The American Spectator

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Unfit for Second in Command

7.25.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 6)

Thank you for your insights on Romney in your recent article. Very refreshing.

Personally, as a Republican, I was initially open to Romney but his multiple stances on abortion, and marriage, and opposition to 2nd amendment, and Romney Care makes him very liberal in my eyes. Chris Matthews said it best after Romney dropped out, "He should have come out as a moderate for the Republican primaries" to be more believable.
-- John
Dallas, Georgia

I am awestruck by the number of factual errors and omissions. The facts are so clearly manipulated to coincide with the writer's liberal bias against a decent man as to make one think we should not only keep him from the ticket but lock up our children and drive him out of town.

Yes. Romney failed to consolidate conservative support. And so did every other conservative who ran. That is why we have McCain as the nominee. Romney was not unique in this. Conservatives were too divided. However, toward the end, they began to rally to Romney, a fact the author thinks is moot. It isn't. Those who rallied to him, the Limbaughs, Hannitys, Levins, and Coulters still support him.

While acknowledging Romney is a prolific fundraiser, Klein thinks it's of no use to a publicly financed campaign. Aside from the fact that McCain could change his mind on that, it overlooks Romney's ability to motivate the grassroots. While raising funds is good, raising volunteers is better, and Romney had an army of them.

Klein purposely mislabels the state health-insurance-reform as "universal health care." Romney deliberately reformed the state health insurance to be cheaper, portable, and simpler and prevent it from becoming a health-care program. It is not health care. It is private insurance.

At the time Romney bowed out of the race, he had won eleven states, McCain 14. Klein tries too hard to minimize those wins, but each was hard fought and victory was sweet. In most of the other states, he came in second. Klein points to the only state where he was not in first or second place and makes no mention of the states he was. This is such an obvious distortion of race. To use a single lost state to forecast the general election result is dumb.

As far as evangelical voters go, they in large part preferred one of their own, Mike Huckabee. Most of the time, Huckabee beat both Romney and McCain among Evangelical voters. So to say McCain won more than Romney omits the obvious fact that neither won among that group. Klein is either being stupid, silly, or sly with this point of fact.

And those who lost their jobs know that Romney knows how to create jobs too. He knows what causes companies to have to layoff and as vice president will be able to help strengthen businesses and create jobs. When people lose their jobs, its because the managers are doing their job and making the hard decisions. I like a candidate who is not afraid to cut spending, and slim down a bloated bureaucracy engaged in unnecessary social programs. Clearly, Romney has the courage and strength to fight for taxpayers.

The assault weapon ban Klein refers to omits again an important fact: that the gun lobby was in favor of the bill. It was a compromise that was carefully negotiated and only illustrates how Romney can work for the best result so everyone comes out a winner.

How is it Klein can have his finger on the pulse of Republican politics and miss all this? Could it be that he did not miss it and just wanted to make sure the readers did?
-- Lori Blomquist
Felton, California

We'll see, Mr. Klein, we'll see.
-- Judy Beumler
Kentucky

CAMPUS MARVEL
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.'s A Modern Miracle:

I greatly enjoy your writing and your website. Please be sure to have your facts straight, however.

Neither Naples, FL, nor Naples, Italy, has a garbage problem. Mr. Berlusconi resolved the issue in Naples, Italy, within a few weeks of coming to office as he promised. He did what his fraudulent predecessor would not do during his two years of handwringing and fecklessness: Berlusconi provided leadership. Please give him credit for doing this.

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