Thursday, February 7, 2008

The campaign that never took off and the mormon factor

Mitt Romney made the right decision today as he resigned from the race for President. The reason had to be obvious from day one. Mitt Romney has not been able to define himself and what he stood for.

For the conservative base, he had once talked more like a liberal. Think of his position on gay marriage and on gun control. He was once in favor of both when he was the Governor of Massachussetts and changed his mind once he decided to run for President. For the religious right and many other Republicans, he was a mormon which they compared to a cult and not a religion. Although no one is talking out loud about this, it is one of the reasons he did not do so well in the South on Super Tuesday and in South Carolina a week before. For the moderates of the party, his flip-flopping was worrisome. Add to this that most Americans did not really know him to start with, his mixed messages were only even more confusing.

But in fairness, Romney was offering some strengths. He was successful in his State as Governor where he got rid of the deficit and implemented a universal health care program. He gained also a lot of respect, mostly in the West, for giving the 2002 Olympic Games held in Utah, its credentials back.

He spent 50 billion dollars in this race. Obviously, he needed more than money to get to the White House. This is certainly the lesson he has learned for next time because, yes, he will be back. He will have plenty of time to find his sole and the purpose he wants to serve.

Catherine Cano-Canovision

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