By Dick Miller
WE CONNECT THE DOTS: Barack Obama did not deserve to win re-election. His achievements were miniscule when the severe recession demanded more. At the beginning of the year this looked like a Jimmy Carter debacle about to repeat.
But Mitt Romney absolutely deserved to lose after the stupidest campaign in modern political history. He allowed his campaign to dictate a disgraceful scenario that did not represent his character and, ultimately, guaranteed his defeat.
Campaigns have a way of correcting if supporters-contributors demand.
Bottom line: If you decided to vote for Romney at the beginning of the campaign and never once complained about the innuendoes, half-truths and outright lies that dominated the airwaves, then you deserved to be on the losing side.
Romney supporters and Romney, himself, elected to go that route in search of votes rather than debate the merits of Obama’s first four years.
The closest Romney came to telling us his plans for the next four years were the various detailed position papers on his web site. During rallies and debates he meticulously avoided these details that could irritate either his extreme right or moderate supporters.
Romney joked about his birthplace (Michigan) not being an issue. When Obama caved to Republican governors’ demands that he allow states more control over welfare rules, Romney claimed Obama had gutted welfare-work requirements.
When campaign surrogate John Sununu charged Colin Powell’s endorsement of Obama was racially tinted, Romney remained silent.
In 2008 John McCain often rebuked supporters attacking Obama for being a Muslim. Romney never challenged anyone. At one rally, a supporter wearing a T-shirt with the message “Put the White back in White House,” failed to draw a murmur from the 2012 GOP nominee.
Romney began to lose this election in the primaries and never corrected. Despite running against a passel of conservative buffoons, Romney believed it necessary to appeal to the far right. Later, as necessity dictated, he moved position after position more to the center. Prospective voters became suspect.
Media pundit Michael Smerconish wrote “By my count, the website Snopes.com has evaluated and debunked 103 of the 124 Internet assertions about Obama.” Even when it became obvious that none of the mud was going to stick, Romney chose sleaze over issues.
Why should we listen to Romney explain his thoughts on tax reform when the next channel has Donald Trump offering $5 million for a copy of Obama’s college grades?
How health care played out was the biggest farce of all. When Romney became the presumptive nominee, the argument should have been over. Health care had become a right of citizenship and, more, we all had a responsibility to support each other’s access.
Obamacare was designed by the same people who developed Romneycare for Massachusetts. When Romney chose to repudiate his great accomplishment as a Governor, the opportunity for a public debate on national implementation went out the window.
Romney also decided to limit his campaign-winning theme “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The remainder of campaign time was devoted to personal smears on the President.
If you supported Romney and still don’t believe Republicans must broaden their tent to be competitive, you are part of a small group. You fit one or more of the following categories:
Very wealthy white Protestant business men, southern white Protestants of all incomes, senior white males (“The Government better keep its hands off my health care!”), Catholic Bishops and certain others demeaning to women and minorities.
You may have been a Romney supporter but still don’t think you are in any of the above categories. In that case, you are likely a small business person looking to exploit cheap, talented labor, no regulations and unwilling to pay taxes for any purpose.
Many of us voting last Tuesday still hope you come to your senses. We subscribe to Democrat principals but feel Democrats are incapable of governing without help from everyone.
Smears, hatred, sleaze and bigotry will not win the next election, either.
