Thursday, December 08, 2011

Mitt

I would like to publicly thank Mitt Romney for being an uninteresting candidate for president. I have long said I didn't want any more charisma or saviours, but someone who would just show up in the morning and go to work.

Mitt wasn't like that last time he ran, and was even more of an "idea guy" when he was governor of Massachusetts. Those were not his best years, frankly. He does still trot out ideas of bringing America back to greatness and trying to display that he's the guy to lead us into the future (because where would we be going otherwise? Remember the bridge to the 21st C? The idea that they could provide this nice solid structure that would set us down in a predictable place in a few years...). But Mitt seems to be underplaying this. Newt is always full of ideas. Ideas of how government can really do wonderful things if only the right people are pulling the strings - small wonder he admires Teddy Roosevelt, an inspiring guy but a dangerous president.

PJ O'Rourke: "I usually vote with the Republicans because they have fewer ideas. But not few enough." This time around, Romney has fewer ideas, and I'm all for that. The things I feel Bush got wrong were mostly great ideas he had that would fix things. So even if I think Romney's instincts aren't quite what I'd want, he seems to have gotten away from impressing us with new ideas. Good.
As president, Calvin Coolidge didn't do much of anything, but at the time, that's what we needed to have done. Will Rogers.
Amen. Mister we could use a man like Calvin Coolidge again.
I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people. The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form.

5 comments:

  1. Favorite Coolidge quote - "If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you."

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  2. I don't see why we can't vote for him. Yes, he's animate-challenged, but is that really such a disadvantage?

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  3. See, my apprehensiveness about Romney is precisely this. That he will go along to get along. That he will work hard at compromising and being "reasonable". That he will continue on the road we're on, with no scary swerves. That this is just the man to calmly, competently drive us right off the cliff just ahead.

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  4. Anonymous8:47 AM

    "Romney has fewer ideas, and I'm all for that."

    Good point. And it makes him a worthy candidate. Good luck with that for all of us.

    He will truthfully rise each day to make sure the EPA, Education, Energy, HSA, and the other agencies do their jobs. He will conserve the bold advances of JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Bush and Obama. And nothing will change.

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  5. I'm starting to see the attractiveness of this viewpoint.

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