Richard WarnickRich’s Pick: No JFK Moment for Romney
Willard (Mitt) Romney has a problem, according to Steve Benen on Talking Points Memo. Political pundits are waiting for him to deliver a speech similar to the one by John F. Kennedy in 1960, declaring that “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.” The problem is, the religious rightists in the Republican base don’t believe in the separation of church and state.
BETTER PICK: I just came across a New York Times column by Frank Rich that’s a must-read. He nails the Bush administration on the Iraq invasion, torture and the hiring of mercenaries. But he also nails us, the American people, for letting Bush get away with it for so long.
October 14th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Exactly. The problem for Romney and the GOP is that the GOP has married itself to the Religious Right, and Mormonism doesn’t fit in their religious world view. So such a speech by Romney would not only do nothing to assuage their concerns with Mormonism, but would turn them against him by suggesting that there is no place for state-sanctioned religion.
October 14th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Romney might have been one of the greatest blessings of the LDS Church since Hugh B. Brown if he had just remained the guy who ran for Governor of Massachusetts.
Sadly, he did not.
Now, he must not only deal with the stigma attached to the Church, but also the spectacle of being a blatant flip-flopper and fear-monger.
So many of us moderate and liberal Utahns (Rocky included) actually liked Mitt Romney both as The head of Baine Capital and the guy who saved the 2002 Winter Olympics. See Mitt endorse Rocky.
But what can you say about a guy whose demonstrated for all the world to see, that he is willing to sacrifice all semblance of integrity for political power and glory.
Damn, damn sad.
October 14th, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Richard:
I don’t know if you can blame the American people for not doing something about Bush and Cheney. Ralph Nader wrote a piece called Dodging Impeachment about a meeting held in Amherst, Massachusetts about the impeachment subject and the people there were backed up by overwhelming support from the citizens for impeachment. Nader reported this about what Congressman John Olver (D-MA) said at the meeting:
We’ve been hitting brick walls on everything since Bush got placed in the White House.
October 15th, 2007 at 9:32 am
All good comments - I can hardly improve by adding here, but just to note that the personal stakes are so high now that no individual who has at stake the life that is promised by election to office is willing to spend the political capital needed to actually risk a stance that might be viewed as unpopular. (Greed.)
In layman’s terms: Their balls are mere raisins.
October 15th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
If it quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck, it’s a ducktatorship.
The American people aren’t at fault? This is a Republic of the People, by the People, and FOR the People.
Free “People” take real action, they don’t wait for cues from turds.
Prepare the General Strike. At least mention it, If it doesn’t take, then we the people are not worthy of our liberties and freedom.
“Live Free, or Die. Death is not the Worst of Evils”.
John Stark, General, New Hampshire Militia…., that tarred the Brits everywhere he found them. Breeds, Bennington, Princeton, Trenton, and so on.
Oh yeah, he left a mark. He is our Cinncinatus.