Mitt Romney is National Review’s Choice for President of the United States
HT: To Reader and soon-to-be Blogger Rusty
THIS IS A HUGE ENDORSEMENT — ABSOLUTELY GARGANTUAN
Read the entire article online by clicking here:
Romney for President — By the Editors
Well, what have we all been saying all year at this blog? Is this validation or what? This is a really big endorsement folks!
Many conservatives are finding it difficult to pick a presidential candidate. Each of the men running for the Republican nomination has strengths, and none has everything — all the traits, all the positions — we are looking for. Equally conservative analysts can reach, and have reached, different judgments in this matter. There are fine conservatives supporting each of these Republicans.
Our guiding principle has always been to select the most conservative viable candidate. In our judgment, that candidate is Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts. Unlike some other candidates in the race, Romney is a full-spectrum conservative: a supporter of free-market economics and limited government, moral causes such as the right to life and the preservation of marriage, and a foreign policy based on the national interest. While he has not talked much about the importance of resisting ethnic balkanization — none of the major candidates has — he supports enforcing the immigration laws and opposes amnesty. Those are important steps in the right direction.
Two other major candidates would be able to keep the coalition together, but have drawbacks of their own. John McCain is not as conservative as Romney. He sponsored and still champions a campaign-finance law that impinged on fundamental rights of political speech; he voted against the Bush tax cuts; he supported this year’s amnesty bill, although he now says he understands the need to control the border before doing anything else.
Despite all that and more, he is a hero with a record that is far more good than bad. He has been a strong and farsighted supporter of the Iraq War, and, in a trying political season for him, he has preserved and even enhanced his reputation for dignity and seriousness. There would be worse nominees for the GOP (see above). But McCain ran an ineffectual campaign for most of the year and is still paying for it.
Fred Thompson is as conservative as Romney, and has distinguished himself with serious proposals on Social Security, immigration, and defense. But Thompson has never run any large enterprise — and he has not run his campaign well, either. Conservatives were excited this spring to hear that he might enter the race, but have been disappointed by the reality. He has been fading in crucial early states. He has not yet passed the threshold test of establishing for voters that he truly wants to be president.
Romney is an intelligent, articulate, and accomplished former businessman and governor. At a time when voters yearn for competence and have soured on Washington because too often the Bush administration has not demonstrated it, Romney offers proven executive skill. He has demonstrated it in everything he has done in his professional life, and his tightly organized, disciplined campaign is no exception. He himself has shown impressive focus and energy.
~ Vic
December 11th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
This is big. However, given that it is a little late in the game, I have my doubts as to how much of a bump this will give Mitt. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly hope it does!
December 11th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
BIG! This mag has Big circulation among Conservatives!
December 11th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Swish!
December 11th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
God Bless the National Review and its Editors! Hopefully Iowans (and Republicans and independents nationwide) will share their wisdom and faith in the GOP’s most qualified candidate. Today has been a good day!
December 11th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
congratulation to team Romney!
Huck christian right super fans better hope he doesn’t win the nomination and lose the election. If he does and loses big like Jimmy Carter did, then the whole Christian right wing of the republican party will be totally marginalized. (with them any obligation to morality in US politics) I know I know you don’t believe me, let me ask you this have you heard much from the Christian wing of the democrat party in the last few decades since carter?
Look at Bob Dole and his constituency. They’re fall shifted a lot of momentum to the christian right. I guess the fiscal conservatives will be next election. Of course the 3 trillion dollar national debt from Reagan is now 9 trillion. 12-15trillion by the time they get their? Not to worry that should be easy to pay off next election once the dollar is equal to the peso. Of course the people starving to death because their fixed incomes cant afford fast food or rent anymore will pay the price. I wish more of the social cons would wake up realize what a 9trillion debt leaves America. A stone castle on straw legs. Doesnt matter how able your military is if none of them are getting paychecks and you cant pay for or even get a loan for new equipment.
December 11th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Wow, huge pickup!
December 11th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Check this out-AP story just released! Is Huckabee smearing Mormon faith? This is what church spokesman appears to say and what it seems too me. Can you say desperation.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gmsEReXFe-Cyo095NpBCTPFTwJCwD8TFI2U00
December 11th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
You go Mitt !
December 11th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Mark B – Sean Hannity had a piece tonight with Rasmussen. ITheirHO – Romney can win with or without Iowa and he is a viable candidate for Feb 5th. Considering there are 57 days until Feb 5th, I think the timing is right on. Everyone keep up the good work
December 11th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Major endorsement for Mitt and will surely help him going into the debates tomorrow. It will be important for Romney to clearly spell out the differences between he and Huckabee tomorrow. And it will be important for the traditionalist (Romney and Thompson) to close ranks tomorrow and not attack each other, but to focus their attacks/contrasts on Giuliani and Huckabee. Huckabee’s economic record for me is his biggest disqualifier, since he is prone to overly compassionate conservatism or more appropriately big government conservatism (oxymoron).
I think Romney is on track and the polls for the week following his great speech will show a bounce for him. In all, I agree with National Review’s assessment that though Romney is not the quintessential conservative running for office, he is the best of this current lot running and the GOP and conservatives should close ranks behind him.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
I met Mitt Romney last week when he was in New Orleans. I was just blown away! He is simply incredible. He has a great presence about himself. He is everything the people on this blogsite say he is. He MUST win the nomination for our country!
December 11th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
As a regular NationL Review reader this is a huge endorsement. Specially if you remember that besides KLO in National Review most of the others were skeptical about Gov. Romney conservativism. I believe that the speech was the final slling point that convinced them that no matter how believable his convertion to prolife is, he does have very strong conservative values. And the most important factor is that he stuck to conservative principles in Mass. It is very easy to be conservative in a conservative state. It is a whole different story to be so in the most liberal state in the union.
And then you have Mike Huckabee who was a liberal in a very conservative state.
December 11th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Miguel, great points! SPOT ON.
December 11th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Does anyone know if National Review endorsed president Bush in 2000 before the primary? I do remember they endorsed him for the general but my recollection is that they stayed neutral in the primaries.
December 11th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
It feels good to see someone appreciate how truly remarkable Romey is.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:06 am
I’ve been getting concerned with poll numbers dropping but something happened today that really gives me hope. My extremely anti-Mormon father watched the speech last week and my brother told me today that Dad has decided Mitt would make a great president after all. It may be because my brother looks and speaks so much like Mitt that good ole Dad decided a guy who seems like his own Mormon son shouldn’t be excluded because of religion. My father often switches churches when he finds one that is more anti-Mormon so this is quite a shock and gives me hope for others.
December 12th, 2007 at 2:29 am
Thanks for sharing joy,
maybe their is hope for my evangelical extended family yet. (up until now with their adultery past they could accept any shape or form of their works counting for anything)