Why Democrats Fear Mitt Romney

It is very interesting to see how much credibility the media has given recently to newspaper endorsements of candidates. Both the Union Leader and the Concord Monitor took strong anti-Romney positions, do the liberal media's newspapers even matter any more? Is it really a surprise that liberal institutions like the Boston Globe or New York times would endorse John McCain? Of course they are for McCain, he's the most liberal Republican running for President.

Who didn't expect the liberal media to embrace McCain? It comes as no surprise to me as they've been doing it for the last 8 years!

Give Senator McCain credit where it is due. He is great on the "War on Terror", but so is Joe Lieberman. Frankly, they are much the same candidate. Both were against the Bush tax cuts, both were pro-amnesty, both were for campaign finance reform. I'm not sure where they even differ on the issues. Joe Lieberman may as well be running for the Republican nomination.

It's much the media's love affair with Mike Huckabee. They know Mike is a big government Republican, and they know that a lot of the liberal agenda will get accomplished with him in the Oval Office.

So, who do they fear? Well, two liberal newspapers chose not to endorse anyone, but they were so afraid of Romney's conservative leadership they blasted him instead. I have to point out that the Concord Monitor's editorial board has in the past embraced positions of being:

* For Drivers licenses for illegals (which Romney vetoed in Mass.)
* For Gay Marriage (which Romney fought in Mass.)
* For Raising Taxes (Romney wants to cut taxes)
* Against School Vouchers (which Romney brought to Mass)

It is only natural they would come out so strongly against him. Who else has come out strongly against Mitt? Why that would be the DNC of course. They have issued more anti-Romney press releases than against any other Republican candidate. Check out this chart:



Why is the DNC so worried about Romney? What do they fear in a Romney candidacy? There are about a dozen reasons off the top of my head:


1) Romney has the resume to be President. A succesful CEO who has turned around companies, the Olympics and state budget crisis, Romney has a record to run on. A lot of Americans like the idea of having a business man in charge - this is largely the reason Ross (nutso) Perot got as many votes as he did. No matter who the Democratic nominee is whether it is Edwards, Obama or Clinton, they will all face the same attack from Romney. They have never run ANYTHING, not a state, not a small business, not a corner store. They are all vulnerable to this and the DNC knows it. Americans tire of career politicians, especially ones who have never even had a job in the private sector (Obama/Clinton) or ones for whom the only way they've ever made money was by suing hospitals (Edwards).

2) Romney has one a tough election in the bluest of blue states - Massachusetts. The bottom line - if you can win there, you can win anywhere. They know Romney is going to attract a lot of swing voters and the DNC is going to have a tough time painting a well-spoken Republican from Massachusetts as a Bush clone.

3) Mitt looks like a President. Like it or not, since the JFK-Nixon debates, television has played a larger role in politics as have the politicians looks. Poor Phil Gramm never had much of a chance at winning the nomination, even though he may have been the smartest guy in the room. Lucky for the Republicans that this time the smartest guy in the room is also the most photogenic.
It seems to be mentioned over and over again, by the media that Mitt "looks like a President". I hate to imagine people would vote for him based solely on his looks, but I know people also base their votes on equally frivolous things like a handshake, or or who is tallest. In today's world looks are sadly important.

4) Romney has the best running mate of any Republican. I'm not talking about his VP, but his wife Ann Romney. Ann has been a charismatic speaker, and often has been compared to other popular first lady - Laura Bush. She has been a terrific campaigner and would make a stark contrast to other first ladies who do more negative things in the media (Bill Clinton, Obama).

5) Romney has the ability to sell his ideas directly to the American people. After 8 years of George W. Bush the American people are looking forward to a state of the union address where the President doesn't stumble over big words. Romney wrote his "Faith in America" speech, and is was widely received with aplomb both for its' substance as well as Romney's genuine style in delivering it. America faces some of its' toughest challenges right now, the next President is going to have to mobilizing the American people to overcome them, the Democrats fear Mitt Romney is just that man.

6) Romney is the only Republican candidate who takes the Health Care issue away from the Democrats. This is a huge one, no matter how much Hillary talks about the 47 million uninsured Americans, Romney has the trump card. He has done something about Health Care and she has not. Based off what we've seen on the campaign the Democrats are planning on using this as a key issue in the 08 election, Romney being the Republican nominee pulls the rug out from under them.

7) Romney has no skeletons in his closet. The guy is squeeky clean. The liberal media keeps digging and has unearthed the startling facts that Mitt's Mormon great great Grandfather had more than one wife, and that Mitt while serving as a missionary in France was known to have a Coke from time to time. No ethical scandals like Huckabee and Clinton, no money returned, no former cocaine use like Obama. The Romney campaign won't have any last minutes DUI stories before the election, no extra marital affairs, just Mitt and his family talking about what a great father and grandfather he's been.

8) Romney has proven to be a great fundraiser and successful debater. Mitt has shown himself to be innovative not only in business but on the campaign trail as well, he has raised more money than any other Republican candidate, and by ignoring tradition and inventing new fundraising techniques he broke the record for the most money raised in a single day to kick off a campaign. He also won the first and last of the Republican debates (and a few inbetween).

9) Democrats fear Romney is the next Reagan. Maybe it's the hair, maybe it's the heighth, maybe it's that both names start with the letter "R", or that both Governed liberal states, but a lot of people have been mentioning Romney and Reagan in the same breath. That is when they are not mentioning JFK in the same breath as Romney. Those are the two people Romney is most often compared to and it does him well. The Democrats see voters and pundits making the connection and they know they don't have a candidate that does likewise.

10) Romney is a convert to the right to life movement. While pro-life personally his whole life, he has become pro-life while in office. The liberal media, and the Democrats has no problem with someone who was formally pro-life becoming pro-abortion, they call that coming to his senses. But, when a candidate changes from pro-choice to pro-life, he must be losing his mind. They know that Romney will have to prove himself on this issue to social conservatives, and worry that he will go the extra length to demonstrate that he is pro-life. They know Romney's conversion story on this issue is a powerful one and will affect many American's opinion on this issue, and encourage more people to examine their own views.

11) Romney represents American family values. Despite charges of being too perfect, the Romney family comes across as genuine and loving. He has five sons, all of whom are successful in their own careers and families. There is no Billy Carter, no Roger Clinton's around, no Bush twins getting into trouble. Romney actually said on 60 minutes that he and his wife had waited until marriage before having sex. Given Ann Romney's efforts to teach inner city youth to wait until after marriage before having children- can you think of a better spokesperson for abstinence? The Romneys could really teach abstinence as a form of birth control the best way possible, by example.

12)They know Romney is the agent of change. Mitt has turned around things where ever he has gone. 8 years of the Romney administration and there is a good chance that Washington will no longer operate in the same way after he leaves office. They know Romney is going to keep his promise to restrict spending, they know he is serious about energy independence, and border enforcement, and they know he is going to put an end to illegal immigration, and continue to win the war against the violent Jihadists. Having a successful, charismatic, Republican like Mitt Romney in the White House could very well be the death knell of the DNC, and they are scared to death of him.