Author Topic: Can Romney succeed?  (Read 3737 times)

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Offline mickBelker

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Can Romney succeed?
« on: November 04, 2012, 04:28:44 PM »
I was watching his West Chester, Ohio speech yesterday afternoon. As the Soon-To-Be-President-Elect was noting his achievements the thought occurred to me:  what makes him think that he'll be able to convince the collective jackal, more commonly known as the Democrat Party, to suddenly be reasonable and pliant?

I know most of the main arguments, both for and against, and would like to better understand the likely trajectory of Romney's first two years. Informed speculations are most welcome.

I'll start and I hope others will join in and share their thoughts.

On the plus side let's start with the basics:  he's tall, easy on the eyes, and telegenic. His bearing meets our collective definition of a passable beauty contestant. Of a tad bit more concern, to our miserably-ill body politic, are his substantial credentials for higher office.

Romney brings excellent technocratic skills and a breadth of experience in executive management, salesmanship, product development, materiel and quality control, and labor management not the least; in short, all of the requisite management skills.

Additionally, Romney has drive, devotion, likability, intelligence and perseverance.

Finally, the former Governor of Massachusetts has solid policy ideas and a vision for the future. Altogether, that's probably more than sufficient for the average voter to conclude that Romney is a very viable candidate.

But, OTOH, so what!? All of that is requisite (the Obama exception aside) for a successful agenda but insufficient. Even putting aside that Romney is likely to be under considerably more pressure than Obama, will Romney be able (as able as Reagan, say) to effect the requisite changes despite a split Congress? That's really the question.

There is much that a President can do by executive fiat but, without a willing Congress, any improvements instituted thereby will be short-lived or illusory and otherwise easily undone through executive action of the next President.

So I guess, amongst other criteria, his success in office may depend upon how you define "success."

Anyway, views? Opinions? Objections?

Offline EagleKeeper

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2012, 04:45:31 PM »
I would submit that if Rmoney can refrain from saying "I won and elections have consequences" and then refrain from retreating behind closed doors with his caucus he will do allright.
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Offline Texacon

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2012, 06:06:58 PM »
I agree with EK. If he doesn't come in and tell the dems to sit in the back of the bus he'll get the help he needs from the dems.

O'bama was never a negotiator. He's a campaigner and nothing more.

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Offline docstew

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #3 on: November 04, 2012, 06:11:16 PM »
I would submit that if Rmoney can refrain from saying "I won and elections have consequences" and then refrain from retreating behind closed doors with his caucus he will do allright.

Or, he could go with the Reagan model of reaching across the aisle. when Reid filibusters him, he just goes straight to the American People with it. Point out what he's trying to do, what the planned effect is, and who's holding it up. If it's popular, some Dems will peel off just due to public demand, especially if they have to defend their seat in 2014.

Offline DumbAss Tanker

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2012, 06:14:54 PM »
Filibusters will be a problem but not an insurmountable one, the thing that will really hose him is if Reid remains Senate Majority Leader.  A Republican majority in the Senate is essential to any forward progress, even if a supermajority is pretty much out of the question.
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Offline J P Sousa

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #5 on: November 04, 2012, 07:43:02 PM »
If anyone remembers, Bush #2 campaigned on "working with democrats" BUT that was IN HIS STATE...........congress democraps on the other hand care not about the country, but who gets political advantage. The very thing of which they accuse republicans.   

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Offline 98ZJUSMC

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2012, 08:44:59 PM »
Or, he could go with the Reagan model of reaching across the aisle. when Reid filibusters him, he just goes straight to the American People with it. Point out what he's trying to do, what the planned effect is, and who's holding it up. If it's popular, some Dems will peel off just due to public demand, especially if they have to defend their seat in 2014.

Agreed.  Play the bi-partisan game straight up.  Make it ridiculously obvious who is the problem.  The media will, of course, absolve Pederast Reid.  The true picture will emerge.  I still hold out for a tentative Republican majority in the Senate.

The best R² can do, in my mind, is treat the sucking chest wound.  Too much fixing to be done, EO's to repeal, etc.  Serious reform (to our liking) is going to take more than 1 term or 2.  The Republicans have their fair share of public trust to renew and they are going to have to be very careful.  There is no choice, but painful decisions, eventually, have to be made.   There will be political fall out.

..and absolutely right.  I do not forsee R² saying anything even remotely close to, "I won". 
              

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Offline Jasonw560

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2012, 09:09:15 PM »
Agreed.  Play the bi-partisan game straight up.  Make it ridiculously obvious who is the problem.  The media will, of course, absolve Pederast Reid.  The true picture will emerge.  I still hold out for a tentative Republican majority in the Senate.

The best R² can do, in my mind, is treat the sucking chest wound.  Too much fixing to be done, EO's to repeal, etc.  Serious reform (to our liking) is going to take more than 1 term or 2.  The Republicans have their fair share of public trust to renew and they are going to have to be very careful.  There is no choice, but painful decisions, eventually, have to be made.   There will be political fall out.

..and absolutely right.  I do not forsee R² saying anything even remotely close to, "I won". 

That's correct. Come out and say here's what needs to be done, how we want to do it, and here's why we can't. Then those of you in Blue states need to start call banks and get the pressure on your Senators.
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Offline Zeus

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2012, 09:26:19 PM »
Or, he could go with the Reagan model of reaching across the aisle. when Reid filibusters him, he just goes straight to the American People with it. Point out what he's trying to do, what the planned effect is, and who's holding it up. If it's popular, some Dems will peel off just due to public demand, especially if they have to defend their seat in 2014.

That's the ticket.  No politicin' horsetrading BS just tell the public what the plan is and let them put their legislators feet to the fire.
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Offline I_B_Perky

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #9 on: November 04, 2012, 10:09:39 PM »
Or, he could go with the Reagan model of reaching across the aisle. when Reid filibusters him, he just goes straight to the American People with it. Point out what he's trying to do, what the planned effect is, and who's holding it up. If it's popular, some Dems will peel off just due to public demand, especially if they have to defend their seat in 2014.

Agreed. Explain to the American people what is going on. Directly. Avoid the MSM media. If it was me I would kick them out of all press conferences. Oh they will piss and moan and crucify him... but they are gonna do that anyway. He should send letters to the heads of the alphabet networks and tell them they are not reporting fairly. Now the heads of these networks really don't care about the news part. That is becoming a net loser for them. But once they are cut off, the network heads may, just may, reign in their news sections. I can see CBS, who is currently last in the news ratings, changing their ways real quick. Then when they start to rise in the ratings, the other 2 networks will follow suit.

Another thing I would do is start to invite a bunch of the small market newspapers to attend press conferences in place of the MSM. They will jump on it and will probably not go all liberal on him cause that is something they have never had before. Just the thing to shore up their circulation.

Just my two cents.
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Offline 98ZJUSMC

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Re: Can Romney succeed?
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2012, 04:09:55 AM »
That's correct. Come out and say here's what needs to be done, how we want to do it, and here's why we can't. Then those of you in Blue states need to start call banks and get the pressure on your Senators.

Romney wasn't my first choice (SP was  :-) ).  However, for the task at hand, I think he is the best choice.  Rebuild trust, demonstrate competence and don't inflame anything.  That being said, we have to keep his feet to the fire on what he has promised to do (Repeal OBGINATAX!!!!).  Yes, that will be difficult w/o a Republican senate.  I'll be the first one to admit that, as much as I love Sarah, she would be the wrong person at the wrong time now.  Besides, she's doing a bang-up job residing in lefty scum buckets 24 hours-a-day.

Start a steady, consistent decline in the U/E rate, stand firm on taxation and spending and watch us come back.  Then, we rob the (D)ope party of any fire in 2016.  Heh,  we may be talking about Romney Democrats in a couple of years.

Quote
Quote from: docstew on November 04, 2012, 03:11:16 pm
Or, he could go with the Reagan model of reaching across the aisle. when Reid filibusters him, he just goes straight to the American People with it. Point out what he's trying to do, what the planned effect is, and who's holding it up. If it's popular, some Dems will peel off just due to public demand, especially if they have to defend their seat in 2014.

..or even party switching. 
« Last Edit: November 05, 2012, 04:12:46 AM by 98ZJUSMC »
              

Liberal thinking is a two-legged stool and magical thinking is one of the legs, the other is a combination of self-loating and misanthropy.  To understand it, you would have to be able to sit on that stool while juggling two elephants, an anvil and a fragmentation grenade, sans pin.

"Accuse others of what you do." - Karl Marx