By Fareed Zakaria
President Obama has surged in the polls in recent weeks, and Republicans have been quick to identify the problem: Mitt Romney. The columnist Peggy Noonan eloquently voiced what many conservatives believe when she said that Romney’s campaign had been a rolling calamity.
And yet shouldn’t it puzzle us that Romney’s campaign is so “incompetent,” as Noonan calls it, given his deserved reputation for, well, competence? After all, he founded one of this country’s leading financial firms, turned around the failing Salt Lake City Olympics, and was a very successful governor. How did he get so clumsy so fast?
In fact, the problem is not Romney, but the new Republican Party.
Watch the video for Fareed's full take on the problems facing Mitt Romney. Fareed Zakaria GPS airs on Sundays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET.
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The American People want to see your tax returns for the last 20 years Willard.
Enough with the demands to show his tax records! There is no statutory requirement to do so in order to run. Never was. And if he DID do anything illegal, a man in his position would have tax lawyers and accountants sufficiently trained to cover any gaffs on his record. Putting money into an offshore account(s) is legal and done every day. I wouldn't show you my tax records, and neither would you. We don't have any right to pry into his finances beyond the official enquiries done by the government to vet him for security clearances. If there is anything there, we would know it already. As a bonifide contender for the Presidency, he already received security screening as were the others on the ticket. His screening would go past that for him to receive security briefings. Any red flags would have been waved before now. Don't be such a peeping Tom. There are enough reasons to not vote for him other than how much he pays in taxes, how much he owns, and how much he pays to charities. Even a candidate or official has a right to privacy. Tchuss!
You have a point but it is a tradition and what gets me is the reluctance to do so even though he released multiple years of tax returns when McCain was running. It just shows a bit of his character. People expect the president (whether it's right or wrong) to be transparent but as you said there are many reasons why not to vote for him and at this point I fail to see how they would make a difference.
If you don't pay taxes on the off-shore accounts then it IS illegal. Mitt is a criminal for not disclosing his off-shore accounts on his taxes. Hahahahahahahaha
Well...I received death threats on low volume audio..some of these people sound like those at my earlier workplace, they were bain associated..foxnews voicemail should have recordings, my yahoo mailbox was hacked right after, it had one of the recordings so yahoo could have a copy somewhere..
What are you using for a mind? WHY DID HE WANT 10 yrs. returns FROM HIS RUNNING MATE!!!!!!???????.....THINK!
I agree Dom. But if, as you say, people expect their president to be 'transparent' then how do you account for the support for President Obama – who is arguably one of the LEAST transparent presidents after promising to be the most?
For one it is a established tradition, but more importantly we would like to know how many laws has he bent, or paid for to be changed, so that he gets treatment unique to his position. His taxes will show every loophole he used to his advantage, and we will then know if he has a habit of this, and it will give insight into his behavior pattern. Here is a guy who paid more in taxes this year so he would cover up his statement that, he has never paid less than 13% in taxes. If he loses he could easily go and amend his returns and get a huge refund. So let us see how he has come up with the statement around his prior returns. In his case his tax returns give a far greater insight into his character and value system.
Sure it's not required, but it has been customary to do so, so "why the resistance". It took months to produce his tax return from just last year - one that shows favorably his charitable contributions, etc. So if that was the case from the beginning, why the filibustering? You think his tax accountants are busy re-doing his taxes - with adjustments and re-filing - to show the same results? If he made such great donations in past years, then why the hedging - why not show them off and shut the critics up? By delaying, Romney has only thrown fuel on the fire. There was no reason to delay his tax returns unless there WAS a reason - and now we can quite reasonably assume they were re-filed to show him in a better light. I'm not buying it at all...
Indeed, the GOP has made a huge mistake by supporting Romney's candidate. He might be an excellent investor, but runing a country is not like running a private investment company.
true story..
I am trying to refinaced my home and they wanted the last three years of my taxes. Joking I said, I would only showed the last two and they told me they would deny my refinance. I just thinking is funnny that Mitt wants to be president but refuses to shows his taxes. He could not get a loan approved that way.
The man elected President should be able to see that doing the minimum to get by, legally, is far removed from what we, the middle class live with, every day.
I don't care what kind of b.s. you post i and hundreds of people still want to see his taxes for those last 8 years.
Romney Ryan can save this country and make it better.They would be better than Reagan or Lincoln because of good character, great love of country and family, and giving Christian honest respectable men, not an immoral, unethical, corrupt, lying radical who plans to destroy America like the traitor oblabla. o says al queda is a bunch of weak boy lovers who are greedy and scared. o says there are no weapons of mass destruction. Ask Walter Reed, soldiers,seals,wikileaks,assange, and others. Guess who have lied for 10 years. America deserves way better.o sucks.
We do have a right to vote for who we want, and I wouldn't vote for him without such disclosure. I'm sure he did nothing illegal, but I am sure he avoided paying a lot of income tax. His failure to disclose is most likely due to the fact that it would put off a large number of working class Americans.
Old Soldier- At the very least he should honor the tradition HIS FATHER established of showing the most recent dozen years of tax returns, when running for office.
Patricia said; "Guess who have lied for 10 years. America deserves way better.o sucks"
I guess since Obama has only been in office 4 years, then the remaining 6 years of lies and coverups belong to Bush right?
j. von hetlington: "He might be an excellent investor, but runing a country is not like running a private investment company."
Really? Running the country is not like running. . . .anything. But please tell me how being a college professor and community organizer is better prep for running a country than Mitt's experience running a STATE?
Mitt was an excellent investor. He made a ton of money and was very successful for the people he had to report to.
Mitt was an excellent head of SL Olympics. He took a disaster, losing hundreds of millions of dollars and embarrassing the people of the state of Utah, and turned it around into what was often called the most successful winter olympics in history. Oh, and he did it just months after the 9/11 attacks. He was unbelievably successful for the people he had to report to.
Mitt was a successful governor in a liberal state. Cut spending and turned around the financial standing of one of the great states of our country. He was very successful for the people he had to report to.
There is probably NO job more like running a country than being a governor of a state. You conveniently leave that experience out when you simply label him a "good investor".
And what did Obama run before he was elected President? At what time did he ever have a position where "the buck stopped here" with him? Here's your answer: NEVER. EVER. And that has been so painfully evident in the way the buck has been passed on each of his failures. "Bush's fault", "A YouTube video's fault", "Washington's fault, and you can't change it from inside", "Anybody's fault but mine"
That's not a leader.
Putting money into offshore accounts might be legal,but it certainly isn't patriotic and does not benefit the country you reside in but does the one you have placed those accounts in.It does not benefit the economy of your own country,but it does benefit your own personal greed.
The IRS has seen every one of them.
Doesn't mean he didn't lie on them does it? We want to see that Mitt is a criminal for not disclosing off-shore accounts. Hahahahahahahahaha
You really expect dodgy Willard to show tax records? Morney says anything that suits AT THAT TIME... shifty Mittens is losing because of it. Not sure if he understands such change in stances make him look like a cheat.
Mc Cain saw a few years of Mitts returns & picked Palin...those returns must have been a wow!!
Get a life
Fareed is a racist south asian. Immigration is colonialism. Immigration is invasion. He shouldn't even be in my country and it is my country and not anything to do with his foreign cula.
And your racist rant excludes you from being a racist how?
It is not "YOUR" country.It is "OUR" country.
I find it quite humorous that "Fareed Zacharia GPS" a global news segment on CNN , starts the show with domestic commentary on Mitt Romney , when 2 big world happenings developed in the past week , the Ben Ghazi Cover up and the critical last speeches of certain leaders at the UN, whose countries are at the brink of war !
Why does Fareed start with this segment ? Its quite simple , it's Fareed's last attempt to mold young naive Americans and pander to like minded people, before the 1st debate . You know those naive Americans , the ones that get their news from TMZ, the ones that are more concerned on who won American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, who is Kim Kardashian'sw new Boyfriend and when is the next Apple Iphone coming out . He can't mold the people who are already on the fence , who know that Obama didn't do a very good job and that Romney may not be strong enough to be President . Its still status quo , keep giving one sided observations , under report or don't report on important matters. Sooner or later , a naive American will watch a segment of his and say " Wow that guy is deep, he knows what he's talking about ", problem is , that naive American thinks he just received a glass full but what he really got was a glass half empty .
The piece Fareed chose to start with, points out that certain conservative critics criticized Romney on how his strategy to become President was flawed . Note taken . But is that topic more important then the debacle in Libya, where 4 Americans were killed on 9/11 by terrorists , where they took advantage of a lapse in security on an American Ambassador in a neck of the woods where is there is known terrorist activity . Where the news on this became even bigger, because the current administration blamed a video that was put out months earlier, which started a blood thirsty protest in front of the compound, this lie was given to the American public for at least 1 week. What's even more damning is that Fareed is part of CNN , CNN who's got a horse in this , where their own field reporter found a journal of the American Ambassador , 3 days after the Ambassador got killed. In the journal it stated that the Ambassador feared for his life, because he was already on a terror hit list. To this day there is no formal announcement that AL Queda terrorists are behind this. Democrats and Republicans in congress have already demanded to get the cables between the Ambassador and his superiors, they are being stonewalled.
So why wouldn't Fareed start with this piece or the piece with Natanyahu drawing the Red line in the UN ?
Because Fareed agrees with the current administration's policy, to appease Islamic radicalism. 20 countries with violent protests , burning American and Israeli flags , burning pictures of Obama, is not enough to understand , some people with medieval views cannot be convinced to join the civilized the world . Reporting on this first would certainly cramp someones chances to become President, to reveal incompetence , cover up or both , during election time , could very well be damning to the naive American.
Fareed you're a joke , start reporting the most important news first buddy .
I couldn't care less who burns the Israeli flag. If you didn't find the article newsworthy, then why did you post here?
Obviously you didn't get my point !
If your a fireman and arrive to a fire , you don't ask the guy running out of the house if he brushed his teeth ! Or if your a Sports news show and the World Series is happening , you don't start your show with a report on regular season ladies hoops !
GPS is suppose to report on happenings abroad . There were more important things to report on , in the past week, then opening with another lefty swipe on Romney .
Where else am I to make my point , this was his first segment . I didn't bother watching the rest of his segments , because he lost all that show's credibility by starting with an off topic.
Erin Burnett to her credit started her shows with the proper sequence of topics . Burnett didn't make her name on world topics , Fareed speaks on world topics as if he is the dean of each subject . Of course this subject has to have an angle for his spin . Maybe that's why he didn't bother starting with it .
I find it quite humorous that "Fareed Zacharia GPS" a global news segment on CNN , starts the show with domestic commentary on Mitt Romney , when 2 big world happenings developed in the past week , the Ben Ghazi Cover up and the critical last speeches of certain leaders at the UN, whose countries are at the brink of war !
Why does Fareed start with this segment ? Its quite simple , it's Fareed's last attempt to mold young naive Americans and pander to like minded people, before the 1st debate . You know those naive Americans , the ones that get their news from TMZ, the ones that are more concerned on who won American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, who is Kim Kardashian'sw new Boyfriend and when is the next Apple Iphone coming out . He can't mold the people who are already on the fence , who know that Obama didn't do a very good job and that Romney may not be strong enough to be President . Its still status quo , keep giving one sided observations , under report or don't report on important matters. Sooner or later , a naive American will watch a segment of his and say " Wow that guy is deep, he knows what he's talking about ", problem is , that naive American thinks he just received a glass full but what he really got was a glass half empty .
The piece Fareed chose to start with, points out that certain conservative critics criticized Romney on how his strategy to become President was flawed . Note taken . But is that topic more important then the debacle in Libya, where 4 Americans were killed on 9/11 by terrorists , where they took advantage of a lapse in security on an American Ambassador in a neck of the woods where is there is known terrorist activity . Where the news on this became even bigger, because the current administration blamed a video that was put out months earlier, which started a blood thirsty protest in front of the compound, this lie was given to the American public for at least 1 week. What's even more damning is that Fareed is part of CNN , CNN who's got a horse in this , where their own field reporter found a journal of the American Ambassador , 3 days after the Ambassador got killed. In the journal it stated that the Ambassador feared for his life, because he was already on a terror hit list. To this day there is no formal announcement that AL Queda terrorists are behind this. Democrats and Republicans in congress have already demanded to get the cables between the Ambassador and his superiors, they are being stonewalled. I won't even start on why nothing was asked on why there wasn't adequate security at the American Embassy in Eqypt on 9/11 and why wasn't there a demand of the Egyptian Gov't to deploy soldiers in front of the Embassy BEFORE they climbed and tore down the American flag, when they already knew that a large amount of protesters were heading that way !
So why wouldn't Fareed start with this piece or the piece with Natanyahu drawing the Red line in the UN ?
Because Fareed agrees with the current administration's policy, to appease Islamic radicalism. 20 countries with violent protests , burning American and Israeli flags , burning pictures of Obama, is not enough to understand , some people with medieval views cannot be convinced to join the civilized the world . Reporting on this first would certainly cramp someones chances to become President, to reveal incompetence , cover up or both , during election time , could very well be damning to the naive American. Can someone say weak foreign policy ?
Fareed you're a joke , start reporting the most important news first buddy .
It's now obvious to me that the public will never see any of Romney's tax returns that have not been released at this time.
I don't really care how much or how little Romney paid, but I would like to know if he participated in the 2009 FBAR amnesty program.
Just like the American people wanted to see Obama's birth certificate. Don't worry, I'm sure Romney will show his a couple years after taking office. If you want to talk about tradition, Obama started this one so getting mad about it is hypocritical.
Lets be clear. The "American Public" did not want to see Obama's birth certificate. A few Tea Party fanatics did. NO Presidential candidate EVER needed to do this, let alone a sitting President. The tradition of releasing 12 years of tax returns was started by George Romney when he ran for President, which he blew also by speaking his mind in front of a microphone. It was the truth, but it wasn't what his party was selling.
And by the way, people did not make a hub bub about John Kerry's wealth or any other Republican or Democrat in the past, beacuse they just released the returns. Americans don't begrudge wealth, we just don't like greed and self importance.
Well stated. The GOP has been hijacked by extremists and the serious statesmen in the party have been completely unwilling to haul those party members up short for their stupidity.
"Fareed's Take" That's a logical name for his show since he takes what someone else wrights and trys to pass it off as his. Did you read that the problem was new Republican Party or did President Obama tell you to write that when you were at the White Hosue as an advisor to the middle east. By the way, hows that going for you and the President with the middle east up in flames and Americans have been murdered and our embasy and flag burned? What's really wrong is you the press and your love affair with this President.
Love affair? Americans killed? What does that have to do with the fact that the Republican Party are a bunch of outdated old men trying to keep the power amongst himself? Americans died yes and that's unfortunate but the middle east has been in constant turmoil long before Obama got into office. Ever hear of conflict desert storm? I'm sure you're familiar with our latest campaign on not one but two countries where thousands of innocent people are being killed, and who is responsible for that? As far as a supposed "love affair" you must not watch FOX, or MSNBC news much do you? You got some nerve, too blind to realize that someone gave your candidate a compliment something Romney has received in the last few weeks.
30% of this country have a selective memory.. all the wars were fake, Bushs did not exist, LOL. What crap.
Desert Storm, hell. Ever heard of the Barbary Pirates? lol
I do believe that you are off topic there dunce.
The Republican party has always been this way, they are simply abandoning him and placing the blame elsewhere. Look at Todd Akin who earlier this year republicans wanted him to drop out and now that the smoke has cleared and the attention is on Romney they can support him because honestly their ideology and methodology is the same. They simply don't want everyone else to know that as well.
Romney proved that he is incapable of running the country. His biggest mistake was embracing the Tea Party, a philosophy that takes us backward with no regard for the people. The strongest countries in the World do not support policies that cater to the rich exclusively. A country is only as strong as the weakest members.
Universal health care is a great example. The US is one of the only countries in the developed world without it. The US always ranks near the bottom. one study stated "the US have the least equitable system".
i can go on and on. Americans have, I hope, that it is time we started caring. We are too great and powerful to allow ourselves to fall into oblivion. Our taxes are the lowest in the developed world and we need money. The rich have proven that there is no trickle down. The rich hoard and send their money offshore. If the rich thought like Warren Buffet and Bill gates, the US would be the geatest place in the world. Sadly we have become selfish and uncaring. That is exactly what Rebublicans preach.
They frankly have no understanding of caring.
On his summer trip it was one blunder after the other. The most glaring was his arrogant insult of the British.
Wow – you've swallowed it hook, line, and sinker haven't you?
You're a rich republican aren't you!! Come on!!! Tell us how rich you are and how much net worth you have!!! You know you want to!!! All of you think you are rich!!! I'll bet you have a "double wide" don't you? Hahahhahahaha
And the biggest lie that the Dems have been able to get their followers to believe. Sorry guys, but Dems are just as rich as Reps in politics. And they make the same policies for the rich as do the Reps. The biggest shame in our country is how easily Liberals are herded to one side because one party has gotten them to believe that all Democratic politicians are poor and working only to help the other poor people. It's definitely a great strategy, don't get me wrong. They have some smart people working on their side.
I still find it funny that when Kerry was running for President you didn't hear ONE peep from the Dems about his wealth (which, btw, is equal to Romney's) or his wife's wealth which is more than Romney and Kerry combined. Dems and Reps are the exact mirror of each other...they will only attack each other with what the people want to hear.
That is not true. The news media mentioned time and time again that Kerry's wife was the Heinz ketchup heiress, and constantly estimated her fortune.
As for Romney, he's an id10t who apparently has humorous psychotic episodes ("Look tat the clouds!") and even his wife wonders if he can stand the stress of the presidency.
I think the problem is both the Republican Party and Mitt Romney. Romney is a lousy candidate and the GOP is the party of failed ideas and does not reflect the concerns of ordinary Americans. When you are the party of, by, and for the rich, you aren't going to be able to gain enough support and Mitt is the poster boy for the cause of putting profit over people.
You're going to be shocked to the core on Nov. 6.
What . are the republicans going to steal another election? or will they go screaming to the supreme court to try to get romney appointed like g.w.?
Romney is the GOP candidate by default,not by choice.
Fareed is going to be correct. I am a moderate who has voted both as a Republican and Democrat. The Republican far right wing is angry, racist, has too much money, too much influence, and they are ruining their party. Even Ronald Reagan used to complain about extreme conservatives and 30 years later the party still can't reason with them. I'm going to vote for Obama, but I really feel sorry for the hard working Republicans that really want to deal with today's problems.
Save it for yourself if this incompetent community organizer gets four more years.
I hate to break it to you, Scott, but a country is a community not a business. A business is set up to make a profit for some, at the expense of others and in most cases has a very short term horizion. A country is set up to make life better (ideally) for all citizens and the horizon should be decades if not centuries. Give me a community organizer who knows how to mobilzie the country over a financial wizard whose experience is all about making more money for people that are already rich.
"I have voted Republican but will be voting for Obama". #1 political lie being told by internet posters this season.
Why is that so hard to believe? I'm curious what policy of Romney's you find so appealing, please explain.
You have just hit the nail on the head. The problem with the GOP is that they truly don't think that anyone who voted R in past elections could be unhappy with the current state of the GOP. Certainly not unhappy enough to vote D. Well, you better believe it. This is not he GOP I grew up with that had statesmen, were moderate, and were looking to solve problems. This bunch of flame throwers turns my stomach and the only way to walk them back towards the center is keep electing Democrats – who, by the way, are not as dangerous at the extremist make them out to be.
How about "I'm voting for RoMoney because I like to vote against my own interests"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahahahaahahaha
MORE INCOMPETENCE MORE LOBBYISTS if you vote for NOBama.
More EYECANDY.
I think that you have dipped your tea bag one time too many. hell fellow all the lobbiest are republicans.
Mr. Etch-O-Sketch is not compatible with the GOP base which has been evolving since the 1960's as a reactionary movement to the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. That base was wrong on both points. While that base may have come to accept the progress we have made in Civil Rights it has not accepted the horrific errors of Vietnam. All you need to do is study Bush II. He embraced Civil Rights but gave us two new wars.
Romney belongs to the most powerul intellectual and ideological Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman element of the GOP. The problem there is that he cannot admit it. Ayn Rand was an atheist. Milton Friedman was a quack who like the sound of his own voice. His trickle down, supply side theories has brought us close to economic devastation. Tax cuts as a force for driving economic growth has been disproved. While Reagan embraced Friedman Reagan did raise taxes during his administration – the largest tax increase up to that time. Clinton raised taxes. The economy grew.
On the latter point Romney is beginning to equivocate and it seems like he may abandon any economic ideology which he may embrace. He cannot admit it, however. If he admits it he will be seen by the GOP as the biggest traitor in US history and the GOP will stay at home on election day. If he is elected president he will prove himself to be a non-ideological moderate and will do just what President Obama has espoused for 3 1/2 years.
Mr. Romney should change party affiliation. He should at least become an independent.
Romney is a wolf in sheep's clothing. The Republican Party has no middle – just a far right.
The problem is both: the current GOP is completely off the rails and Mitt is twisting himself to fit. They look like they have no compassion or grasp of reality, he comes off as a man without principles and willing to do anything to be president.
Fifteenth!!!
In your face sixteen!
Nailed it Fareed. It used to be that the crazies were Democrats, now they're Republicans.
Moderate Mitt would be kick'n Obama's but in the poles right now. 8% unemployment, two failed wars(not his fault but his responsbility), gas prices up, and the middle east is burning!! But he's a 5-7 point lead in some polls(including the FOX poll). Because the Tea Party, has hijacked the GOP, and anyhting he says to come to the middle of the road where the rest of the country is, he fears would cost him Republican votes. And he's probally right.
You haven't the foggiest understanding of the Tea Party – which protests excessive taxes and the metastasis of government into every aspect of our lives. Unless you support those things, of course.
they protest intrusion EXCEPT in the bedroom
The current tax rate has been lower than it has been in the last 30 years.What kind of delusional nonsense are you speaking of?
Agree, as much as the Tea Party came into this will "good intentions", they have hijacked the political process and nothing gets done. olitics is dealing... and the TP is not willing to deal...
The Real Tea Party got hijacked by Dick Armey and his thugs.
Who did you copy this from Fareed? It isn't your style to do original stories.
He copied this from Chris Matthews who copied it from Andrea Mitchell who copied it from ducky Greenspandex !!
As a liberal, my greatest fear, is that conservatives in the US wake up. Highly doubtful. And the moderates form their own separate conservative party and break away from the neanderthal pre cambrian time cave people of the "new" Republican Party. Hopefully this will never occur and they will continue on a downward spiral to becoming obsolete. If Christie the "blowhard" is their new face, then they will become obsolete.
His tax returns aren't illegal, just very embarassing!
Too true...could have overcome all the hoopla by just producing the returns - assuming, of course, there were as they have been presented recently.
The copycat zakaria is at his favorite past time again. Bash the republicans.
Zak are you going to announce your endorsement for Obama once again on your program the Sunday before the elections? And whoop it up with Albright and Krugman?
Sona Mahal is calling you.
Oh sure blame it on the Republican Party. Romney knew full well what the party looked like when he threw his hat in the ring.
Vulture/Voucher 2012 going down, down, down.
I don't think Romney and Scott Brown are terrible people. So, I have to agree with Fareed. The only hope I have is that if he should win, and I hope he doesn't, Ryan will have been defanged and muzzled as the VP.
Being the biggest of the Republican primary seven dwarfs doesn't mean that Romney has enough stature to fill the shoes of the President of the United States.
"Turned around the failing Salt Lake City Olympics" article states, not mentioning
the millions of dollars from the government to save it. Yet he takes credit for it.
Romney's problem is himself and he cannot relate to the middle class.
Absolutely correct. Although Obama is an oily, smarmy professional liar, at least he has the least bit of empathy with middle-class America. Romney is utterly clueless.
That being said, I am not voting for either of them.
The problem for Romney and Ryan is they lack integrity. Romney says he is going to cut taxes but offset the loss by eliminating tax loopholes yet he doesn't want the world to know the loopholes he has used over the years. He wants to get tough on unfair trade with China but he doesn't have a track record of being tough on unfair with China. In fact, I suspect Romney may have used some tax loopholes to maximize even more of his wealth when he outsourced American jobs to China but indulged in a tax credit for investing in a developing economy. He doesn't want us to see that. And stalwart conservative Paul Ryan is not so stalwartly conservative when it comes to the government buying golden parachutes for incompetent Wall Street executives. He was a bonafide socialist when it comes to giving public money to the rich. Of course, all this is just icing on the cake when we remember that Romney is trying to bring back these policies; disarm Iran, cut taxes, deregulate Wall St. Sounds oddly similar to what W. Bush did. Do we want another W. Bush?
Who really wrote this article?
A good number of you are missing the point. Not all of you, mind you. But, and it's a BIG 'but', there's a distinct and very glaring separation between business and politics. Romney's forte is business, not politics. Politics, for him, was an afterthought. If Romney gets the front door keys to the White House in November, he's going to have to deal with an extremely acrid, unmoveable, feet-sunk-in-concrete Republican base. And the business mind-set that he is bathed in is going to come under some fierce opposition from the House and the Senate. It still boggles my mind that he picked Ryan for his running mate. Business people tend to be open and flexible in their approach to how a business is run. When it comes to Congress nowadays, uh-uh. Go ahead and put him in the White House. Let's see how this plays out. But, I'm not very optimistic.
I think all polls are actually flawed. They are designed for political reasons. They do not reflect reality. So nobody sould believe the polls.
The media would do a great service of they stopped talking about the stupid polls, left the voters alone,and let them decide on their own intelligence as to whom to vote for!!
The current bad economy was caused by big business; i.e., mortgage derivative bundling, AIG and the downfall of the insurance industry, etc. Sure, government opened the door by deregulating the mortgage and banking industry, but some bright business people figured out how to put the derivative products together and poison the good mortgages with the bad in the aftermarket. Then, the economic downturn of 2008 – 2009 occurred as a result.
So why should we trust a businessman? I am not thrilled with Obama, but that doesn't make me a Romney fan automatically. I really distrust Romney's selection of Ryan as VP because the Tea Party is so radical. Zakaria hit the nail on the head – the Tea Party started out as a movement of dissatisfied responsible people, but became hijacked by the ultra right who use traditional sounding economic issues like "smaller government" and "balanced budget" to achieve their social issue goals.
Isn't Fareed Zakaria a plagiarizer?
In all reality, Romney would govern more center left than he shows now. HIs problem has been the Republican Party and their take over by the extreme elements of the far Right.
He should have stayed true to his colors during the Primaries and let the chips fall where they may. Even if the Party would have nominated any of those others, they would have gone down in a landslide. The general public would not have elected anyone with the extreme views of Santorum,Gingrich,Perry .
And Fareed's problem is living in existential reality. Come on Fareed, time to step out of your fantastical world filled with unicorns, marshmallow clouds and glitter rainbows and join the rest of us in the real world.