Posted on 10/12/2007 2:07:18 PM PDT by Canticle_of_Deborah
Mitt Romney has made change the mantra of his campaign for president. His team releases a new ad nearly every week, proclaiming his vision for the country and reciting the slogan "Change Begins With Us" (subscription). But his platform of responsible management is hardly new. In fact, it's a philosophy and image that Romney has been honing for years.
Romney arrived on the national stage when he took the helm of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, which had been marred by a high-profile bidding scandal. The success of the Winter Games catapulted the son of a former governor and presidential candidate into his own position as governor and his own presidential candidacy.
"Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership and the Olympic Games" offers insight into Romney's approach to problem-solving, money management and public relations, which he promises to take to the White House if elected in November 2008. In the nearly 400-page memoir, Romney recounts how he reluctantly agreed to become president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Romney was approached in part because of his Mormon heritage, and real estate developer Kem Gardner repeatedly pitched the job to Romney because of the managerial skills and financial acumen he honed at Bain Capital, which Romney co-founded. But ultimately, it was Romney's wife, Ann, who convinced him to head west.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationaljournal.com ...
Know why you're running.
Assemble the right people for the team.
Carry out a strategic audit.
Communicate the vision and challenge the team to stretch. He applied these same principles to Massachusetts' budget, and they appear to show up again in the economic agenda he touts on the campaign trail.
• Send FReep Mail to Unmarked Package to get [ON] or [OFF] the Mitt Romney Ping List •
It’s hard to believe that there could be a more appropriate, competent leader for the GOP right now than Mitt Romney - proven leadership! And he’s proven it over and over and over!
Romney should, at the right time, articulate a clear policy of ‘Economic Patriotism’/’Fair Trade’.
Proven leadership of what ? Burying the Republican party of Massachusetts is leadership ? Flipflopping is leadership ? Rank opportunism is leadership ? The Democrats couldn’t put up a candidate as phony and as successful at helping their cause as Precious Willard.
Mitt will bring us “change” all right. We’ll change to nationalized health care; and we’ll change amnesty for illegals; and we’ll start asking lawyers if it’s okay for the President to defend the country.
How about we change to following the Constitution.
The only “change” that involves Romney is his recent change to being a conservative when he started to campaign.
I just haven’t been particularly impressed with Mitt Romney thus far. Don’t get me wrong, I’d vote for him if he were nominated ... but I don’t care for his style, and I’m not sure I believe the substance of what he says.
First - he looks and sounds FAR too rehearsed. In the last debate, Thompson and Giuliani sounded as if they were speaking extemporaneously and from genuine beliefs. Romney sounded like he was reading off of a cue card. Stylistically, Romney reminds me a bit of John Kerry ... he’s an erudite, slick Massachussetts politician. He’s far too rehearsed, and overhandled ... and he sounds as if he’s been practicing since high school for the role of Presidential candidate.
He’s just got a “manchurian candidate” vibe to him ... as if he was sent from central casting for the role of “politician”. He’s too slick and too polished, and doesn’t come across as at all genuine.
Second - partially because he seems so rehearsed ... I’m not ever sure if he actually believes what he’s saying, or if he’s just telling me what I want to hear. His answer are usually pretty good (except the lawyers and line-item answers, which were atrocious). Giuliani and Thompson come across as genuine ... even when they’re wrong, you know where they stand. Romney comes across as somewhat pandering ... so I get the feeling he’s far more liberal than his answers would have us believe, but he’s got a Clintonesque instinct for feeding the listener what he wants to hear.
Just my two cents ... but I think Romney need a lot of work on his image before becoming a viable candidate. Thompson and Giuliani, whatever their faults, seem genuine in their beliefs ... Romney doesn’t.
H
One of the following three is going to get the nomination:
Giuliani, Thompson or Romney.
My money’s on Romney.
Giuliani still leads the pack in national polls but I predict his pro-choice stance and his prior personal/family problems will hurt him with the base.
Thompson is a solid Conservative but he he seems, so far, to lack the drive to get the nomination. His favoring of individual states deciding gay marriage vs. a federal marriage amendment will not help him with the Evangelicals.
Romney is on the record as being pro-life. He’s a former Governor. (Historically, Governors have an edge over Senators in the race for President). He has been a successful businessman and he(as far as I know) lacks the personal problems in his past that plague Giuliani.
So, we got one raid on the nation for 400 million to friends in Utah, and a asleep at the corner office to the tune of billions as Massachusetts Governor.( In fairness, a few billion wasn’t his fault, but he did zero, nada, zip )
As a taxpayer, I can not wait until Mitt tackles FedPigGov. He’s already said he wants to ‘reach across the aisle’.
Of course, Sunny Sunshine Willard will have his poesy skippers. It wasn't his fault. He couldn't... They controled...
You can put your money on whomever you like. But here’s the facts: this party fails to nominate Fred Thompson, and we lose.
Romney is a liberal flipflopping phony. He buried the Republican party in his state and fled the wreckage that was begun by his political mentor, Slick Willie Weld. I’ve known him 13 years and he’d shove you and all his supporters and his mama off a cliff if it would advance his career. One of the most odious opportunists in politics I’ve ever seen, and one of the most destructive RINO Governors. He’s licking his chops to lay to waste the national Republican party. He must and he will be stopped.
The thing is, I, and apparently a whole lot of people both on FR and in my personal life, get the same vibe from the REPUBLICAN PARTY.
It's like "they," whoever "they" is in the republican party, have NO clue.
It's like they would have money to burn if they said what needs to be said, but they don't!
It's like they appear Soooo stupid it is either a furtively planned political arrangement, or a hopeless cause for individual dignity.
If one really really believes in conservatism then you can say it spontaneously from the heart. Debating is not a problem.
Although not a Rush Limbaugh regular, this IS his strength and brilliance.
Freedom is not government dependence! And all people, ALL people, even the selfish, myopic, lazy, AARP, can think, create, work, and prosper on their own God given abilities. It IS what made America!
Hey, they don’t call us the stupid party for nothing. :-\
And C is for "cookie", that's good enough for me!
“He’s licking his chops to lay to waste the national Republican party.”
You are so “over the top” in your repeated bashing of Romney, I doubt if many take you seriously. He is only #3 in the polls. Why all this intense antagonism?
Who has Romney back-stabbed? He has a reputation of being especially generous to others.
Also, flip-flopping is when one goes from one position to another and then back again. When did Romney do that? He has made a steady transition from moderate liberal to conservative on some issues. That is not flip-flop. That is studying an issue and changing your mind.
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