturing the words, I prefer the Pro position to the negative Anti position.

Now, to the true alternative. Congressman Ron Paul.  I believe that this Representative is truly what he intends to be , namely, a voice for the alternative position.  And what this writer especially likes about this tried and true perennial Presidential candidate is that he conducts himself as a true believer in the power of the American political process and as a true proponent of the American political philosophy.  Congressman Paul is someone who has a realistic and humble evaluation of himself and his cause. Yet, he pursues that cause with the vigor and the enthusiasm of an ardent believer in the rightness of his position.  And he does all of this with a refreshing self-deprecation and winsome sense of grace that is indeed winning.  Congressman Paul’s ideas may seem bizarre to some but he represents a core philosophy that acknowledges American exceptionalism while insisting that it be applied with great sensitivity to the rights and freedoms of other nations.  He agrees that we are a great and mighty nation while insisting that our might and greatness necessitates humility not apology.  Congressman Paul’s ideas deserve robust and vigorous discussion and sincere debate because they are well-considered and he himself deserves the respect.  Why?  Because he is a man of such obvious sincerity and integrity who has tirelessly served his nation and his ideas are viable while amendable.

Lastly, we come to my endorsement of Governor Romney.  At this point I see a candidate who worked tireless over many years to do the following:

To compete in the harsh and combative arena of national politics as a candidate for President

To accept defeat not aa a cliff from which he must turn away but as a chasm over which he must build a bridge.

To foster, develop and organize a true national political organization that is a model of entrepreneurship and organizational skill worthy of a serious political candidate for the Presidency.

To research, a viable national program to reduce our debt, increase our national wealth and return America to the economic leadership of the world by creating jobs, increasing citizen business initiatives and cutting out the fat and flab of a government bureaucracy that stifles the achievement of success for America’s working class.

Romney can do all of this because as a citizen, a Governor and a very successful business leader, he created companies, improved failing industries, inspired creative leadership in job creation and held everyone accountable for careful spending.

Is Romney successful? Yes. We want a successful President.

Is Romney wealthy? Yes, he has proven his prodigious business skills by doing what every American wants to do.  His experience with personal wealth creation means that he will not casually spend our money by higher taxes and carefree spending.

Is Romney part of the so-called “Republican Establishment.”? Yes. Let’s all be honest on this one. Not one of the candidates can place themselves outside of the respected, recognized and legal Republican party.  After all, they are working very hard to get that so-called “establishment” to allow them to be its candidate this November!  And that is what we need.  A President Romney who loves America.  Not another Barrack Hussein Obama who is a  maverick malcontent who doesn’t like America, its guns, bibles or religion.

Many of the political experts feel that this prolonged primary battle is harmful to the Republican party.  Maybe it is. However, these candidates, good people all of them, are good spirited, patriotic Americans who put themselves forward at great cost to themselves in time, talent and treasure in order to allow the American people to examine them and judge if they should be the candidate.  I call that gutsy and I admire and respect all of them for their willingness to get out there in the public arena and fight for the right to lead.

This writer wants to thank them and tell them that they didn’t hurt the Republican party and they definitely helped America.

Romney and Republicans Can Fatally Shoot Each Other

http://news.yahoo.com/romney-parks-millions-offshore-tax-haven-160547876–abc-news.html  It seems to this writer that the biggest danger for the Republican party is its self-destruction.  At first, all of the debates and the interchanges were hum drum and boring.  As time went on, the debates became interesting and there was a hearty and good interchange of thoughts.  However, the Iowa vote lead to destructive criticism between the candidates.  Now, this has evolved into a full shooting war of personal criticism against the Republican front-runner.  The criticism includes his success as a venture capitalist.–Is success as a businessman and creator of jobs considered a deficit?  Well, the media pundits including conservatives seem to think it is!  The attacks continue against Romney’s generosity to his religion. It seems that the pundits want to uncover some nefarious Mormon conspiracy by their use of innuendo.  Additionally,  we see the Anti Romney forces unleashing a smear attack like OWS against Romney’s intelligent use of the USA tax code to preserve his money. The idea here is that millionaires like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg, Congressman Daryl Issa are all OK but millionaire Mitt Romney is some kind of Darth Vader figure to be considered dangerous to the American political system.  Add to all of this the obvious disdain of conservative talk show hosts who only vaguely cover their anti Romney bias, and one wonders WHY? a man like Mitt Romney, a person of such obviously admirable accomplishments -why? he would want to subject himself to such burn and pillage tactics from his rivals!!?  I guess he believes he is the right man for the job of President of the USA.  The others do too. However, their collective self-destruction is being played out on the TV daily.  The only beneficiary is Obama.  It can be hoped that the Republicans can right the ship but like the Captain of the Concordia they may be more interested in waving to relatives onshore than protecting the safety of the Republican party.

Republican Debate

The debate tonight was refreshing.  The Republican party is the party of ideas.  The Dems may try to tag the Repubs as the party of “no” but this is true only in so far as they are gutsy enough to say NO to wild-eyed,  chicken little Dems who think that throwing money at a problem will make the problem go away.  Tonight’s debate once again showed the Republican candidates in the light they deserve, namely, the light of their own beliefs, statements and planned programs.  Actually, Romney is the only candidate who has put forth a written, concrete, identifiable and investigative plan for the economy and growth of jobs.  That shows his courage, his leadership and his qualification to be President for such a time as this.  As this writer listened to the debate, my wife said, “I wish that we could have a piece of each one of the candidates.”.  I was moved in my core by this astute and deep observation.  The political process is that one of the candidates will win, after all, we cannot have eight Presidents.  Yet, we need eight Presidents.  each of the Republican candidates tonight spoke eloquently in putting forward their vision for America.  If only we could distill all of their wonderful and enthusiastic love for America into one ideal person.  Sadly, that is not realistic.  However, the fact that tonight was so inspiring and that each one of the candidates would equally, as President, love and lead America to a better and brighter future.  Well that was what?  It was good!