Mitt Romney didn’t lose his bid for the presidency on Tuesday evening. He lost it a year ago during the Republican primary debates.
On stage, fittingly, is where we witnessed a moderate Massachusetts governor morph into an unknown entity. We moderate Republicans knew then, in our heart of hearts, that his end would be tragic.
As in most tragedies, Romney knew the cast of characters. The twin demagogues Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain controlled the early narrative with outlandish ideas on space exploration and tax policy.
And the twin ideologues Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum articulated medieval positions on science and contraception.
Romney pushed back, but never with a CEO’s authority. To his credit, he moved to the center in the general election, but he had too far to go. Santorum had set the starting line.
But, alas, I’m not blaming Romney for our defeat. I’m blaming us — the moderate Republicans who believe in science, self-determination and gender equality.
We lacked the conviction to stand up to the fearmongers. We were too proud to admit that the auto bailout worked, even though there was evidence of it all around us. We lost our link to Ohio’s Reagan Democrats, upon whom the election would hinge. We forgot how to be the party of Lincoln and Reagan.
In the end, Ohio exit polls summed it up. Mitt Romney was perceived, even as the Buckeye State slipped through his fingers, as the candidate most qualified to turn around the economy.
But voters just couldn’t trust him. Or maybe, they couldn’t trust the party of Bachmann and Santorum.
John M. Koval
Poland
Fair warning
To Democrats and Republicans: I voted with the thought that you did not get it right the past four years, and I was sending you back to find a way to work toward compromise, as true politicians should. Consider this a do-over, and work across the aisle to solve our problems, please.
Phylis Berry
Massillon
Mess at the polls
My hat is off to all those who endured the misinformation, confusion and long lines on Election Day, often having to wait over two hours, and still exercised their right to vote.
Many left the polls and came back later, only to find the lines still long.
My wife, who worked as a poll worker at the Shatto Baptist Church, started her day at the polls at 6 a.m. and finished at 9:30 p.m.
She was so upset that voters had to endure this mess that the only break she took was to use the restroom.
Her first comment when she arrived home was: “I am so ashamed of how our voters were treated.”
Those working at the polls worked tirelessly to help make the process better by placing signs indicating which line was for which precinct, trying to calm raw nerves and thanking voters for their patience.
I wonder where those on the elections board were hiding. This is America, and what happened here should never happen again.
Those who are on the board of elections need to take a hard look at themselves and, in my opinion, should resign to allow people who care about our right to vote to serve.
Sidney Landskroner
Akron
Accountability for Congress
While the general election is finally over, no one can breathe a sigh of relief. What most people missed during the past two years and during the presidential campaign is that the reason there haven’t been more jobs and why the economy hasn’t seen the gains that most people wanted to see cannot be blamed solely on the president. The problem is in Congress.
You have a House that is controlled by millionaire Republicans who have spent the past two years doing absolutely nothing but renaming post offices and trying to find ways to say no to every piece of legislation that would make President Obama look good in the eyes of the American people.
And what did the American people do? They voted most of them back into office. So now you have the same people in control, from the president to the House.
Do you really believe that the GOP will work with the president this time? And believe me, it would have been much worse with Mitt Romney in office.
We have got to start making members of Congress accountable. We have to start watching everything they do. And it wouldn’t hurt if someone started first by investigating Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted about his motives during this past election.
Timothy J. Manning
Massillon
Thankful for levy support
I would like to thank Medina County voters for their continued support of individuals with developmental disabilities. Passage of the recent Board of Developmental Disabilities replacement levy will allow us to continue to serve our community and help children and adults with disabilities realize their independence.
Children and adults with disabilities like mental retardation, Down syndrome and autism will continue to grow and succeed.
The trust you have placed in our agency will be a constant reminder to maintain fiscal responsibility and open communication.
We want the citizens of Medina County to know that we will continue to take very seriously the responsibility of keeping service costs under control. We know people continue to struggle in these changing financial times, yet they were able to come through for the people we serve.
We owe the success of this campaign to all Medina County citizens and to the countless hours of support and help from volunteers, families, community members and local businesses. We cannot express how much we appreciate their commitment to our agency and those we serve.
Our agency and the families, children and adults who rely on our services say “thank you” for continuing the services they need to be independent and lead successful lives.
Greg LaForme
Superintendent
Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities
Medina
