Romney vs. Obama

Sufei Wu

College of Arts and Science

Class of 2015

Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney has been late night fodder for many
comedians who poke fun at what seems to be the GOP’s unwillingness to give him
the nomination. Poll numbers certainly seem to indicate such a hesitation.
Romney continues to poll around a steady 20%, but every time a new candidate
makes headway, they quickly push Romney to second. This has been done by
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Governor Rick Perry, Herman Cain and even Governor
Chris Christie and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who weren’t in the running. However, he
remains the most serious and stable hope the GOP has for a win in 2012,
especially with recent headlines with allegations of Herman Cain’s past indiscretions,
which again call into question the legitimacy of nominating a man with no
political experience to the most powerful office in America.

He has done a good job of using his lead in the polls to take a step back in the
debates and allow the other candidates to attempt to prove their legitimacy.
His credentials are impressive. Son of a former Governor of Michigan, he
obtained a Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration joint degree from
Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. He became CEO of Bain and
Company and co-founded Bain Capital. He has used his business experience
organizing the 2002 Winter Olympics and cutting the Massachusetts deficit
during his tenure as Governor of the state.

He has also changed significantly since his last presidential run in 2008. He is
noticeably more relaxed, and his answers appear less rehearsed, but his personal
improvements remain overshadowed by the eclectic charisma brought by candidates
such as Herman Cain. This does possibly set him aside from President Obama,
however, who was criticized recently by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews in an interview
with POLITICO Editor in Chief John F. Harris. Obama, according to Matthews,
hasn’t been able to adequately convince voters that he’s evolved during his first
term as President. Matthews, in promoting his new book “Jack Kennedy: Elusive
Hero”, juxtaposes President John F. Kennedy from Obama, describing the latter
as a President who expects the nation to watch him, rather than follow him.

Romney has thus far focused on his business experience in
convincing voters he would do a better job at handling the economy, understandably
so as it’s the realm in which Obama has received the most criticism. At the
same time, assuming Romney can capture the nomination, both candidates will
struggle to convince voters in November of next year that change is still
possible. President Obama has already warned the nation at a Hollywood
fundraiser that his 2012 campaign would not be as “sexy” as his first, but must
ensure that voters don’t view him as a broken promise. Mitt Romney must
convince the GOP and eventually the nation that he can be the animated yet
experienced candidate to take back the White House and repair the economy,
while President Obama must assure voters that while he has made mistakes, he
has learned and evolved into an even better version of himself from 2008.