In 1974, while attending graduate school, I worked at the National Center for Voluntary Action in Washington, D.C. NCVA, as it was called at the time, was founded by former First Lady Pat Nixon.
The Chairman of the Board was the honorable George W. Romney, the former Governor of Michigan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Chairman and CEO of American Motors, candidate for the Republican Party nomination for president in 1968 and father of former Massachusetts Governor and 2008 candidate for the Republican Party nomination for president Mitt Romney.
George Romney was always a class act. I remember being in the board room when a call came from the White House giving him advance notice of President Nixon's decision to resign later that day. He calmly put the phone down, took a deep breath, looked out the window overlooking DuPont Circle and stated that "it was a good day for America." Romney always had an innate ability to rise above partisanship and articulate a more inclusive vision.
Romney had long been the lead spokesperson on behalf of moderate Republicans. He stood up and challenged the conservative views of Barry Goldwater in 1964. He was always a strong proponent of the American civil rights movement. He put into place the first income tax in Michigan coupled with spending reduction initiatives in order to balance the state's budget.
After losing to Nixon in 1968, he was appointed by President Nixon to a Cabinet position as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development where he promoted housing for the poor and an "open housing" policy in order to desegregate the suburbs. After experiencing a great deal of resistance from Nixon on his policy initiatives, Romney resigned as Secretary of HUD in 1973 to focus on volunteerism and his faith.
Believe it or not, there was a time when the Republican Party actually had a "center." In addition to Romney, there were others such as former HEW Secretary and Common Cause founder John Gardner who were members of a group of moderate Republicans called the "Ripon Society."
Their influence began a downward spiral on August 31, 1967, when in a taped interview with talk show host Lou Gordon of WKBD-TV in Detroit, Romney stated: "When I came back from Vietnam, I'd just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get." He then shifted to opposing the war: "I no longer believe that it was necessary for us to get involved in South Vietnam to stop Communist aggression in Southeast Asia." Decrying the "tragic" conflict, he urged "a sound peace in South Vietnam at an early time."
Thus Romney disavowed the war and reversed himself from his earlier stated belief that the war was "morally right and necessary." His quest for the Republican nod for president was essentially over.
Fast forward a generation and meet his son, Mitt Romney, who won the election for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, but did not seek re-election in 2006. During his term, he presided over a series of spending cuts coupled with increases in fees while the state's finances improved. Sound familiar? He signed into law the landmark Massachusetts health care reform legislation, which provided near-universal health insurance access via subsidies and state-level mandates. Mitt Romney ran for the Republican nod for president in the 2008 primaries only to be defeated by Arizona's John McCain.
Once again, in 2011, Mitt Romney appears to be among the front runners for the Republican nod. Will it be "like father like son" all over again or will Mitt be able to break the Romney Curse and gain the party nomination? And what is that curse? No, it's not their Mormon faith. It's their deep roots in the ideological middle. Try as he might to appease the far right of his party, Mitt Romney is, well, a Romney - a successful businessman, a consensus builder, a thinker, a visionary, a moderate. Will his message resonate within the Republican Party or would he make a damn good Democrat?
• Jon Beydler is a 33-year Valley resident and the former mayor of Fountain Hills who now lives in Chandler
Dale Whiting posted at 10:43 am on Wed, May 18, 2011.
Jon,
Wait until the cite neo-cons tear into your piece! George Romney was proven right. Vietnam was a mistake, one based upon the false "domino" theory supported by a lie, the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Today we see that Iraq was a mistake, one based upon false reports of ties between al Qaeda and Hussein, based uponfalse reports of meetings between agents and weapons of mass destruction. The mistake of Vietnam was made by a Democrat, LBJ. The mistake of Iraq was made by a Republican, Bush 43.
As always, I plan to vote for the best man, the man whose past experiences indidate wisdom beyond his years, and an ability to form consensus. George Romney would have been the better pick in 1964. John McCain would have been the better pick in 2000. John Kerry would have been the better pick in 2004. Barack Obama was the better pick in 2008. Mitt Romney or his fifth cousin John Huntsman, Jr. could be the best picks in 2012. We'll have to wait and see.
Cerulean posted at 4:36 pm on Wed, May 18, 2011.
With this column, you might have convinced me to vote for Mitt Romney. The problem is that the Democrats already have a d - very good candidate. However I think Romney, if he gets the nod, will represent the Republican ticket in a way they can be proud of.
Nice picture, Jon.
[smile]
Leon Ceniceros posted at 8:46 am on Thu, May 19, 2011.
Mitt Romney is a..............R.I.N.O........a Republican In Name Only..........his Republican Presidention Nominee aspirations are = D.I.T.W.........Dead In the Water......[wink]
VofReason posted at 1:36 pm on Thu, May 19, 2011.
Anyone who thinks John Kerry is the best candidate for anything should be summarily dismissed.
Dale Whiting posted at 10:31 pm on Thu, May 19, 2011.
Leon,
You are a Neo-con registered as a Republican. You are not a conservative.
VofReason,
Looking back over the time from 2005 to 2009, list W's accomplishments and tell me how he did better on those than Kerry would have! I would vote for W as dog catcher, that's about it!
I'll start the list here: Iraq, Afghanistan, the economy, promotion of peace in Palesine, education [no child left behind was Laura's idea]
Cerulean,
Mitt is better than most of the rest of my fellow Conservatives and Neo-cons masarading as Conservatives. I think John Huntsman might be better. Let's see if the Neo-cons can find someone to support who does not step into a noose laid by themselves.
Leon Ceniceros posted at 12:42 pm on Fri, May 20, 2011.
Oh My Gawd......how can someone even compare ...President George W. Bush with a....Vietnam Anti-War ..."Hanoi-Jane Fonda" hugging... Military Medal-descecrating...Liberal/Progressive like .....John..."I wanna be a Kennedy"...Kerry ! ! !
Cerulean posted at 7:22 pm on Fri, May 20, 2011.
Dale,
I was not familiar with Huntsman’s name until I saw his face and recognized that I have seen him interviewed by Charley Rose. The interview was some time ago, though I do remember being interested in his stories about living in China and our future trade relationship with Asia. I was also very impressed that he speaks fluent Mandarin. It will be interesting to see how he presents himself as a candidate for president.
mnjcpa posted at 1:26 pm on Mon, May 23, 2011.
Just about everything this administration is doing is killing small businesses. Small businesses did nothing to cause the financial meltdown in 2008, yet they are being treated to new regulations that hurt their ability to compete globally and add value. And at a time of historic low interest rates, the private cost of capital is at an all-time high.
A recent study reported that 8% of the people directly advising Obama have actual business experience. This is compared to all of the previous presidents (democrat & republican) having 50-60% of their direct advisors with substantial business experience. Romney's the guy if you want someone that understands business, not just organizing a community.