Mitt Romney: More than just a sound bite

Tomorrow, Iowa will be first in the nation to caucus for the next President of the United States. For those who’ve been paying attention, this race is certainly one of the most interesting in my lifetime.

The Republican camp has never been so wide open, with such a dizzying array of choices. Even the Democrat party, with presumptive nominee Hillary, is in a statistical photo finish.

I have been watching this race pretty closely since November of ’06. Having tired of our current president’s less appealing attributes, I got excited early at the prospect of a new CEO for the country. It was at this time that my uncle clued me in to Mitt Romney’s possible candidacy. At first I thought it was a fluke. How was this unknown supposed to make a run at the most powerful office against national names like Guiliani and Clinton?

After careful consideration of all candidates, both Republican and Democrat, today I am announcing the official WhiteEyebrows endorsement for the primaries in ’08 is: Mitt Romney.

Why do I support Mitt?

1. Mitt is articulate. This was the first thing that impressed me, mostly because it is the foremost attribute lacking in our current president. Mitt is able to clearly articulate his positions, and reasons and justifications for those positions. For example, Mitt was the first (and only) candidate to offer a reason why he is against same-sex unions: he says “because marraige isn’t about adult rights, it’s about children’s rights, and that [he] thinks every child should grow up with a father and a mother.”
2. Mitt is smart. He loves data. He loves bringing in experts, not just to tell him what to do (like Bush/Rumsfeld/Cheney), but to present every angle of the issue; to argue both for an against. This allows him to make decisions based on facts, rather than “gut”.
3. Mitt is a true fiscal conservative. As a former CEO, venture capitalist, and turnaround artist, Mitt knows how to reign in spending. I heard an anecdote that when he took over the olympics, one of his first actions was to stop all expensive, catered staff lunches and only bring in pizza when necessary. Mitt will cut spending, duplication, and waste in the federal government like no other president. In one of his debates, he points out that more federal workers will retire in the next 8 years than ever before, offering a great opportunity to cut back on all these federal overlaps.
4. Mitt’s got the right idea on social values. Mitt has been given a hard time on this, and the opposition will paint him as a flip flopper on abortion, especially. I’m talking about something more than an issues checklist (pro-life, judicial litmus test, same-sex marraige) though.  I think Mitt understands two things when it comes to social values, that his job as President will be to 1) promote the ideal, while 2) he works within the reality of the system as it exists today.
   1. Mitt is the only candidate who has said that he believes that we have a real education problem in the country, in that our children want to have babies out of wedlock. He wants to fix that problem.
   2. When asked in an interview why he doesn’t support a constitutional amendment banning abortion, he said that he believes the best next step in the national abortion debate is to repeal Roe v. Wade and allow states to legislate for themselves. He demonstrates a clear ability to understand the current state of government, and work toward the next steps on these social issues. (unlike Ron Paul who just wants to nuke 200 years of governmental evolution in his first 180 days)
5. Mitt is young and energetic. If we elect McCain, he will be like 107 by the time he leaves office.
6. Mitt understands the nuances of issues. As a moderate, this is super important to me. My problem with President Bush is that he will always do what he thinks is “right,” no matter the cost to the country. In my opinion, a president must do what is best for the nation, not necessarily what he thinks is right. For example, I don’t think the best thing for this country would be to outlaw abortion. I don’t think it is right, but there are certain times when it is the best available alternative (rape, incest, life of mother). Outlawing it would be more disastrous, in my opinion.
7. Mitt is in it to win it. In 2007, Mitt went from 0% national recognition to leading the republicans in a national poll last week. Mitt will put up the best fight against any and all of the Democrats that could be nominated. He has no relatively little baggage, and is the republican’s best hope for keeping the White House.

In a phrase, I support Mitt because there is more to him than just a sound bite. He has well thought out positions and often what he says right after the sound bite is just as important and well thought out as the sound bite itself.

See for yourself at http://www.mittromney.com/.