The American Spectator

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Data Points

12.12.07 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 4)

Meanwhile I was still wondering why he wasn't able to put down all the charges of flip-flopping. Slowly it dawned on me that there was a deeper conflict. The vaunted experience that he is selling is that he can come in, look at a problem without bias, and use guidance from experts to craft better solutions. He is selling himself as a conservative candidate of the Open Mind. His conversions are examples of how his open mind can come to the right conclusion, and not conversions to the right principles. To be fair, he probably used the right principles in making the decision. But it has become clear to me that this is the part that is missing from his conversion story on all his flip-flops.

His freedom of religion talk was great. These were true principles. If he could outline the other principles that he would use to guide his decisions, then I doubt we would worry so much about his flip-flops. Instead, I get the feeling that his Open Mind leaves him adrift at the mercy of the prevailing winds. This scares me. Presidents can be isolated and controlled. The man that controls access to Romney will control which voices are used in making decisions. He has already shown that he can be swayed by the biased presentations of media and society until he has to make a decision and looks deeper into a subject. And Presidents are very busy. Even with free access he might not have the time to look deeper and just go with the flow.

Reagan was demonized as an ideologue and a simpleton. In reality he had clearly thought things through and decided long before he ran on right and wrong, and what principles should guide his decisions. He had also thought through many of those decisions in advance. This was all internalized and he had developed a great ability to communicate these things. And thus he accomplished great things.

Maybe Romney's advisors can read these things and help him to communicate his principles. If not, let us quote Thomas Sowell, "the purpose of an open mind is to close it." And there is not much time left for us to close our minds for or against Mitt Romney as the Republican nominee for President.
-- James Bailey

Romney says he looks for a "new alternative that everybody agrees is the right way to go." Well, just when was it that everybody agrees is the right way to go? There has never been such a time, or will be such a time. If nothing else, the Democrats will oppose what a Republican proposes if for no other reason than a Republican proposed it. This country needs a leader, not an assembler of opinions looking for pseudo-consensus, someone with faith in individual responsibility, in smaller government, in defending freedom.
-- Carl Davis
Atlanta, Georgia

Romney is no conservative. He has no principles. He wants to please everyone. He responded to a question about an attack on us by saying he would first consult the lawyers!!

Fred Barnes likes Romney because he knows Romney will push for amnesty for illegal aliens.

Yes, Romney is a decent and talented man. But he is not fit to be president.
-- Gwen Itskowitz

Trying to place Romney in the Lincoln and Reagan White Houses requires stretches so long as to be meaningless. Why not view Mitt meeting challenges in the real world. Try reading Eli Saslow's "A Mission Accepted" article in Monday's Washington Post, which describes the 21 year old Romney skillfully dealing with his own personal injuries and a valued leader's death in difficult, challenging circumstances. Or study Romney's present take on the war in Iraq. It is the very opposite of a General McClellan approach. Clearly, Jeffrey Lord's take on Romney are two stretches too far.
-- Darrel Hansen
Alamo, Nevada

HOME SCHOOLED
Re: RiShawn Biddle's The Mayors Get Schooled:

RiShawn Biddle's editorial, "When Mayors Get Schooled" applauds the efforts of former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist for championing school vouchers, yet dismisses the importance of New Urbanism in
helping urban areas.

That is a quite odd juxtaposition considering that Mayor Norquist championed both school vouchers and New Urbanism -- successfully.

It isn't an either-or proposition. It needs to be both.
-- Nathan R. Norris

It is amazing. In this day and age, the black political establishment still lets itself be lead around the nose by the education establishment.

The sad fact of the matter is that, until the strangle hold the teachers unions have on the public schools is broken, no reform is possible. Until the unions are house broken, American schools will only continue to get more costly and less responsive to the academic needs of society.
-- Peter Skurkiss
Stow, Ohio

Letter to the Editor

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