Reductionist Romney
WSJ Editorial
Maybe you caught the story that went viral the other day with the headline: "Woman Blames Husband for Obama's Re-Election, Runs Him Over with Her Car." Our first thought was, gosh, Ann Romney never showed that side of herself on the campaign trail.
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Our point here isn't to kick around Mr. Romney as he tries to justify a loss he clearly never expected. We'd just as soon forget his campaign. But it's important to understand why Mr. Romney's reductionist politics is mistaken before it becomes GOP gospel.
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Mr. Romney's explanation provides one reason, which is that he sees politics as a series of self-interested transactions, rather than as a contest between competing values and agendas. Republicans who defeat gift-giving Democrats do so with a larger message of growth, opportunity, and an explanation for why their policies are better for both. Mr. Romney offered up his resume and five barely explained policies instead.
Consider the Latino vote. Mr. Romney thinks the White House gave Hispanics "two things. One, he gave them a big gift on immigration with the Dream Act amnesty program, which was obviously very, very popular with Hispanic voters, and then number two was ObamaCare. . . . For a home earning let's say $30,000 a year, free health care, which is worth about $10,000 a year, I mean, is massive, it's huge."
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But they and Mr. Romney are wrong. The National Foundation for American Policy reports that a survey of 5,600 Hispanic voters on the eve of the election asked "what are the most important issues facing the Latino community" that Washington should address? Some 53% said the economy, 35% said immigration, 20% education. Only 14% said health care, according to the ImpreMedia-Latino Decisions poll.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323551004578121353041242358.html
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