While listening to the Howie Carr talk-radio show yesterday I had a minor revelation. An exasperated caller was asking why Republicans were resisting getting behind the one candidate who “clearly is in the best position to wrest the presidency from Obama,” (Mitt Romney). It occurred to me that this question deserves a simple, honest answer—and it just so happens that one is readily available.
The caller rattled off Romney’s positions on economic issues that most Republicans agree are appropriate detours from present policies; required if we are to get the economy on the right track.
But here’s the rub. Having observed Romney for many years, I cannot honestly say that I know what his real opinion is, on ... anything! His infamous flip-flops on two of the most profound personal issues of the day: abortion and gay marriage, clearly underscore the degree of Romney’s opportunistic hypocrisy. But even more than that, listening to what he says on the campaign trail, does he ever—ever!—respond to a question with an answer that appears to be other than a calculated, focus-group vetted, scripted answer? The man speaks in bullet points. I detect no sincerity or authenticity in the man whatsoever. He truly behaves like an automaton. A reporter recently observed that when Romney signs his name, he carefully writes out each and every letter. Hmmm...
His spokespeople consistently—and unabashedly—tell us: “Don’t judge Romney by what he says while campaigning, judge him by his record when he governs.” So, aside from the fact that we are being explicitly told not to believe anything he says to us now, when he is running for office, it begs a deeper question. If Romney is elected president, at what point does he become candidate Romney running for his second term? Year four? Year three? Year two?
It isn’t difficult to imagine a scenario where at some point in a first term his handlers determine he needs to veer to the left. What if a Supreme Court seat becomes vacant at this time? What do we know about Romney that would give us confidence that he wouldn’t make an appointment calculated to improve his approval ratings with some liberal segment of the electorate?
So the short and sweet answer to why no voter in his right mind should ever vote for Mitt Romney is this: How can you vote for someone when you have no basis for knowing who they really are and what they really believe?
In contrast, ask yourself: Do you know what Ron Paul believes? Do you think that Rick Santorum is hiding his real beliefs from the voters?
Romney made his Faustian bargain with Deceit a long time ago. The record is clear. Go to the videotape. Caveat emptor. Vote for this political whore at your own peril.
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