Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
There are many here at Ricochet who are wary of Romney’s conservative credentials. “He’s a big government Republican” is something I’ve read many times. Please read in full the talk he gave today to the Americans for Prosperity Conference in Washington D.C. and you may change your mind.
Of course, Romney’s bigger problem is that many simply don’t believe him. Nothing I can do about that. I’ve never met him but I believe he will deliver as he’s promised; if only because his promises have been too specific to wiggle away from and he, like every president, is going to want a second term. Others who have been complimented heavily by some at Ricochet, such as Pawlenty, Chris Christie and Paul Ryan have met him, have discussed the issues with him and are also confident he’ll deliver.
- Comment (61)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (3)
Comments :
Dec '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
It's all good stuff, and there's not a bit of it that can be done by a president. His speech illustrates perfectly the problem we face. He has to convince congress to implement all that austerity, but all the programs he wants to cut, and cut in a time of financial distress for many, are the very things congress uses to purchase their reelections. I can't argue against the wisdom of anything he wants to do, only against the plausibility of it getting done.
Dec '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Let me add that comparing this substance with the substance other candidates offer is what we should be doing. Yes, I still think of Romney as the Stepford candidate, and I still see no reason he would put up such ideas except that they are what people want to hear, but we still must focus primarily on what a candidate offers as solutions in our decision making process. There is plenty in this speech to like.
Dec '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
If he has an actual conservative Vice President he's got me vote and my enthusiasm. As to the issue of whether or not he can actually accomplish these things, I believe he can. Its my personal belief that whoever wins in 2012 will win big. House, Senate, White House. I think 2012 is an all or nothing year.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
In slight diversion from the highbrow, painstakingly reasoned comments we've grown accustomed to expect for our $3.58 a month:
Barf!
May '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
I am sure you will be pleased that the one track mind of Jennifer Rubin just posted: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Paul Ryan has nothing but praise for Romney plan!
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
On a more serious note, yes this was a fine speech by Romney. The problem? I don't believe the guy. I've used the following Benjamin Rush quote before, but it's always apropo of Romney's (lack of) integrity.
By integrity I mean...a strict coincidence between thoughts, words, and actions.
Dude is a shyster.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Very true, but committed presidential leadership is a big step forward in getting Congress to move forward.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
I thought I’d add the link to Rubin’s comments you refer to. In her own comments Jennifer Rubin adds: "I’m tempted to say that Mitt Romney has found his inner Paul Ryan. In today’s speech before Americans for Prosperity and in the accompanying documentation he lays out, it is fair to say he’s done something extraordinarily out of character — he’s gone bold."
Edited on Nov 4, 2011 at 1:28pmMay '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
I have met Romney and was not impressed. I felt he would be the perfect candidate if he could just fake that sincerity thing. That said, I also do not categorically oppose politicians who determine their position by sticking their finger in the wind. The wind of public opinion often blows wisely.
Dec '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Richard Young
Very true, but committed presidential leadership is a big step forward in getting Congress to move forward. · Nov 4 at 1:23pm
If it goes his way we can hope for this. I fear a Romney squeaker win plus a very solid R congress could be contentious. If congress wants to go more bold than Romney is comfortable with it could be a problem. But, I'm just tossing ideas into the wind to see where they go.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
The King Prawn
If it goes his way we can hope for this. I fear a Romney squeaker win plus a very solid R congress could be contentious. If congress wants to go more bold than Romney is comfortable with it could be a problem. But, I'm just tossing ideas into the wind to see where they go. · Nov 4 at 1:54pm
That would surprise me greatly. There may be a component of Congress who will be more gung ho than Romney but for the most part they will be the brake not the accelerator of conservative ideas.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Yuval Levin at NRO also finds Romney’s plan encouraging. He goes into some detail on his assessment of it. He says, "Having long criticized Mitt Romney for being too vague and risk averse in laying out how he would address the country’s major fiscal problems, I have to say that I was very impressed with what he had to say..."
Edited on Nov 4, 2011 at 2:14pmDec '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Silly (and picky) question: Romney has been vague and risk averse, why the bold move now? Is the substantive discussion over the other candidates' plans causing Mitt to move up his time table a little bit? Are we finally moving into an actual contest over ideas instead of a beauty pageant/personality contest?
May '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Richard Young
That would surprise me greatly. There may be a component of Congress who will be more gung ho than Romney but for the most part they will be the brake not the accelerator of conservative ideas. · Nov 4 at 2:02pm
I happen to agree. So, what makes you believe that Romney will be the guy who will step in and drive them forward? Something other than your blind faith in him (although I'll sadly admit that's all we can do for any of these candidates at this point). What about his political career suggests that he's the type to embrace bold ideas against intrenched opposition and move them forward? Why shouldn't I cringe at the thought of a newly elected Romney stepping up to the podium and announcing how he's ready to 'work with Congress'?
Aug '10
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
That's an excellent question, King. I believe Romney is concerned about the lack of enthusiam for his candidacy in the GOP base and so he is trying to be more clear about what he hopes to accomplish.
His goals are conservative, he is just trying to minimize the old "tack right for the primaries then tack back to the middle for the general" thing that Republican candidates always do. He doesn't want to tack right anymore than he has to because it could cost him votes in the general election.
This speech is truly what the man believes. I think his strategy is not to paint any bullseyes on his back at which the Dems can shoot. You can quibble with that approach all you want but it's called political strategy - it's what politicians do.
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
As longtime Ricocheteers know, I am a sometime Romney critic and vigilant skeptic about his conservative bona fides. That said, I just read the speech and found it more than agreeable in every detail.
My favorite: Romney's explicit call for the repeal of Obamacare coupled with his explanation of the administration's $500B raid on Medicare. The "Romney Test" is my runner up: “is this program so critical, so essential, that we should borrow money from China to pay for it?” That's a good line.
We may be witnessing Romney emulating Herman Cain by a stylistic return to his CEO roots. After all, Romney did not become a self-made multi-millionaire by weathervaning.
I hope the persistent and vocal anyone-but-Romney tea party faction is strengthening Mitt's resolve to run and govern as a bold conservative president.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
You make a good point and I think you hit it on the nail. He's wanted to keep his powder dry to avoid alienating the general electorate but his 59 point plan was merely an outline and now he's having to fill in the details because "bold" is what the Republican primary voters want.
Mar '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Kofola
Richard Young
That would surprise me greatly. There may be a component of Congress who will be more gung ho than Romney but for the most part they will be the brake not the accelerator of conservative ideas. · Nov 4 at 2:02pm
I happen to agree. So, what makes you believe that Romney will be the guy who will step in and drive them forward? Something other than your blind faith in him (although I'll sadly admit that's all we can do for any of these candidates at this point). What about his political career suggests that he's the type to embrace bold ideas against intrenched opposition and move them forward? Why shouldn't I cringe at the thought of a newly elected Romney stepping up to the podium and announcing how he's ready to 'work with Congress'? · Nov 4 at 3:09pm
If you look at his time as governor he moved Massachusetts as far to the right as was possible with a democratic legislature. He vetoed many bills and suggested others that would have been further to the left if he'd not led the way.
Feb '11
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
I think Ann Coulter may be right, it will be Romney and Cain in 2012. Romney is not my first choice, nor even my second or third. But he is more conservative than prior nominees, e.g. McCain and Dole, and (maybe) W. I will not have a problem getting enthusiastically behind him, should he win the nomination. But he must pick a tea party running mate, like Cain.
Re: Romney Delivers Speech Christie Would Be Proud Of
Here Romney is perfectly consistent with his strategy of either running a general election campaign or not running at all. (The debates interrupt this, as they must, but do not overrule it.) Romney can't amp up his conservative cred very effectively by tacking to the right of his primary opponents. He can, however, do it quite efficiently by tacking toward Paul Ryan, whom no conservative of any influence or importance has a bad word for. The ace up his sleeve, which he'll hold as long as he can, is his choice of running mate.