By Kevin Rogers
Assistant Opinion Editor
A few months ago, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney seemed to be just another sacrifice to throw at the altar of President Barack Obama. He was the next in line to be the Republican nominee, and very few Republicans were excited for his prospects.
After all, as “Saturday Night Live” mused in April, Mitt Romney was the only person who could make Rick Santorum look exciting by comparison.
After voters gave every possible Republican a look for the nomination, Romney finally emerged, bloodied and bruised, looking like an easy kill for Obama.
But that’s no longer the case. Romney has taken every possible step to prove himself as a worthy candidate and succeeded. He now has a slight lead against Obama, based on an Oct. 24 Real Clear Politics average.
The race, which could have been a blowout for Obama, is now a dead-heat clash.
In the early weeks of August, when it looked like Romney would keep the election a referendum on Obama, he took a risk, picking the controversial, reform-minded Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. This was Romney’s first step to proving he could offer a different vision than Obama’s, not merely a different candidate.
But after a number of bad weeks, including rumors of campaign discord and the reveal of an embarrassing video in which Romney disparaged the 47 percent of Americans who use government assistance, it looked like Romney was on the way out. It didn’t seem that Romney would be able to shake the public’s perception of him. He was merely a rich, old, white guy who didn’t have a clue about the problems the country faces.
Then the debates started, but Obama wasn’t going up against the war-mongering Gordon Gekko/George W. Bush clone the public was promised.
Instead, Romney came to play, presenting an articulate vision of a Romney presidency. Though sometimes vague, especially in regard to tax policy, he made it clear that he has a different set of ideals and policy goals than Obama.
He even made it clear he was not a rehashed Bush. When pressed on how he was different that Bush, Romney answered clearly that unlike Bush, he was willing to balance the budget and put a focus on small businesses rather than giant corporations. In the foreign policy debate, Romney stood against needless military involvement in the Middle East.
In contrast, Obama seemed disinterested in the first debate and became combative and over-aggressive in the next two. Though some of Obama’s questions on Romney’s proposals were valid, the delivery was needlessly condescending.
Romney kept a professional poise through three debates, made few mistakes and proved himself a worthy challenger to Obama, even on foreign policy issues.
On Oct. 23, Romney and Ryan hosted a moonlit rally in Denver which drew about 10,000 supporters, the Denver Post reported. Thousands of additional supporters were turned away at the doors because the venue was filled to capacity. This is indicative of true support for Romney, not a phony you’re-better-than-the-other-guy support.
Romney has transformed this race from what could have been an empty referendum on Obama’s presidency to a choice between two clearly different candidates. He may not have been a favorite of conservatives at the start, but he’s made the choices and preparation that demonstrate that he’s ready to win on his own merit, not just Obama’s unpopularity.
He’s defied expectations and transformed what was once a vote against Barack Obama into a vote for Mitt Romney.
