Bill Whittle sums it up beautifully in this edition of Afterburner. It is the tale of two campaigns and their corresponding messages. An unfair fight really, between an actual heavyweight with intellectual gravitas and a lifetime of actual accomplishment versus a petty little man who really has zero business in the arena inhabited by adults. That is as diplomatic a description as I could have given to the campaign of 2012. Barack Obama won the election in 2008 due in large part to the ability of the press to keep hidden from the American people his core principles, beliefs, origins, associations, philosophical direction, campaign tactics, and what this person actually was. Now in 2012, as Americans have gotten to know him more intimately, they, about 55% of them anyhow, have had enough. Democrat party stalwarts who have not turned completely against him have taken to beating land speed records in their attempts to clear distance betwixt he and they.
I remember watching ABC news’ Nightline one day during the spring of 1988 and watching a glowing report of Jimmy Carter’s activities as an Ex-President. No matter what you believed about his job performance while in office, I was told, He was a stand out as one of our greatest former Presidents. A fitting tribute indeed, praising him for activities that had no real consequence, except as a good will ambassador shining his famous smile for various charitable photo ops, while actual decisions which needed to be made were left for the adults in the room. I can think of no better job for the Obama family. Traveling the country far and wide getting their picture taken in soup kitchens, where more than half of the people standing in line are there as a direct result of an Obama policy decision, and then leaving as the real business of feeding the hungry is attended to by people who really care enough to put forth an effort.
As the convention reaches its final day today, and we look forward to Mitt Romney’s acceptance as the top of the GOP ticket, I implore all of us to put aside our admittedly well deserved differences and get behind the necessary effort to remove this petty little man, the destructive force that he has turned out to be, from the highest office in the land. We need to put our nation first, because four more years of a Zero Presidency will see damage done to our nation that will take decades to reverse, possibly longer. Many of us, myself included wanted another candidate to emerge victorious from the primary fights earlier during the spring. Mitt Romney, for better or worse is what we have. The attempts of a very small minority to replace him with their respective candidates during a floor fight at the convention have failed as well.
Yes, Mitt Romney comes from the liberal wing of the party, and yes he has shown those colors vividly in the past. He has also kept his language strictly in line with free market economics since winning the nomination, and has not taken that all familiar turn to the left, as have many Republican Presidential nominees before him, (Nixon, Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain.) He, even without saying this is for the Tea Party, has picked one of our own for the number two spot on the ticket. What’s even more important about that pick, is that it was not a blind pander to the conservative base that makes up the bulk of those who regularly vote for Republicans, but rather the result of his well established management style. He chose someone he felt was capable of doing the top job, but that would also serve as a compliment to his strengths and views. He picked Ryan precisely so that he would always have a more conservative argument and view point present during the decision making process, someone who will have the strength to stand up to him when disagreement inevitably does arise.
Compare, just for the moment, the differences between these two men and their management styles. Barack Obama chose Joe Biden, the only man in America capable of making Barack Obama seem serious by comparison. Biden is one of the very few people in this country who Barack Obama can surround himself with and not feel threatened that his abilities will overshadow those of Obama. Mitt Romney chose someone precisely because he wished to surround himself with people who are the most capable around. He is not threatened by the capabilities of others, he actively seeks them out and offers them jobs.
Cross Posted from Musings of a Mad Conservative.
