Michigan Politics: Mitt Shadow of "Real Deal"?

Well, for you, my dear sweet reader(s), I have bought a subscription to The St. Ignace News, just to bring you this story and possibly others in the future. Here is a column from George Weeks regarding Mitt Romney's and his dad's, George Romney, candidacies.

• Michigan Politics
• Mitt Calls Self 'Shadow of the Real Deal,' George
• By George Weeks

• There are some similarities and stark contrasts among the factors in last week's demise of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and that of his father's bid four decades ago.
• Both men were success stories in the private sector before becoming governors, and both had political battles with Arizona senators.
• For both, wars of the day were at play - shooting wars overseas and ideological wars within the GOP - as each Romney made an abrupt and surprise withdrawal from quest for the White House.

• Group-think of journalists who do the first drafts of history was that Michigan Governor George Romney was done in by blurting out in a Detroit TV interview, "I just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get" during U.S briefings in Vietnam. But there was more to it than that.
• While Romney acknowledged in a 1987 interview with this scribe that he was "cut to pieces" after his comment, he insisted there were other reasons, including "dirty tricks" the Richard Nixon camp used to spread "distortions" about Romney spending increases as governor.

I had heard about the "brainwashing" comment made by George Romney. I don't know too much about the "spending" thing. I do know that I have talked to some of the older people, in Michigan, that have said that they liked Governor George Romney. These people thought he was a pretty good governor.

• By the same token, the front-runner status of Mitt Romney had already evaporated when the former Massachusetts governor dropped out rather than, as he spun it, damage by a prolonged fight the chance of Senator John McCain, the post-Super Tuesday frontrunner who last summer was counted out by the media herd.
• Said Romney: "I feel I have to now stand aside for our party and for our country. If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign, and, frankly I'd make it easier for Sen. [Hillary] Clinton or [Barack] Obama to win. Frankly, in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."
• It was a noble declaration from a Michigan native who impressively won our January 15 GOP primary over McCain, victor over now-President George W. Bush here in 2000.

• There's talk of Mitt Romney being in a good position to seek the presidential nomination in 2012 if there is not an incumbent.
• Writes Republican State Chairman Saul Anuzis: "I wish we could make it Senator Romney or even Governor Romney-- again…from Michigan!?!"

I agree with Mr. Anuzis' quote.

To read all of this article, you need subscription. From The St. Ignace News as to who George Weeks is; George Weeks retired in 2006 after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.