This week, President Obama, joined by millions of other Americans, Democrat and Republican, heard the Supreme Court finally make sense, ruling 5-4 that "Obamacare" is constitutional. Not only is it constitutional, but it also has the potential to save millions of lives and families. Along with the death of Osama Bin Laden, this was one of Obama's most presidential moments and will not only shape his legacy, but America's well-being and health in the next 10 to 20 years.
The Affordable Care Act is controversial. Republicans state their case that this bill overrides their freedom and liberty -- and while their argument is legitimate, Mitt Romney's response to the Supreme Court's decision was illegitimate and pure hypocrisy. He should be glad that Romneycare, on a nationwide level, is constitutional. Wouldn't any Governor love his state policy be nationwide policy?
Congratulations to 2005 Mitt Romney. With this health care plan, he saved lives and families in Massachusetts. With only seven years separating this past Romney from the present, Romney now isn't the Republican governor of a liberal state, but the de-facto leader of the whole Republican Party. It's clear that ideology doesn't interest 2012 Mitt Romney. We may never know what Mitt Romney, deep in his heart, thinks about the Obamacare, but what we do know is that it is his biggest nightmare coming into November, and for him, it seems that lying all the way to the Oval Office is the grand plan. Romney is running for the United States presidency, and he is a viable candidate to be the leader of the free world. His campaign slogan is, "Believe in America." But how can we believe in America if we can't even believe in him?
On November 7, 2012, the morning after the election, pundits and strategists will ask why Romney lost and Obama won. The easy answer is Obamacare, Bin Laden and employment growth. While all of those above might be true, the real answer is that Mitt Romney is one of the weakest candidates featured in U.S. presidential elections.
Romney isn't a strong Republican. He's too moderate, he is out of touch and his business ventures weren't too transparent. The GOP needed to nominate a strong-willed conservative who is in touch, excites the base and connects to the youth. 2010 was the year for Republicans. 2012 is going to be the year for the Democrats. The GOP needs to realize that Obama is going to be all but inevitable, and that 2016 is their chance to conquer the White House with some midterms on the way -- when the field is way open.
Mitt Romney doesn't have an inspirational narrative. He always had a safety net in case he fell. He didn't come from humble beginnings, and did not have to climb all of his life to be rich. That doesn't mean that he is wrong. But he is wrong when he wants to run for president of the United States and be in charge of economic and domestic policy, when his experience of such was outsourcing American companies and sending jobs overseas and investing in Swiss bank accounts instead of American. Mitt Romney created jobs, there's no doubt about that -- just not in the United States.
Romney, the businessman that he is, also plans to outspend Obama-Biden via superPACs with people like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Brothers, who probably wake up each morning not being able to bear the thought that President Obama might be reelected. So they turn to their money and spend millions of their wealth so that Obama won't return to the Oval Office. They would do and spend anything, not for Romney to win, but for Obama to lose. They hope Obama fails as president. They don't mind that the country loses, as long as their party wins. It eminds me of what Aaron Sorkin wrote in the film The American President: There are people who "claim they love America, but clearly can't stand Americans."
Money like that abuses democracy. I'm not saying that Democrats also don't raise such funds. But when it comes to spending almost $19 on each vote by the Romney campaign during the primaries, when people don't even make that kind of money during two hours of tough work -- it's not that hard to think why America is becoming less and less respected. America should be an inspiration to the whole world. That needs to start with their leadership, and the way to the leadership cannot be bought $19 a head. It goes for Democrats and Republicans as one. That amount of money could be invested in America's education and health, engineering our future.
Americans are witnessing politics at its ugliest. The system isn't perfect, but it could be better. "To form a more perfect union" is inscribed in the Constitution, and it has guided and will guide America for years on end. But when Mitt Romney asks voters to invest in his idea of a more perfect union and, as his slogan writes, "believe in America," first and foremost, voters need to believe in him.