Mitt Romney can win in 2016.
Are you shaking your head, smirking and thinking, “yeah, right? Romney already had his shot. We need someone new, fresh, exciting … someone that can galvanize the nation!”
Well, you’re not alone. This is the conventional wisdom of most people and pundits. But I feel differently. For some strange reason, I have a very strong gut feeling that Romney could win in 2016.
As I think back and analyze the 2012 presidential election there are three major moments combined with a few philosophical adjustments that I believe could have turned the election around.
Let’s start with the most startling omission. While I was sitting home watching the effects that Hurricane Sandy was having on the east coast, I reached out to the Romney campaign imploring them to immediately have the presidential candidate go to New York, Staten Island, Long Island and New Jersey. Have him in a flak jacket survey the damaging effects, visit those that had been rendered homeless, without food or water and be shown passing out water and nourishment to the communities. (Remember the criticism President George W. Bush received for not responding to Katrina quickly enough.)
Also, we learned the power grids and infrastructure had become vulnerable to breaking down in an emergency situation. I also suggested that while on the ground he should give a major policy speech. As president, he would put forth the biggest private/public collaboration on “Rebuilding the Infrastructure of America in Our Country’s History.” This would help better protect those communities that find themselves in a crisis situation and also create jobs and work that would help the economy.
I went on to suggest that there could be a program put in place whereby those on welfare or other government services who are able to work can find some way to give back. Imagine being able to have some of the 47,000,000 people on food stamps to put in a few hours of work each week?
Needless to say no one paid any attention to this. I believe had he done as I suggested it would have shown Romney in a presidential context.
When an actor is auditioning for a part he must become the character, and here we have the most important part in the free world, and the candidate is caught napping? Who advises the campaign?
Next let’s speak of the 2nd debate. After the first debate Romney was clearly doing well. He dominated, and it looked as if we would have a very formidable candidate. Then in Debate 2, the issue of Benghazi came up and we have the interesting exchange between the President and Candy Crowley about the use of the word “Terrorism.”
Remember when President Obama says to Candy, “get the transcript.” and Candy already gleefully has it in her hand. Of course it is a clear misrepresentation of what was said at the time on Benghazi, but instead of looking at them both and asking if this was rehearsed candidate Romney takes a left hook to the head.
While Romney isn’t down for the count he is clearly hurt. I remember that exact moment, and I wondered why Romney didn’t take a breath, look them both in the eye and go on the offense, pummeling the cover-up.
Instead, he takes it and staggers. Now here is where once again those that run the campaign are MIA.
In debate 3, Romney should have come out fighting. Why didn’t the candidate who is running for the biggest office in the world not come back and reference the previous debate? If a fighter had a rematch and knew his opponent’s vulnerabilities, his team would make sure he went after them.
There were many references he could have cited and taken us all back to the week before and the gross misrepresentation of what the administration said about Benghazi and its cause. This is the most glaring example of the tone deafness of the GOP and political advisers.
The left is brilliant at being able to quickly react and get a populist message out even when the message is not as good as what may have come from the right. Just listen to Romney’s speeches on Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran. We now know he was right and President Obama was wrong. In spite of this the left goes about like someone passing wind in the elevator and then blaming the person next to them. This is how the GOP is perceived. They are the ones who are responsible for the stale smell and, instead of offensively going after the perp of gas passing, they go on the defensive and appear guilty.
This brings me to the final reasons for a possible Romney renaissance. There are certain pop culture issues that capture the imagination of our youth and media and, while embraced by the left, the GOP seems out of touch.
Let’s take global warming, the environment and alternative energy. Not embracing these issues makes the GOP and their candidates seem stuck in the Scope trials. Another glaring example of poor advice to candidates. If Romney does away with the conventional consultants, I contend there is a way for him to win in 2016. He has the potential, if given the right advice and embraces the culture, to be the Reagan-like figure we are all looking for.
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