Overview for mitt-romney

Romney's Task: Show Perry isn't Electable

Republicans watched Rick Perry's stumbling, unprepared performance in last week's debate - and decided they were watching a president in action. The latest CNN/Opinion Research poll has Perry at 32% among Republicans nationwide, Romney tumbled deep into second place at 21%. (If Palin entered …

Written by David Frum on Monday September 12, 2011

Res Judicata: Romney's Plan Won't Acknowledge Federalism

“I believe in the Constitution, by the way when the founders said we will have certain powers at the federal level but we’re going to preserve all those powers at the state level, th[e] 10th amendment. That’s one that I don’t think Barack Obama has read. I know he went to law school: go read the …

Written by Howard Foster on Monday September 12, 2011

The Two Party System

Comparing and contrasting the jobs speeches of Mitt Romney and President Obama, Americans face an unhappy choice. One political party has decided that the only thing that matters - or anyway, that can be achieved - is to enhance America's long-term growth path by reducing regulations, rationaliz…

Written by David Frum on Friday September 9, 2011

In the Shadow of Ronald Reagan

Twenty years ago, historian William Leuchtenberg published a book with the poignant title, In the Shadow of FDR . Leuchtenberg's point: President Roosevelt raised expectations for the modern presidency that his (Democratic) successors could not hope to fulfill. From Truman to Clinton , they …

Written by David Frum on Thursday September 8, 2011

Perry: Unprepared, Underwhelming

The revelation from the Republican presidential debate: Rick Perry and his team utterly failed to prepare answers to utterly predictable questions on "military adventurism" and Social Security. Worse than that, Perry's Social Security answer delivered President Obama the perfect clip for a 2012 …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Perry Comes Unprepared to the GOP Debate

GOP Reagan Library Debate Pre-Debate Analysis: ---------- Tonight will be Rick Perry’s debut at a GOP presidential debate. As we have seen in this cycle, a good debate performance can provide a real boost to candidates and change the dynamics of the race. Michele Bachmann’s strong …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Romney's Plan: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

To read Mitt Romney's economic plan is to join a more elevated conversation. This is a document written by people who value expertise, and it shows. It avoids overstatements and misstatements. It credits Presidents Bush and Obama for pulling the financial system back from the brink in …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday September 7, 2011

Never Stop Talking About Reagan

Reading Mitt Romney's op-ed in USA Today , I was saddened by a missed opportunity. Gov. Romney commits to opening more trade talks to build a "Reagan Economic Zone": "a partnership among countries committed to free enterprise and free trade." Good start. But why is only the trade plan named …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday September 6, 2011

What if it's Perry?

On Election Night 2012, I expect that Republican Presidential nominee Rick Perry will turn into President-Elect Rick Perry. My inbox will fill up with emails from both enemies and frenemies declaring: " Frum Forum Lost! Your cause is doomed and you have failed!" Why do I expect this? First, …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Tuesday September 6, 2011

Perry's Fragile Lead

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has surged ahead in the Republican polls, occupying territory previously held by Michele Bachmann and Donald Trump: the "won't somebody save us from Mitt Romney" slot. Because Perry is a more plausible candidate than either Bachmann or Trump (he is a state governor after …

Written by David Frum on Thursday August 25, 2011

Can Romney Believe What He Says?

What's Romney thinking? Mitt Romney is hitting President Obama hard on America's weak job performance over the past two and a half years. Yet Romney himself has pledged himself to policies that will squeeze jobs in the near term, at least according to conventional economic theory. He has …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday August 23, 2011

Don't Underestimate Rick Perry

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Written by Les Francis on Monday August 15, 2011

Who Do I Support with Pawlenty Gone?

I have been supporting Tim Pawlenty for president this go round. Now it appears I have to find a new candidate . My reasons for supporting him were that he was from a Democrat leading Midwestern state and had run a generally conservative administration. He seemed like a serious man with a nice …

Written by John Vecchione on Monday August 15, 2011

Romney Gets His Challenger

For two years, disaffected conservative Republicans have shopped for an alternative to Mitt Romney. They have worked their way through Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, and Donald Trump among others. The Ames straw poll turned a spotlight on Michele Bachmann. Until now, anti-Romney Republicans have …

Written by David Frum on Saturday August 13, 2011

Mitt Romney: Goldbug?

Romney's campaign filed FEC reports indicating the candidate's personal wealth to be between $190 million and $250 million. The most important sentence is buried in this Los Angeles Times article: "The couple owns between $250,001 and $500,000 in gold."

Written by Tim Mak on Saturday August 13, 2011

Romney Replies

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Written by David Frum on Thursday August 11, 2011

Obama's Ugly Campaign Plan

In my column for The Week , I discuss a possible reason why Obama's campaign staffers leaked their strategy against Mitt Romney to Politico : Pessimism about the economy is rife, and Obama's job approval is sagging. He could well lose the next presidential election to a candidate who can …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday August 10, 2011

Obama's Surprisingly Big Base

The downgrade of the national debt, sagging approval ratings and better poll numbers for Mitt Romney are giving many Republicans hope for a victory in the 2012 elections. Given the inherent differences between elections, I wouldn’t count on current polls or anything else (including what I’m about …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Monday August 8, 2011

Why No Questions for Rick Perry?

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has taken some heat for his low profile during the debt-ceiling debate and then his having-it-both-ways comments afterward. Fair enough. But why no heat at all for Romney's current leading rival, Texas Gov. Rick Perry? The Austin American-Statesman …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday August 3, 2011

Meet Rick Perry, the Teastablishment Candidate

The Republican Presidential field has a problem. The top two candidates are Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann. Romney’s issue is that he’s the same Mitt Romney who signed a health care law that the Tea Party considers a Bay State knock-off of President Obama’s “tyrannycare.” Michele …

Written by Zac Morgan on Monday July 25, 2011