How far has America stepped away from even the veneer that honesty and integrity are essential attributes of our country’s elected officials, especially those poised to capture the highest political office in the country? Am I wrong to even assume that these attributes were even once important to Americans? If I am right, then Mitt Romney’s serious candidacy for presidency of the U.S. flies completely in the face of this assumption.
Mitt Romney is a man who lies through his teeth at the drop of a dime (or in his case, a bar of gold). Sure, all politicians stretch the truth from time to time (some more so than others) or even sometimes outright lie. But I will argue that there is, among the vast majority of politicians, some foundation of beliefs that will not and cannot be compromised (maybe not Cantor though).
Then there’s Mitt Romney, a man seemingly motivated only by the lust for the highest political office in the world, the U.S. presidency. Having established and succeeded at Bain Capital (to the chagrin of thousands of U.S. workers), Romney’s exit appears to have signaled his ambition to tackle another spot on his checklist for power, the White House. With his considerable wealth in tow, it was time to take the game to the next level.
When Romney is asked about his positions on various policies, it never feels as though he truly feels anything sincerely one way or another. That is, Romney gives the impression that his political beliefs are whatever they need to be to secure the favor of his audience. Going back and forth across the political board of beliefs like a ping-pong ball has never looked to be an issue for Romney.
Romney reminds me of Christian Bale’s character in American Psycho, the movie (no, I don’t think Romney is a serial killer). He is similar in that Romney never seems to connect with the outside world, he’s always at a distance attempting to ascertain the feelings of everyone in the room and then take his cues from there to blend in. That is, Romney strikes me as a man concerned overwhelmingly with status and the means always justify the ends.
Moreover, many Americans appear to recognize this aspect of Romney’s personality in some small way. The distrust of Romney may stem from his chilly demeanor and his utter lack of actual beliefs. Incredibly still, millions of Americans also appear to favor this man over President Obama as if his see-saw of policy positions never happened and his deceits never transpired.
This is beating a dead horse, I know. Whoever President Obama will face in the presidential contest would be the choice of many conservatives who simply despise this “anti-American” who’s not even really an American to begin with. But has the American electorate always been so prejudice, so willing to stare blindly at the facts while whole-heartedly embracing ludicrous lies?
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