Mitt Romney: Struggling to Keep Up

By Ryan Walsh

​From the point of view of a Republican voter, Mitt Romney seems to have it all. He is smart, intelligent, and has a history in both business and government. But, for seemingly the perfect presidential candidate, he has a few too many controversial beliefs. He has shown very liberal, and at times, hypocritical beliefs when asked about Obamacare, and was for both gay rights and legal abortion before he was against them. For these reasons, the highly controversial “Tea Party” does not consider him a true conservative.
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“Gov. Mitt Romney was all smiles in 2006 as he was about to sign a law making his state the first in the nation to effectively guarantee universal health coverage”, notes Noam Levey, in the LA Times. He would go on to call this law a “landmark”, and “an achievement that comes once in a generation.” This is extremely conflicting with the beliefs he claims to have now, and this is what is angering the Tea Party so significantly. The official view of Mitt Romney, when questioned about Obamacare, is a strict repeal and replace promise. If he is elected, “On his first day of office, he will issue an executive order paving the way for waivers from Obamacare for all 50 states.” It is highly ironic that Romney claims his official position to be that of “repeal and replace”, while he passed a law in his state allowing for the same services, generally speaking. He also is for a tax reform, which would “empower individuals to purchase their own insurance.”

Thus, questions are being raised about his loyalty to his own party, and his beliefs.
“At least Herman Cain is true to his beliefs,” says Foxnews.com. “He is a strong supporter of individual healthcare, because he believed it saved his life when he had cancer.” With this being said, does this make Herman Cain the most forthright G.O.P candidate? Quite possibly. Herman Cain has held true to his very conservative beliefs and values, despite many allegations that he is not educated enough and does not have the experience required to lead this country into a new era of economic advancement, which we so desperately need. In fact, these allegations are completely false. It has been proven that a man with limited political experience can lead our country, an example being President Obama. Before being in the Senate for one year, President Obama was a protest organizer for the City of Chicago, and organized protests for local unions. Does this make him any more qualified than a CEO of a pizza franchise?

There are also many other Republican candidates picking up momentum as the primaries slowly approach. Michelle Bachmann, a Tea Party firebrand, has a good shot at winning over the far-right, or the “extremists”, as many liberals would call them. These “extreme” beliefs include eliminating excessive taxes, and abiding by the Constitution of the United States. Rick Perry has also shown to be a powerful candidate, backed by the fact that he was governor of the nation’s strongest economy.

All in all, the question arises; where does Romney stand? He is definitely a strong contender, but does he have the credentials, or the credibility to become president? There are many strong contenders in the 2012 Republican race, and to pigeonhole Romney as “The Probable” is ill judged. As the primaries approach, one can only sit back and watch as the pandemonium unfolds, because it is truly up for grabs.
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1 Levey, Noam N. “Mitt Romney: Massachusetts Healthcare Reform a Double-edged Sword – Los Angeles Times.” Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. .
2 “Cain: I’d Be Dead Under Obamacare – Herman Cain – Fox Nation.” Fox Nation – Hot Headlines, Opinions, and Video from around the Web. Fox News, 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. .
3 Romney, Mitt. “Policy | Mitt Romney for President.” Mitt Romney for President | Mitt Romney for President of the United States of America in 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. .
4 “Ten Core Beliefs of the Modern Day Tea Party Movement.” Tea Party Movement Platform. The Tea Party Platform, 2011. Web. 08 Nov. 2011. .