Newt has Shown No Class…

I don’t care what excuse Newt uses for his losses but he can’t be excused for being a sore loser and whiner. Have some class Newt and congratulate the winner.

Newt explains his losses are the result of a campaign built on lies about him, but what does he think Obama and the Democrats are going to say in the general election campaign? Mitt is using kid gloves compared to what Obama is going to use. Newt is showing us why people are concerned about him as the candidate. Yes we want a fighter, but we don’t want a whiner.

Conservatives are luke warm on Romney but Mitt has shown some promise when he gets passionate during his victory speeches. Mitt can be helped by conservatives to be more passionate about conservatism. I don’t believe Mitt isn’t conservative, I believe he has spent so much time in New England where conservatism is mocked on a daily basis. I lived there for many years and you tend to bite your tongue or you would have no social life. I am not saying you abandon your principles but you learn when to use them for the most effective result.

Mitt is learning that the rest of the country is proud of conservatism and wants a fighter for the cause. He seems to be coming around and that is a good thing. Newt has kept Mitt on his toes and is making him a better general election candidate. But Newt needs to show some class. Newt is being out campaigned, Mitt is raising more funds which are a necessary evil to win a campaign, and Mitt is showing class. Newt should follow suit.

Newt also needs to realize he may not be the conservative choice as many polls are showing. We want a winner for the general election. Newt at this point has shown he can’t take the heat when the scrutiny of his past is put on display. He is being tested for a general election campaign and he is failing. And he is failing to show any class which is a real indicator of the man’s character.

Different Types of “Baggage”…

There is a lot of talk in this GOP primary campaign about the candidates “baggage”.  The GOP electorate is especially sensitive to the issue due to the standards we conservatives hold in comparison to the democrats. Values and character matter to us. Our candidates often get sliced and diced by the media when they do things that undermine those values. Democrats get away with character flaws because it is accepted that democratic candidates don’t value or espouse character as a campaign issue. Unless of course what they do is egregious enough and can’t be overlooked like the Weiner incident.

When we talk about electability we are mostly talking about character. The reason being is that there is a huge difference between Gingrich and Romney. Here is why I choose Romney over Gingrich.

Newt Gingrich has been less than admirable in his married life. His divorces are not what one can consider “normal”. Normal being two people finding out they have fallen out of love with each other, have different goals for the future, or simply not getting along. Newt’s marriage issues seem to be more about Newt’s selfishness and high regard for himself. He seems to disrespect the woman in his life and that is a major flaw for me.

Newt will say what people want to hear and because he is so skilled in debating, he seems to be able to justify every question around his past including his divorces. The more you listen to Newt and look at what he says, it doesn’t always line up to the past; you start to wonder about his ability to make stuff up. He seems to be conveniently dismissing any challenge to his past and acting as if he is above the truth. Righteous indignation seems to be his defense against any criticism. He beats down his opponents and is really good at defending and justifying questionable actions. This is also why he is attractive to conservatives because he fights back. But this will wear on the electorate and will eventually be too much to overcome.

Mitt has to be admired as a family man. Born with a silver spoon he chose to melt that spoon down and donate it to charity. He didn’t launch his successful career based on his financial inheritance. He used his solid upbringing and education to build on his future. How many people can say that? Did he get ahead because of his family? Yes he did but that is something he was lucky enough to be born into. There is nothing wrong with taking what you are blessed with and expanding on it to create more success. It is the American Dream after all.

Mitt has been with the same woman for his entire married life and they seem to be honestly in love. I have to say I like that about Mitt. I married my best friend and after 21 years I am still madly in love with her. Have there been hard times? You bet but when you are committed and believe in each other you work everything out. You don’t give up on each other. The Romney’s are an example that we can feel good about and would make an excellent First Family.

Mitt is seen as being a “flip flopper” mostly on abortion. The reality is personally he has always been prolife and as a MA Governor the reality is he signed life based bills. In order to be elected in MA you can’t make that an issue front and center or you don’t get elected. It was a political calculation and it is understandable. With Mitt’s family values I can’t believe he would ever nominate a judge that was radical left.  The court is important and he will more likely nominate conservatives. Newt you just don’t know. He seems more likely to nominate “intellectuals”. Showing off his intellectual prowess and I don’t think that is a good strategy.

Mitt is supposedly “moderate”. I don’t believe that based on his record or his family background. People that live their life as Mitt has are more conservative, and I have no doubt that he will lean in the conservative direction. I am not sure about that with Newt who is totally ego driven and will want to be liked and seen as the smartest guy in the room. Newt does not know humble, Mitt lives it.

Character matters and even though Newt makes us feel good when he is beating up liberals, he does not live as a true conservative. Newt is also explosive and I believe it is because he uses it as a defensive mechanism to deflect truthful criticism. Mitt has a much more steady approach because he is comfortable in his character.

In the end we will all be more comfortable as voters supporting Mitt. Deep down we know it even though the fighting spirit of Newt can be so satisfying. This election is more than fighting the media and liberals. It is electing someone we can be proud of and will have the experience in turning us around in the right direction…  

Good News and a Strategy for Mitt…

Mitt is the best candidate for the general election in my opinion. Before you get angry and start to craft a response about the other candidates being more conservative hear me out.

Last night to my surprise my wife, a nurse, and a great sample of the passive voter, although she leans conservative in her lifestyle, gave me her analysis of the GOP field. This was the first debate she watched, and the fact she was watching the debate nearly floored me. She explained her impression of the candidates with instinct pundits would envy.

She discounted Ron Paul and wondered why he was on the stage. I did my best to explain his positions although she liked his answer on the end of life question because she is a hospice nurse dealing with death frequently.

Rick Santorum impressed her with his answers and his style but said he didn’t have the good stage presence. I explained his background as a Senator and my concern about his executive experience but I could vote for him (as would she) without holding our noses.

Newt Gingrich rubbed her the wrong way. She instinctively did not like his demeanor, body language or look. She said he looks and acts like Ted Kennedy. We lived in Massachusetts for many years and I worked on Mitt’s campaign against Ted so she knows Ted. She asked if he was a “dirty” politician? I did not know how to answer that. But it was telling. She found him to be angry.

She was immediately impressed with Mitt Romney’s stage presence, demeanor, and message. She liked him right away. She connected with the message of being a business man and not a politician. He looked like he could be president right now. She really liked the forcefulness but respectful way he answered the opening questions. He was her pick hands down.

The strategy for Mitt needs to be to become more deliberate and take a forceful posture when discussing the issues. He should not change his style of response except for the passion behind it. My wife was really impressed with Mitt and asked me what my problem with Mitt is?

My problem with Mitt is actually my problem. I am angry at the direction, the media, and the people running this country and I want a fighter that is going to kick some a_ _. That may make me feel good but it is not presidential to the casual voter.

For Mitt to beat Newt he needs to explain how capitalism and limited government is the path to success. That governing as an executive is experience that very few people have including Newt. It is one thing to come up with ideas and another to know how to implement them. Executives implement. Newt is definitely a thinker as he suggests in all of the committees and groups he has formed or been a part of. But we only need a couple of ideas to be implemented and we need someone that knows how to focus and get the job done. We don’t need a president that gets distracted by too many ideas and then never gets anything done. I think that is Newt in a nutshell.

Mitt: Don’t go low. Stay on a positive message of capitalism as a successful launching pad to prosperity. We need to downsize government and to improve efficiencies in Washington DC. That is your strength. Say it with force and passion…

Newt at His Best…

I wish Newt never went after Mitt with an angle that questioned the value of our capitalist economic system. He was at his best in the most recent debate and showed why conservatives have been holding on to hope that they could vote for him. I still question his ability to stay on message. He needs to avoid the temptation to bash or question conservative positions in front of the main stream media. When conservative positions are promoted and delivered as he did in this debate, they uplift and energize the conservative base.

I don’t know if it’s too late for him to surge but a few more debates like that and we will have a true head to head race. I think he is the only one left in the GOP field with a glimmer of hope to bring Mitt Romney down to earth.

Ron Paul is a true constitutionalist but a cranky old man that goes off subject or mixes thoughts which often seem as if he may have issues with memory or clarity. And his foreign policy bothers most.

Rick Perry has been losing support since the day he announced. That was his high and he needs to get out of the way. We don’t need another Governor from Texas so soon after the last one.

Rick Santorum has the problem that the more you see him the more you feel like you may not like him. You may like him but you’re really not sure. He is a very dedicated social conservative but I think we need to stay focused on the economy. Many conservatives don’t think you can separate the two and I don’t necessarily disagree but we need a campaign focused like a laser beam on the contrast of economic vision. Any republican will be better on social issues than Obama.

If the GOP was smart there would be an effort to move this to the two men Mitt and Newt as quickly as possible. The votes in South Carolina should be the indication of which two should stay in the race. I know they all believe they could be a better president than the current one and I agree. But the reality is we need a clear contrast of ideas in the primary and by having just Mitt and Newt we can finally see if Mitt really is the guy.

After last night I am not sure…

Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich not worthy!

“Vulture Capitalism” is the argument both candidates are using to elevate their campaigns against Mitt Romney. The problem is they have given us a view into their true feelings about capitalism and should be kicked out of the Republican Party. I can see the commercials now in the general election with both Rick and Newt being used as pawns to defeat Mitt. Despicable.

Mitt may not be the perfect candidate, but capitalism is the perfect answer to our economic problems. When these supposed republicans start criticizing our economic system they undermine our abilities to reform a federal government that is bloated to the degree of collapse. The market system is the answer to every ill we have in our economy, and by feeding into the left wing propaganda, these candidates feed the fire of the radical wing of the left which influences the casual voters about the failures of capitalism. We need a candidate that is unapologetic about capitalism!

As my previous post states, capitalism is the reason we can be the most compassionate people on earth. Take away capitalism and you will destroy all of the greatness of this nation.   

Newt Gingrich is an angry man with a lack of discipline which will not make for a good president. Yes we want a fighter, but a fighter with the ability to be strategic about the fight. Rick Perry needs to go back to Texas where he belongs. The nation doesn’t need another Governor from Texas at this point and his poll numbers prove he excites very few voters. Time to save face and go home.

Ron Paul has actually elevated his status by the way he defended Mitt against these disturbing attacks. I like what Paul has done to keep the constitutional argument alive. I don’t want him as the nominee but he adds to the argument. If Ron were to hand the baton to Rand I would be all over it.

After last night’s speech by Romney I have to say he has the right stuff to beat a president that will be spending a billion dollars to beat his opponent. To all of Mitt’s critics I ask you this: If Mitt has Marco Rubio as VP, would that influence your vote? To me that will be the best case scenario at this point…