Mitt Romney, where are you?
Are you on the Sunday News shows? Nope.
Are you talking to reporters along rope lines? Nope.
Did you tell a reporter who asked about your stance on gay marriage and equality that you’d rather talk about something significant?
Are you a leader? Can you stand up for what is blatantly right and true? Can you condemn wrong doing?
Okay, let’s be fair. At times, Mr. Romney and President Obama do things that are purely political. They are, after all, politicians. Both did stupid things in their respective pasts. Mr. Romney reportedly bullied a peer in his prep-school class and tied the now-famous family dog to the roof of his car. President Obama smoked some dope and allegedly was cool towards women he dated.
I’m not condoning either man’s behaviors. I’m just saying that young people behave stupidly. They do things they often regret as adults.
What’s clear is that the President has matured, that he’s used his experiences — good and bad — to develop into a thinker and a leader. A parallel type of evolution in Mr. Romney is not so evident. He doesn’t quite meet the criteria of a leader. He wasn’t even able to reflect on the prep-school incident without a smirk and a giggle.
What’s more galling is the regular and repeated opportunities Mr. Romney has to lead and his deliberate dodging of such opportunities. He’s an expert dodger.
This week: The Fair Pay Act, which would guarantee that employers have to substantiate any discrepancies in pay based on qualifications rather than gender, has been repeatedly panned by Republicans in both the House and the Senate. It’s been rejected by the same Republican “leaders” who say they support equal pay for women. Go figure. On it’s own, the lack of action and affirmation is a disgrace that should infuriate all voters and especially women. But add to it Mr. Romney’s wimpy response — that he believes in fair and equal pay for women but doesn’t know what his stance is on the legislation. Really?!
It’s not rocket science, Mr. Romney. You, who can stand to garner the female vote more than anyone, ought to realize this. Any woman with half a brain (and, for the record, most of us possess WAY more) knows you are side-stepping the issue. She knows you are falling in line behind your political cronies and deep-pocketed backers, rather than doing the right thing and standing up. For her.
Last week: Mr. Romney huddled in the corner while his new bud, bully and half-wit extraordinaire Donald Trump, re-introduced the birth-certificate nonsense regarding President Obama. Oh, sure. Mr. Romney quietly and practically inaudibly said he believes the President was born in America. But he didn’t do what leaders do: he didn’t say, Enough is enough.
Last month: President Obama, risking his political standing in several states, announced his support for gay marriage. Mr. Romney countered by saying he was not in favor of same-sex marriage. What stood out even more, though, was Mr. Romney’s lack of a backbone when it came to the resignation of his foreign policy advisor, a homosexual man. Rather than fight for this man’s continued tenure, Romney did what he is apt to do. He stood back. He let a good man go, for all of the wrong reasons. He made us wonder if he owns a pair.
We could go on: To Mr. Romney’s lack of a backbone toward Rush Limbaugh, who calls women who stand up for women’s reproductive rights “sluts.” To his pandering to big-money types who believe in greed over all else. To his backing of the church, even when the church’s teachings and beliefs endanger women’s basic rights and health. To his continued practice of going into hiding when talk turns to doing the big interview or press conference.
Leadership means leading, Mr. Romney.
Time for a spinal implant.
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