Heather Cirmo is a correspondent for The Kitchen Cabinet in Washington, D.C.  and is a wife and mother of two, and a specialist in public policy and communications.  She blogs at www.heathercirmo.com.

 

I’ll admit it. I’m a Romney supporter. Notice I didn’t write “fan.” I was excited about Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio–men who have new ideas to jumpstart our economy and transform our government into a leaner, more effective operation (and Romney would be wise to consider all of them as his runningmate). However, what’s most important in 2012 is that Republicans of all stripes coalesce to defeat Barack Obama. And I believe Romney can do just that. Therefore, my enthusiasm grows for him daily.

Is he the perfect candidate? Far from it. I wish he hadn’t supported Romneycare or the pro-abortion cause. It would be helpful if he came from humble beginnings and didn’t have perfect hair. But, he’s appealing to Independents and to Democrats disenchanted with Obama, which is more than I can say for the other candidates. This is necessary for a win next November.

What could hand Obama an easy victory, though, is a third party candidate. The burning question is: Could Ron Paul be that candidate? At 76 years old, this is Paul’s last chance at the presidency. In 1988, he was the Libertarian candidate. However, since 1997, he has been attempting to transform the Republican party from within as a House member and as a presidential candidate in 2008. One could argue that Paul has nothing to lose by hightailing the GOP and running a third party campaign. I’m hopeful that Paul is not that selfish or stupid to do that.

Aside from the undeniable fact that his third party campaign would steal voters from the GOP and give Obama a second term, Ron Paul would incinerate the bridge he spent years building to the Republican establishment. He’s caused many of us within the party to re-think our positions–especially on foreign policy–and to take a serious look at the founding fathers and the Constitution they brilliantly conceived. I believe he’s recruited young people to the Republican party–and not just because he wants to legalize drugs–by emphasizing its commitment to individual liberty and a free market philosophy. He would damage his legacy by bolting the Party. Additionally, Paul’s son, Rand, is a United States Senator from Kentucky! Would he not be punished for the unforgivable political “sin” of his father?

Read more here:  http://heathercirmo.com/2012/01/05/ruminations-on-romney-and-paul/

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Filed under: Economy, Featured, Inside The KC, Politics by Sonja Eddings Brown, Jan 8, 2012