So this morning I only had 4 pages to read for my Argentina class, and no other homework. So I took some time to sit and watch Mitt Romney speak at Texas A&M. I don't know what my opinion was of the speech. I guess I am slightly impressed, though I do not believe he addressed much of the concern that is following his campaign. I truly felt that his speech could have been given by any of the candidates. I might have been impressed, but not all that much. However I did appreciate that he said that he would was a Mormon, and if he would lose the election because of that fact, so be it. He is willing to defend religion within his own home even at the cost of an election.
Romney has been accused of wavering in regards to what he supports as a candidate. Video clips from his 1994 Senate run have surfaced which show him saying things that he does not believe in now. I believe that his opinions have changed depending on the office he was campaigning for and the constituency he needed to rally to get elected to that office. What this signifies to me is that he is willing to compromise in order to make progress. In fact, to demonstrate that point, he made a couple of key compromises in Massachusetts to create progress within that state. The compromises could have been considered as abandoning fiscal conservatives, but I believe Washington needs more negotiating and compromising than the current polemic system which is dividing the nation more and more. We cannot continue this debacle of majorities continuing to silence minorities if our country is to lift itself from the economic struggles it is currently having.
So do I feel that Romney is a better candidate than the other "Christian Conservative," Mike Huckabee? I believe that I do. Huckabee has done exceptionally well in some recent debates, though the questions he has answered that have motivated me have all been religion question, which have little impact his position as a candidate for the President of the United States (Also, those were softballs for him to hit out of the park. He has a degree in Theology for goodness sake).
I have long been impressed (even before he started running for President) with Huckabee's motivation to lose weight (he used to be enormous). He has run several marathons (the INC New York Marathon last year) and is an excellent icon of an American regaining control of his personal shortcomings. Many Americans can learn from his personal motivations. We hear over and over (Last night on the Nightly News - that Americans are getting fatter and fatter). Although it is good for motivating good health in the country, it does not really help the important issue of the country.
Many Americans also need Huckabee's understanding. Huckabee seems to me to be more socially concerned than Romney. He has "endorsed" several bills that can be interpreted to support illegal immigration. He says he's against illegal immigration, that something needs to be done. But I like the bills that he has "endorsed," I don't believe shutting the door and giving amnesty is the best answer to that situation. I think we should rather give our support to this cheaper labor so that we can encourage prosperity in Ameican. So that we can keep American companies in America.
Face it, I bet most of these illegals are not coming here just to work and move back to where they came. They want opportunities for themselves and for their children. They are here to stay. So the money that they make will eventually be helping America's economy, and they and their posterity will be Americans. And if we are to build a border, we are going to be sinking billions of dollars to keep good people our of our country. We are going to be hurting other children of God.
Letting the in also makes it so that we have more labor. With illegals in our country, we can once again compete with India and China with our labor force. Maybe we could allow immigrant to work for a reduced minimum wage for a certain amount of years before they become full citizens or something to that effect.
I really like Huckabee's social stances and if it were based just on a good personality, I'd vote him in. But Chuck Norris also has a great personality, but that doesn't make him a great candidate.
Romney for me does bring a key element that I believe our country needs. And because of this element, of his training and character, he is the best candidate. Romney, as opposed to Huckabee, has brought failures into success consistently. He was an excellent Mormon missionary, he helped convert many people in France, where most missionaries were content with only a few converts. In school he succeeded at BYU (top of his class) and graduated with dual graduate degrees (an MBA and and JD) from Harvard. As a businessman, he helped Bed, Bath and Beyond into prosperity, he worked with Bains Co and made himself hundreds of millions in personal profits, and he saved the Salt Lake Olympic Games. As Governor, the question of his religion hardly ever came into play, and he was an excellent governor for the State of Massachusetts (the Red Sox won the World Series and the Patriots won the Superbowl while he was governor, isn't that enough of a reason). I believe that his personality as a Chief Executive Officer, will help our faltering country's economy when he becomes Executive in Chief. He has said numerous times that he does not know all the details of how he will deal some minute details of the presidency, but he will surround himself with the best informants who will give him valuable advise and from analysis and conclusions he will make those decisions. I trust a man with such a strong background of success and turnaround.
Mike Huckabee in comparison lacks another valuable element: Funds. He is not wealthy enough to challenge the top democrats in the national spotlight, where Romney is able to with his personal funds.
Although, he is very moral, very sociable Huckabee faces another obstacle. The fact that the current president is running off of morals and charisma. What have we learned? That American cannot be run on good jokes and a strong background in politics.
Plain and simple Huckabee doesn't stand a chance against Hillary. Whereas Romney is extraordinarily smart, and proven in ways that Hillary is not. Romney is the Republicans only chance at keeping Hillary out of the Oval Office.
Preston and Ben had to team up to try and beat Janet at NBA Live. They still lost.
The boys had some bonding time cutting down a tree in our backyard and chopping it into firewood.
Some people never grow up. (Make sure you click on this picture to get the full effect.)
