Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sad Politics

I am very disappointed in America, at least in Republican Americans. I have been a Mitt supporter for awhile, esp with all of the fuss here in Iowa for the past 9 months leading to the caucus.

It is sad to me that the only complaint people really have against him is how perfect he is. He isn't genuine enough, he is arrogant, he is spending his own money on his campaign. Doesn't that just mean his is passionate and has no accountability to special interests? How is being rich and successful a bad thing? Do we want someone who has been unsuccessful leading our country to success? And has he ever been any more arrogant than any other candidate? I don't get it.

The only thing I can imagine it that people dont' like Mormons. I had had this told to my face. And, people hate someone who has it all...hundreds of millions, a great family, success in multiple sectors, etc. Not sure why you don't want that for a president.

Too bad all of the conservative media waited too long in sending out their endorsements of Mitt. The liberal media have been against Mitt from the beginning. They downplayed his win in the Iowa straw poll and rarely give him coverage for anything until now when they are calling for him (as the #2 guy) to quit. If he wins or loses, it seems the other guy makes the headlines.

9 comments:

Abraham said...

I agree, Erin. I really don't think that America could find a more qualified candidate than Mitt Romney. He has a lot to offer. Here is a link to an editorial that expresses basically the same opinion that you have voiced.

Abraham said...

The link (I don't know how to turn it into hypertext so you'll have to copy and paste):

http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/1199862000/3

brenna said...

My biggest complaint, and the reason i'm not 100% for Mitt is because he told Mass. one thing during elections (and on pretty major issues) and then completely changed once in office. How do we know he isn't doing that same thing again?

I agree many people aren't voting for him because of his religion though. It is pretty sad that is still an issue. On the other hand, almost the whole state of Utah voted FOR him because of his religion.

Amber said...

I read a quote today about all the controversy of electing a woman, a black man, and a Mormon and how we should just bite the bullet and elect Gladys Knight.

Erin said...

I disagree about him being a flip-flopper. For one, he was a republican candidate in one of THE most democratic states in the union. It makes sense for him to make some accomodations to support his residents. Also, if you have the same opinions you did years ago, I don't know if that would be smart. Changing your mind for good reasons isn't a bad thing although I understand in politics you want consistency so you know who you are voting for.

Abraham said...

Well, Mitt dropped out today. I think he did it gracefully and with class. If a democrat wins this year, I hope that Mitt will give us another chance to vote for him 4 years from now!
When people say that Mitt won Utah because he is Mormon (which I'm sure is true) and Obama won South Carolina because he is black (which is possibly true), I say good for them! Their religion and their race will, unfortunately, hurt them far more than help them and so I have no problem if they end up picking up a little support here and there because of it.

P.S. I'm really surprised that Chico and "Bob" haven't commented on this post.

Abraham said...

Here is the link to Mitt's last speech as a 2008 presidential candidate:

http://thepage.time.com/transcript-of-romneys-speech-withdrawing-from-the-race/

Amber said...

Abe, I thought you were an Obama fan. I guess you're a bigger fan or Erin, though. It's nice to see your support of her ideas even if they rival yours.

Abraham said...

You're right. I did decide to caucus for Obama instead of Mitt. I have mixed feelings about that. Politically, I'm moderate and see things I like and dislike on both sides of the aisle. Many people may disagree but, right now for me when voting for the President of the United States, specific policy issues take a backseat to leadership qualities. That explains why I can have 2 favorite candidates (Mitt and Obama) with such differing policies opinions. I've seen both of them up close on numerous occasions and I sensed intangible qualities of leadership in each of them that I feel would serve America well. It was hard for me to decide who to caucus for (ask Erin, I think I finally decided 20-30 minutes before the caucus started!), but I ended up going with my gut that told me that Obama offers something unique that America and the world need right now. I don't regret supporting Obama in the caucuses--I'm proud that I made my own decision--but I do regret that I wasn't of more support to Mitt in Iowa. It turned out--and I didn't see this coming--that Mitt would need much more help in Iowa than did Obama. And I really think that the only reason Mitt is not the Republican nominee is because he didn't win Iowa. I'm disappointed in Iowa republicans for that. But I have always thought that this will be a rough year for the Republican nominee because, with the country's current discontent with Bush and the Republican party, it will take a miracle for a Republican to end up in the White House in Jan. 2009. So it may ultimately be a good thing for Romney's political career that he didn't win the nomination. Especially if Hillary becomes president, I'll be first in line voting for Romney in 2012!
As for a democrat becoming president, there are certain policy issues that would concern me. However, I have a certain degree of confidence in the inefficiencies within our government (due to checks & balances between the 3 branches as well as the tugs & pulls inherent in a 2-party system) which are in place for a purpose--I don't think that one person can take our country too far in the wrong direction. (Democrats would disagree with this and point to the current Bush administration. But I'd point out that probably their most consistent gripe with Bush--the Iraq war--never would have happened if democrats in congress (including Hillary) hadn't given early support to the effort.) I think that the next president's most important job will be restoring confidence in America and reaching out to the world and mending the divisiveness of the past few years. I hope that the next president can do this!

P.S. I am a bigger fan of Erin than I am of any politician. I think we have a few differences in opinion on political details, but we share the same core principles and values. So it's easy for me to support her in her ideas. I think politics is interesting and fun, but I don't think it's worth getting too uptight about (unless maybe you're the candidate in the race)!