Eric Frey of der Standard looks at the presumptive Republican nominee for president and concludes Er wäre ein schlechter Präsident
Die Republikaner sind Gefangene ihrer Anti-Steuern- und Anti-Staats-Ideologie, und Romney fehlen eindeutig die Führungsqualitäten, um das Diktat der Tea Party zu brechen. Das Einzige, was er im Kongress wird durchsetzen können, sind noch niedrigere Steuern - und das nur bei einer republikanischen Mehrheit in beiden Häusern. Ein Präsident Romney wird trotz seines unternehmerischen Könnens weder das riesige Budgetdefizit eindämmen noch die dringend gebrauchten Investitionen in die Zukunft des Landes machen können - in Bildung, Forschung oder Infrastruktur. Und weitere Deregulierung, sein Lieblingsthema, ist das Letzte, was die US-Wirtschaft benötigt.
(The Republicans are prisoners of their anti-tax and anti-government ideology, and Romney clearly lacks the leadership abilities to break with the party dogma. The only thing he would be able to push through Congress is even lower taxes - and then only if the Republicans control both the House and Senate. Despite his entrepreneurial talents, a President Romney would not be able to curb the the budget deficit nor would he make the the needed investments for the future of the country - in education, research or infrastructure. And more deregulation - one of his favorite themes - is the last thing that the US economy needs.)
What Frey doesn't point out, however, is that Romney's weak leadership qualities are simply a reflection of his total lack of any core beliefs - except, perhaps, for Mormon doctrine. Take, for example, his one significant achievement as governor - health reform that provided affordable insurance coverage for all citizens in Massachusetts. As the Boston Globe reported this week (subscription required), Romney is perfectly willing to renounce this reform just to win over the Tea Party radicals:
As Shannon O’Brien, the Democrat he defeated in 2002, points out, “The choice issue is just one glaring reason why women can’t trust Mr. Romney. The broader, more profound issue is about what he will do to protect and preserve family health care across the country. Where he had such promise as governor, setting the stage for using Massachusetts as a national model, now he’s saying he didn’t mean it, never said it, doesn’t want it. That’s the biggest flip-flop-flip that women should be concerned about.’’
50 million Americans currently lack any health insurance at all; tens of millions more are woefully under-insured. A President Romney would ensure that many more Americans are denied access to affordable health care.
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