When Mitt Romney became the presumptive Republican nominee for President, I was less than thrilled. He was definitely not my first choice, as I believed he was too moderate and may not be strong enough to beat Obama. But, he was our nominee, and I was ready to rally behind him. Conservative talk show host Mark Levin has often said, and I have reiterated, that he would vote for an orange juice can over Obama. Anybody would be a better choice than our current president, and Romney was my “anybody but Obama” candidate.
However, my feelings towards Romney have changed, and my support has grown over the past few months. As I’ve seen him with his family, and heard the stories of his selfless acts and contributions to others, he has struck me as a genuinely good person with a strong sense of family, and a man of moral character. Of course, I’ve been involved in the political process long enough to know that many, if not most, politicians will do and say whatever it takes to win, and maybe Romney’s apparent move to the right is nothing more than a political game. We’ll see as time goes on. But I have no doubt about his views on the the importance of the family unit, and I can see he walks the walk when it comes to his own family. That’s something we’re not seeing enough of these days.
I recently had a liberal tell me that our country has been in decline for years, speaking only of economic 
issues. I quickly pointed out to him that while I agree that our country has been in decline, the core of the problem isn’t economic…it’s social. We have all but said fathers are no longer needed in the home. Television shows portray fathers as clueless morons, and the kids are smarter than the parents. Children’s shows portray all adults as bumbling idiots, especially parents and teachers, and are often shown blatant disrespect. The government has essentially told single mothers that they don’t need fathers for their children, because the government is here to take care of them. The media mocks traditional families and our values as lame and outdated, and they encourage alternative lifestyles. They glorify single parents in Hollywood, and mock stay-at-home mothers. Our entitlement society is growing by leaps and bounds, and we’re just telling people to let the government take care of them, instead of telling them that there is a better way, and that they can be anything they want to be. Many are 3rd and 4th generation welfare recipients, and this is all they know. They have no goals for themselves or their children, and have no hope for their futures. The list goes on….
We need a strong man in the White House, who sees the importance of the family and traditional values. We need someone who takes those commitments seriously, and who will set an example for those around him and for the country as a whole. We need a man who not only claims faith, but lives his faith.
There are two other very important issues where my support for Romney is strong. One is his love of country. It is clear that he wants this country to be successful. He doesn’t make the lofty promises that Obama did, like parting the oceans and healing the planet, but he wants to do what he can to fix our economic problems, and give every American the opportunity to create his or her own success. President Obama talks about fair shots and equal opportunity, but his actual policies only show an effort to provide equal outcomes. Take from those who have and give to those who have not, instead of providing an opportunity for everyone to make their own way and their own wealth.
The second area of strength is in Romney’s support of our military. He reiterated Reagan’s philosophy of peace through strength. He wants to make our military such a strong force, that no one would dare test it. We’ve clearly seen the opposite from President Obama, who has worked to downgrade our military over the past 3 1/2 years. When our military is all but decimated, and we’re no longer a force for good in the world, who will these other countries turn to? Who will be that shining city on a hill?
There are other issues where I think Romney will be effective. Obviously, he has a strong private sector background, and a record of job creation, and I trust in his ability to make strides in fixing this economy. Another strength that crossed my mind as I listened to his speech last night is Romney’s overall work ethic. When he promised to work hard for the American people, I believed it. I think he’ll do just that. In one of the videos last night, a former staffer told the story of Romney putting up a chart during a cabinet meeting, with every campaign promise on it, and he worked to fulfill every one of them by the end of his term. Isn’t that what every politician should be doing? Do you think Obama has a similar chart? We hear stories all the time about Obama playing round after round of golf, and quite frankly, his schedule is pretty open for the leader of the free world. He has more campaign events than meetings. His first meeting of the day is somewhere around 9:30 or 10, where President Bush was in the office by 6 or 6:30, and at his daily briefings by 7. Despite Obama’s promise of a laser-like focus on jobs, he just really doesn’t seem to be working that hard. I think we’ll see a stark contrast in Romney.
Do I think Mitt Romney is the perfect candidate? No. There is no perfect candidate, and Romney doesn’t carry the full conservative credentials, although Paul Ryan does. But I think he’s a good man, he’ll uphold the integrity of the office, respect and uphold the Constitution, and work hard for the American people. That’s all we can ask for.
Right Hook 