Golden Mitt

NRO: Could Mitt Romney Win California?

(National Review Online)  Moreover, while the governor often describes himself as a social conservative (his abortion position — a promise not to violate the state's "status quo" — is a matter of some controversy), he displays a pragmatic side even when it comes to divisive issues like stem-cell research.

He also approaches cultural issues with friendly, hard-to-disagree-with rhetoric. At the FRWF speech, he heaped praise upon David Landes's "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations," a magisterial book stressing the importance of cultural norms to economic development. He quoted Abigail Adams's observation that "great necessities call out great virtues." And he urged the crowd, in his own words, to "live by principles higher than ourselves." Culture, virtue, principles — these phrases may be anathema to the California Left but, when presented with Romney's thousand-watt smile, can easily be swallowed by the vast middle.

Romney's experience as a chief executive in real life presents another appealing aspect to his persona. As the founder of Bain Capital and a successful businessman of his own making, he would be an apt replacement for the first "MBA president."

And, finally, Romney's career offers an X-factor of which no other Republican in the field can boast. As detailed in an eloquent introduction by Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle (incidentally, the first-ever female, Jewish, Republican, and non-Oahuan governor of the Aloha State), Romney fished out the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Games from a filthy cesspool of corruption. He swooped in, cleaned house, and prepared a successful Games while avoiding the long shadow cast by both the Salt Lake shenanigans and 9/11.

With some conservatives worried about serious Republican electoral trouble because of a growing number of bribery, money laundering, illegal lobbying, and obstruction of justice scandals embroiling many key figures in the GOP (in California, it's not just the Republicans enduring such problems), Romney's D.C.-free whistle-clean image, coupled with his proven ability to transcend a corrupt mess, may prove a tempting antidote. Hopefully the pundits are wrong and the scandals will have little impact in 2006. But if they do, Mitt will be waiting in the wings.

In the end, could Romney, who hasn't yet stated whether he'll run for president, return the Golden State to the GOP? Well, to be honest, probably not. But he may well represent the Republicans' best shot.


Michael M. Rosen is an attorney in San Diego and heads the Republican Jewish Coalition's San Diego chapter. The views expressed are his own.