Romney to Give Commencement Speech at Liberty University – the Left Media Speculates on Politics –Forgets Obama’s Notre Dame Invite 2009

2008 Flash back Obama actively  courted the Evangelical vote - see campaign signs from get religion.com

When President Obama was invited to speak at Notre Dame back in 2009 it caused a bit of a ruffle, as the President’s views on Abortion on Demand, did not quite mesh with the Catholic view on the same subject.  In fact, there were protests, and 65,000 protested the choice of Obama as speaker in this type of venue.  (Fox)  The visit escalated to the point where the http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/24/obama.bishop/">Bishop of the Diocese that contains the college, refused to attend.  The problem the President faced was doctrine, and when accepting an invitation to speak at a Religious Institution, one must understand the doctrine, and be prepared for some pushback if one is not in sync.    Darn those rascally Catholics who actually follow their faith.

Now Mitt Romney has been invited to give a commencement speech at the largest evangelical university – anywhere – Liberty University has a student body of 80,000 plus, and offers degree programs as varied as law, government, aeronautics, business and education – although, like the many Catholic colleges and universities where education is more about education and less about politics unless one is specifically enrolled in that course of study, Liberty does invite political figures to speak –this year Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry both spoke at the college. 

The New York Times has headlined:http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/romney-to-give-commencement-at-evangelical-university/">”Romney to Give Commencement at Evangelical University” – giving one the impression that there is perhaps only one in the nation, and therefore, a rarity (not true).  Also, the gist of the piece by the Times, that Romney’s doing so as Virginia is a swing state (students at the University are not necessarily residents of the State of VA), the 46,000 who may attend could be from the School  of Government, or possibly Republican’s who might want to get a glimpse of the next president.  The article goes on to speak about a  Facebook protest where the Times offers: “However, the decision has already sparked controversy among students and alumni of Liberty University, with nearly 300 people commenting on the institution’s Facebook announcement within two hours of its posting. Apparently, the Times got there early, as the http://www.facebook.com/LibertyUniversity/posts/340898819306825">Announcment Page has over 73,0000 likes and comments are generally supportive of the Romney visit.

Of course, the University has also give the honor to President George H. Bush and Ronald Reagan, therefore, to offer the opportunity to Mitt Romney comes as little to no surprise.  It may be viewed as a political point, but to the reality – it is an honor and an opportunity for Romney to deliver a message of hope to those about to graduate, entering an uncertain economy - who better than Romney to deliver a message of hope regarding the economy? 

Therefore, the Campus as large as it is, with a large student body – would have little impact on the swing state of Virginia.

However, in the 2008 election, the candidate that courted the Evangelical vote – was Barack Obama – he took every opportunity to get in front of the evangelical audience, including a trip to ”Saddleback Church”, where he was in a forum with John McCain. (ABC News) – Obama’s campaign also had an outreach program to entice the evangelical vote with a “Democrat faith conference”(ABC), and many evangelicals voted for Obama – some accounts  suggest up to 40 percent of evangelicals voted for the President (Christian Post).

Therefore, as Evangelical’s, like any denomination or voting bloc contained therein is a target for Democrat Votes (see Catholics, etc.) , then Romney is basically on their turf, and to be marginalized or demonized – take your pick.

On the one hand, the left fears that the Evangelicals may accept Romney, and reject Obama in the fall, on the other, there will be the whole Romney by virtue of speaking at Liberty, founded by Jerry Falwell, he may end up tagged under “Religious Right Wing – Far to the Right” by the same press.  It is a conundrum – and it is from those who uphold the first amendment when it comes to print or broadcast, that scream the loudest about separation of church and state – when it comes to a candidate who is not – Progressive.

Therefore, what Romney may hope to accomplish is a find speech, giving these graduates hope for the future, where none now exists. 

Flashback to 2008 – Obama actively courted a variety of denominations with campaign signs that reflected the same see Get Religion”

Romney, one gets the impression, would be gratified and perhaps humbled to speak at such an institution, given the opportunity – while not necessarily seeing a political gain- one can bet Romney’s campaign signs, at these types of events, will not feature the symbols of Christianity used in the Obama campaign of 2008 to court Christians. 

Bills 976 & 974 - Louisiana Overhauls Education System – Governor Jindal Signs Historic Bill for Increased School Vouchers and Teacher Accountability

Teachers protesting LA Bill 974 - image from "And so it goes in Shreveport.blogspot


The State of Louisiana has stepped up for Education, specifically targeting schools that are under performing, in two bills passed by a bipartisan legislature and signed into law yesterday by Governor Bobby Jindal. The first Bill number 974, holds teachers accountable for standards, with penalties in place for those who are under performing, while the second Bill 976, increases the availability of school vouchers for the poorest of the state of Louisiana - it is the largest School Voucher program in the nation. Under the two bills, Teachers are subject to loss of tenure and pay raises, should they not perform to standards, and those teachers that do perform are given incentives.

Huma Today reports that the historic legislation was not without some angst, especially from teachers unions, with lawsuits threatened immediately upon the bill’s passage.

It goes without saying that the stranglehold the teachers unions have on our educational system is responsible for keeping incompetent teachers in the classroom, without giving highly qualified educator the opportunity to move up the economic rung, as they so deserve. Those students, who live in districts with under performing schools, should be given the option to go opt out of that school and find quality education elsewhere – perhaps in a non-union “shop” where they might actually learn.

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, many Charters Schools have waiting lists, from parents desperate to get their children into schools equipped to teach, rather than the behemoth of the Public Education System, where in some instances, the Costs of the Administration outweighs the cost of Teachers, and there is little left in budgets for items such as textbooks (in certain cities, they do not leave the school – the reasoning: they might not come back – the result, the children have no homework and the high school graduation rates are dismal (60% in some of the larger Massachusetts cities). Of note: Massachusetts lays claim to the best education system in the country – this should send warning bells across the nation to follow the example of the Louisiana Legislature and Governor Jindal – It’s time to put children above politics and boot the unions to the curb.

Gallup April 16, 2012: Romney 48, Obama 43 – Let the Speculation Begin – Romney Search for Running Mate and the Woman in Charge.

Beth Myers (to the right of Mitt Romney) is tasked with selecting potential GOP #2's - image Boston Globe

Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts and now presumptive GOP nominee, has been tracked by Gallup in a match-up with Incumbent President Barack Obama since August of 2011 (Download complete details here: at www.gallup.com/poll/150743/Obama-Romney.aspx), the polling data history: August 2011: Romney 48/Obama 46, September 2011: Romney 49/ Obama 47, October: tied at 47, December: Romney 46/ Obama 47, December 16: Romney 48/Obama 50, January: tied at 48, February: Romney 50/Obama 46, tied again February 20th, March: Romney 45/ Obama 49, April: Romney 47/ Obama 45 and this past week: Romney 48/Obama 43. (Gallup).

At first glance of this polling history one finds a close race with 6 instances where Romney was on top, and 3 where President Obama held the lead, they have been tied on several occasions. However, since Romney’s main rival, Rick Santorum has existed the race, Romney’s clear path to the nomination, has, at least in the first month of polling, given him a boost, with the most recent, a 5 point lead over the President. One can anticipate that Gallup, will continue to see ups and downs, depending upon the sample of voters on and the state of the economy on any given day, however, the trend is definitely in Romney’s favor. If this were October 2012, one would be laying bets on Romney as the favorite to clearly walk away with the Presidency, however, as with any incumbent, with the exception of Jimmy Carter, the onus is on the challenger to make points.

Herein lays the good news for Mitt Romney, regardless of a left-centered media, the individual voter is now comparing their standard of living against a standard of living four years ago, and making choices based on those personal findings. In polling, one looks to the state by state Presidential Approval rating and finds 10 out of 50 states where the President is over 50% approval, and in several of those states, that is at .1% over 50%. This could be seen as an anomaly, however, Gallup, has had the same results, with a drop in approval overall for Obama in a State by State poll, two years in a row: Refer to: State of the State 2012 (Released in January), and a year earlier, February of 2011.

In addition, Carter wrote the book on what not to do to an economy, and Obama followed it to the letter, and added a few tweaks. Although to be fair to Obama, today’s consumers are not abandoning their cars due to long gas lines or shortages yet. (See 300 New England Gas Stations without Fuel).

Therefore, if one is in Romney’s shoes, one might start seriously casting about for a running mate, carefully choosing who would best complement Romney in the general election campaign as the number 2. Speculation on this process began from the moment all candidates hit the political limelight, but now, it is time to get more serious. The selection of a running mate has more to do with geography and the differential between voters by state than other factors, such as diversity, and/or the ability of the #2 to stir up the base. JFK chose a Texan, Lyndon Baines Johnson, to help him secure the South, specifically the State of Texas. There was little love lost between the two men; rather it was a “marriage of convenience” so to speak. It is the strategy of choosing the right running mate that might deliver an all important state, or region of the nation in a general.

Romney, hired Beth Myers, his long-time aid, to oversee the search for the #2 slot. (New York Times). Myers was appointed as his Gubernatorial Chief of Staff in 2002(Boston Globe), left her position in 2006 to head his Super PAC (Boston Globe) and then became his Campaign Manager in 2008 (Reuters). She has ties to both Beacon Hill and Texas and one can bet the house, those that make the “cut” so to speak, will be well-vetted.

Therefore, unless one can channel Beth Myers, the speculation on who of the many options available will make the final cut, just might be a game of frustration.
The task presented to Ms. Myers is one of the most important functions, not only for the campaign, but for the American Public, as her choice may affect History. When one considers that the Team of Romney and X will be challenging the Obama/Biden team. In the last election, Biden was so heavily overshadowed by Obama, that few if any voters even knew who Biden was (search You Tube – one must sift through Biden gaffes first) – This time, Obama and Biden have a record to run on – enough said.