I believe Romney would have been a fine President. I believe he also had to contort himself in so many ways during the primary that it was almost impossible to recover from that. However, had he not done that, he would not have been the nominee.
Was he going to be the revival of Republican dominance -- odds are good he would not be -- but he was a winnable candidate if taken at face value in my opinion.
I don't know. I think a major difference comes down to how the welfare state is administered and the size of it. I'd like to see it shrink substantially, but I also believe that there are people who legitimately cannot work for some reason (I don't believe those numbers are as big as people getting benefits), and I am happy to help them out. I believe that there are people who have paid into Medicare and Social Security their entire lives, and should get the benefit they were promised and they paid for. It is in dire need of reform, but I fully embrace a plan like Paul Ryan's to leave it alone for people 55 and older.
I don't like the idea of being forced to maintain a bloated welfare system that is being abused, but I am willing to accept a "safety net" as it were for those who legitmately cannot work etc. But there needs to be some serious firewalls in place to prevent abuse, and ensure that the dollars are being spent as wisely as possible.
In terms of the military, I don't think it is a radical idea to protect our own interests abroad. I support any effort to that 100%, but that does not translate into running around the Middle East toppling dictators for no real reason. If our interest is simply oil (which is an important interest), I don't care who it is that provides it, as long as the supply remains constant and unthreatened.
It is true that I place quite a premium on winning. I'll accept at face value that the country is moving further left, but to bring it back, I feel we need a moderate who can 1) get elected, 2) clearly articulate for Republican ideals, and 3) make that sell to the public. I don't believe the path back to the right is best accomplished (or accomplished at all) in an abrubt motion, but rather a gradual, clear, effective argument for why Republicans ideals work better -- and the ability to back it up in a way people understand.
