A perfunctory traipse through old news-clippings, etc. quickly reminds one that the "Mitt" apple fell far from the tree. For those of us who faintly remember the elder Romney, he reminded one of a stalwart middle-of-the-road technocrat. Even by Republican standards then he was seen as a moderate--as he on occasion accommodated labor unions and sought some improvement to the living standards of Black and Latino Americans. When he began to question the viability of the Vietnam War his political star was doomed. Needless to say, in today's Republican party he would be pilloried or at least tarred and feathered before being ejected from the party.
His son, is entirely a different matter..... take a look beyond the squigglies....
Not that the younger Romney is a born-again conservative. I'm sure that mantel will disappear after the primaries. He is definitely not of the same stock as his old man. Undoubtedly, his dad was a corporate man of the "gray flannel suit" variety. However, as many in his generation, his moral landscape could include compassion and ambition to improve the lives of others--not just the bottom line. As many of us search for a label or moniker that imparts our opposition to young Romney's candidacy we might want to reflect coolly on the man rather than throw something at him (figuratively) and see if it sticks.
Although much of the critiques are valid, it can probably be distilled to one theme--his only principle is winning. He'll modulate his view to align with the audience he faces. He is the consummate corporate visage--pragmatic, amoral, and keenly focused on self-aggrandizement. His recent verbal gaffs provide insight to his moral landscape--whether they are in or out of context. People (especially the "loser " 99%), are bothersome and often a hindrance to success. Corporations are (as valuable as) people.
A Romney Presidency would be the ultimate ascendency of Corporate Culture. Having said that--I do not believe that such a culture is monolith or inherently bad. There are good corporations and good corporate leaders. However, the prevailing sense of entitlement, amorality, and investiture of civic rights has enabled many corporations to threaten our democracy comprised of "flesh and blood" citizens.
I believe we are at a pivotal moment in our history. We need to put corporations "back in the box." They are necessary tools that can focus productivity and investment. They are not people. They do not represent the commonwealth or hearken to a greater calling than ROI.
As the anointed candidate of many corporations--Romney is a danger to democracy. However, lest we hyperventilate, we should coolly consider how we oppose the SuperPac candidate--as the truly dangerous people will be those who are behind the scenes pulling the strings.
Side note--After writing this diary I remembered that Return on Investment (ROI) is in its acronym form, the french word for king. Perhaps it is serendipitous that corporations may achieve their apotheosis yet fall before the guillotine as in the French Revolution.