Some Romney supporters also fear that his increasingly public attempts to finesse his evolution on the issues may take a toll on an even more crucial Romney trait: leadership.
Romney is supposed to be the decisive guy who charges in to restructure a failing company, save a faltering Winter Olympics, turn around a state’s budget crisis, and fix a crumbling Big Dig. That’s supposed to be his story line.
But in recent appearances, Romney has been on the defensive, sounding evasive and even wishy-washy as he tries to navigate a host of issues. His lengthy interview on This Week with George Stephanopolous offered a perfect example, and not just because his explanations of previous positions taken on abortion, gun laws, signing a no-taxes pledge, and even voting for Paul Tsongas in 1992 were weak. He also dodged questions about health-care reform, the new pact with North Korea, and other topics where answers that might please conservatives might not fly for a network audience.
That’s pandering, not leadership — and hardly what one expects from a “get-it-done, turnaround, CEO Governor.” If that’s the image he wants to project, perhaps he needs to start acting the part.
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Pity Mitt Romney, the object of religious persecution, forced to make a public speech confronting the antagonistic forces that have kept his candidacy down by attacking his faith.
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During Mitt Romney's failed bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, he demonstrated a potent knack for wooing the conservative commentariat.
- Less
Topics:
Talking Politics
, Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney, John McCain, More
, Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney, John McCain, U.S. Republican Party, U.S. Republican Party Politics, Hillary Clinton, Conservative Political Action Conference, Rudolph Giuliani, U.S. Senate, 2008 election, Less
