Romney proving himself in debates

With six candidates vying for a nomination in the Republican Party, one would think the competition would be fierce.

In truth, though, the field is riddled with the inept and the unqualified.

One candidate is a gun-toting radical, another a more viable third-party candidate and a third whose name has become such a joke that Googling it will elicit a response you wouldn’t want to get busted for on a work computer.

The Republican field is nearly as stable as its six candidates would lead you to believe, which is music to Mitt Romney’s ears.

Compared to the rest of the pack, Romney is looking well-composed, well-spoken and well-equipped.

The nomination appears to be his, the only question being whether he can draw in enough support from the rest of the party to actually beat Pres. Barack Obama’s bid for re-election.

One moment in particular stood out during the Republican debate this past
weekend.

After the first portion of the debate had come to a conclusion, with highlights including Rick Santorum accusing Ron Paul of creating false campaign slander against him, Rick Perry answering questions that weren’t posed and Newt Gingrich playing little or no part in the fireworks, Romney started off the second half with a bang.

When asked if states should have the ability to restrict access to contraception, Romney answered with a very direct statement: No.

He explained that no states were trying to do so, and he most definitely had no intention of starting a campaign if no states were already interested.

The content of the answer was not nearly as significant as what it stood for.

This was, essentially, the first time one of the candidates had answered a question directly during the entire debate.

There was no spin, no manipulation. Romney was asked a question, and he answered it.

During a national debate, so much of the content is scripted and manipulated beforehand, so as not to offend anyone or polarize voters.

In truth, no real information is provided in this setting in the hopes of pleasing as many voters as possible.

Having said that, Romney’s ability to remain relatively open during a debate and give answers to questions in real terms will only help his bid for president.

Voters do not want to have to have a translator put all the debaters’ points into layman’s terms. They want to be able to understand their candidate and what he (or she, although not this year) stands for.

Romney’s willingness to give an answer that is blunt, realistic and understandable makes his candidacy all but certain, especially in a field of those who are trying so hard to play the spin game.

With a Republican Party divided so viciously among a wide range of candidates, an option that is both straightforward and open will easily be able to walk right in and take the nomination.

The real test for Romney will not come at the hands of Santorum or Paul, but rather when he faces Obama in the national election, as it should be.

­— azoot@indiana.edu