Five Possible Reasons for Romney Being Wishy-Washy

Five Possible Reasons for Romney Being Wishy-Washy
Posted by Michael S. Rozeff on September 22, 2012 11:52 AM

I had an amusing e-mail in which the writer informed me that since Romney was intelligent and wasn't framing his issues well, he was throwing the election! It gave me a laugh, but I don't believe it for a second.

Intelligence has nothing to do with it, first of all. Here are some possibilities. Here are my intutions. First, Romney is an economic illiterate, as is Obama. One can get a Harvard MBA, make a lot of money, and still not understand economics. Second, he's a pragmatist, as is Obama. He has no principles. He thinks practical application reveals truth in economics, instead of understanding that economics follows from truths about human beings. Romneycare in Massachusetts demonstrates both his illiteracy and his pragmatism. Third, Romney is not a thinker, and neither is Obama. Both are heavily influenced by people around them and views they are presented with. They don't think through things from A to Z or come at things with thought out positions based on long experience or thought. They do come at them with biases and miscellaneous notions and feelings they've collected over the years. Fourth, they are not holistic or systematic thinkers. They look at matters piecemeal, rather than see the connections. They therefore cannot make a consistent case or argument. Fifth, they both want to play it safe. They're timid about deviating too far from the status quo, and their economic illiteracy, pragmatism and reliance on advisors reinforces this timidity because deep down they are unsure of themselves and unsure of what policies to adopt.