Romney won the nomination after the first primary in Iowa, the rest has been about the theatrics of party politics. Now it should be obvious to all that Romney will be the Republican nominee. I have a dream - what the campaign should really be about:
The deficit - Romney should say that we need to follow the blueprint of Simpson-Bowles and both cut government spending and raise taxes. He should say Obama and the Democrats are only talking about raising taxes and won't talk about cutting spending. Obama should say that we need to follow the blueprint of Simpson-Bowles and both cut government spending and raise taxes. He should say Romney and the Republicans are only talking about cutting spending and won't talk about raising taxes. Both would be right - both raising taxes and cutting spending are necessary to keep the country's economy and government from collapsing under the weight of the deficit.
The terrorist wars - both should say that we need to protect the country from terrorists, but we should do everything we can possibly do to avoid sending troops into the toxic tar pit of the Middle Eastern religious and civil wars. I hope there is no real dispute.
Health care - the debate is over, health care reform became the law. We need to improve it. Romney will want market mechanisms to improve it, Obama will want government oversight to improve it. Both would be right.
The economy - blah blah blah, the economy will grow if pretty much left alone. Leave it alone.
The Culture Wars - Obama should leave them alone. Romney should leave them alone. Let Fox News and MSNBC fight it out as a gladiator spectator sport to get their little niche audiences, and the candidates should get on with running the country.
Of course, many Democrats, and many Republicans will run campaigns based on the nonsense that those in the other party are demons from hell and hell bent on destroying everything sacred in This Great Country of Ours. But, I have a dream that the two presidential candidates will run as who they really are, not ideologues, but as pragmatic problem solvers, one with more reliance on the marketplace and one with more of an emphasis on the government, who will do their best in dealing with a very complicated world.
I can dream...
