The Pros And Cons Of Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney is running for President again. Though technically unannounced, the news effectively became public last on the 16th of this month, when Romney just happened to let it slip that he was “seriously considering” another campaign, having said previously that he would make a decision within “weeks, not months.” When a US politician purports to be “considering” a run, it usually means they’ve already started buying up White House-width curtain rails.

The first thing to say is that the man is clearly labouring under a heavy misconception. Romney is faced with a country that is trending demographically towards his opponents, an economy that it is recovering solidly under Democrat stewardship, and an electorate that has already rejected him twice (he also ran in 2008, when he failed to even secure the Republican nomination) – only a spectacular degree of misunderstanding can possibly have convinced him that this is his moment. But maybe the more interesting question is that of why this misconception persists – why is it that Mitt Romney feels entitled, or even destined, to one day be President?

People from certain backgrounds have the luxury of believing that, with hard work and talent, the reward always comes. People from other
I’m (hopefully) not malicious, feeble-minded, or callous (unlike Mr Romney, I’ve never even been caught on tape disparaging ethnic minorities as welfare-junkies). But my basic identities – middle-class, white, male, cisgendered, heterosexual, able-bodied, English, Southern – are already over-represented to saturation point throughout the political sphere. Of course there are some individuals who, despite this background, do just happen to have a unique idea or perspective to bring to politics. But if your formative experiences have been very similar to those of the people already in power then you start at a severe disadvantage in this