We Need A Real Leader, Or We Perish

GOP nominee Mitt Romney said Saturday that the deaths of four American diplomats in Libya was a “tragic reminder” that the world needed “strong leadership” from Washington and focused on the Obama administration’s relations with China to accuse the president of falling short on that score. I don’t know why Romney chose to focus on China, except maybe to relate to the job market and debt we owe to foreign countries like China.

Romney should concentrate on exposing the incompetence of the Obama White House and the unfair application of the law under his administration. Romney needs to confront the press on their outright antagonistic practices and ask only that they are fair and balanced in their coverage. If the administration should have protected its diplomats on September 11, the press should be asking why they didn’t increase the protection in remote unfriendly outposts. If the Libyan and other governments are telling the truth and notified the United States more than 3 days before the attacks about this possibility, our State department should have used more than an ounce of caution and increased its protection to ensure that our embassies and consulates were protected. If the media chooses to ignore the obvious, then Romney should expose them for who they are: puppets of President Obama. If they continue to badger him, Romney should ignore them and push on with his continuous assault on Obama’s pitiful record. The American people are not talking heads. They have to put food on the table and a roof over their families’ heads. They know all too well how dreadful the situation we are in really is. They are reminded every day as they drive to work and pass all of the” for sale” signs and “store closed” signs how bad things really are. They know this is no time to show weakness to a terrorist state.

A strong government would let the Muslims know in no uncertain terms that we will not tolerate this kind of treatment of our embassies, or more especially our diplomats stationed in these dangerous locations. The greatest nation on earth should demand the respect of the third world countries we support with billions of dollars and goods. A strong president would take a note from Reagan’s playbook and deploy our Navy and Air Force in numbers so large that the countries in the region will know we are serious about protecting our assets. This is what Romney should tell his audiences in no uncertain terms.

Many people out there don’t know what’s going on. Some are in shock that this could happen in this day and age. Obama is the president who said he would open a dialogue with the Muslim nations and promised a future of closer relations between the United States and the Muslim countries. It is painfully evident that Obama has failed miserably in his feeble attempts to placate the Muslim nations. It has become crystal clear that Muslims interpret bending over to them as a sign of weakness and act accordingly. We are seeing the fruits of Obama’s Arab policy, and it is not pretty to watch.

If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, there will be no stopping the proliferation of massive amounts of dirty bombs and other vehicles of destruction in the Middle East. Israel would have no choice but to go to war to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power. Not only would Iran have to be dealt with; militants in the Gaza region and Lebanon would have to be silenced also. This would unleash a conflagration like no other since the United States bombed Berlin in 1945.

Romney rightly told his audience: “The attacks on our diplomatic outposts are, of course, a tragic reminder that the world remains a dangerous place, and that America’s leadership is needed…. And for America to be able to provide strong leadership in the world, we have to have a strong economy here at home.” He then went on to shift his focus to economic issues as I’m sure he thought he had to do to demonstrate what he would do to improve the job situation. Romney focused on President Obama’s China policy, saying the administration had driven jobs overseas and failed to stop Beijing from engaging in unfair trade practices, further weakening the American economy and the nation’s standing in the world. He goes on, “In the global battle for jobs – that is where companies decide to go if they are going to be welcomed to create jobs – President Obama has been driving jobs overseas,” Romney said. “And the proof, of course, is China… In 2008, Candidate Obama promised to take China ‘to the mat.’ But since then, he’s let China run all over us.” Romney said China’s “currency manipulation” and “theft of America’s intellectual property” had cost millions of jobs. “President Obama has failed to protect those rights,” said Romney. “It’s bad enough that he won’t stand up for companies and workers that are cheated by China. What’s even worse is that his policies are making America less competitive.”

This is all true, but the American people need to know exactly what President Romney would do to correct the situation. What is he going to do to make sure our embassies are protected around the world? What will his State Department look like? How is he going to get China to comply with our demands for a free market solution? The American people, and especially the American workers, are looking for a way out and a way up the economic ladder. Where are the jobs coming from; how will these workers profit from a Romney jobs plan. Will they be trained in new fields, if the old ones close down? All of these questions have to be answered before the American electorate will take a chance on voting for someone who historically is not cut from the same cloth they are. These people gave in to temptation when they voted for Obama originally. The American worker realizes now that they will need a special person in the White House to see them through the difficulties they face in the future. That person has to be strong-willed and able to address the needs of all the people, not just a chosen few.

Obama’s chosen few were the ones who relied on the government for their food and for a roof over their head. Although it was not what they envisioned when they voted for Obama, it is better than having nothing. Most of these people are prepared to stay where they are and live the way they do. They have not been shown how to live any better, so they don’t expect things to get any better no matter who is in the White House. If that is the case, they have no reason not to vote for Obama. They are satisfied taking what the government is giving them, including healthcare through Medicaid, not realizing that it can be taken from them at any minute if the government decides to do so. They don’t think to look that far ahead. What they don’t see can’t hurt them. These people will be the first to be sacrificed if the liberal establishment is brought into line. The Medicaid they enjoy now will be cut by the state as soon as the government subsidy runs out or is withdrawn. If the liberal piggy bank is taken away, then the so-called elites will be the first to say we can’t afford these programs any longer and throw these people to the dogs.

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the right ideas. They need to find an effective way of letting the American people know that they have their back no matter what. They need to demonstrate to the people what an effective team can do. They have both proven that they have the expertise and the inclination to reach across the aisle to get things done. If the people know that, they will make decisions based on what the people need and not what is good for them politically. They will have convinced the American people that they are the strong, concerned leaders they need to lift them out of the chasm they have fallen into since Obama took office.

Photo credit: Cain and Todd Benson (Creative Commons)