Lately, Mitt Romney has been faced with questions about his Mormon faith and how it effects his stance on certain social issues such as gay rights, abortion, and health care. The simple thing would be to "shine a light on his problem" (i.e. his religious background) and move forward in his campaign. But Romney, has deferred the attention from himself and focused on controversial issues such as 'Obamacare'. "You measure a leader on how they walk, not how they talk." Rick Perry recently said, specifically directing his comment at Romney. Perry is right though, Romney has done little to show where he clearly stands on a particular issue and if it is based on his faith or not. And unfortunately this is nothing new for him. Before Romney was elected as Governor of Massachusetts, he took a democratic stance on abortion claiming he was "pro-choice" and even said he would support the funding of Planned Parenthood. Prior to his election, he said he would support gay rights and acknowledge the union of same-sex marriages. But after Romney was elected he pulled back from his original statements and opposed gay rights and abortion.
Clearly, Romney can talk the talk but not walk the walk. Obviously his past decisions have lead other politicians, like Rick Perry, to question his beliefs and moral values. This article emphasizes that while Romney says one thing, he clearly has intentions to do another. This brings voters to question whether or not Romney is being influenced by his religious background and if so, will this hinder his opportunity of being elected to run in the primary? The content of the article hints that it will."Mr. Romney’s broader challenge: establishing himself as authentic and principled, and battling the perception that he has reshaped himself for the politics of the moment." Michael D. Shrear writes. The key words are "authentic" and "principled" neither of which Romney seems to be trying to portray. If he wants to pull ahead of his opponents he must address this issue surrounding his religious beliefs otherwise his chances of being elected are slim. Even though Romney "reaches out" to conservative voters, it's not enough. He would gain much needed respect and even sympathy if he explained his decisions and actions to the public. For example, Kennedy knew the voters were skeptical due to his Catholic background. Kennedy made it apparent though, that his Catholic beliefs would not determine his decisions on particular issues, such as abortion. In my opinion, Romney needs to approach it from that angle because this country will not be lead by a president who bases their decisions off their faith. Americans want a leader not a preacher.
So really Romney? Are you going to address the attacks or pull the bate and switch again?
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