Fifty-nine points and 160 pages.
That’s the reality of Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney’s dull economic plan to jump-start the economy.
When Romney published the so-called “59-Point Plan” in September, he neglected to take into account that the American people have no interest in reading 160 pages of essentially useless campaign rhetoric.
Five months later, Romney’s vision for America is just as blurred as it was then. The question many are asking is: Does Romney even have a real vision for America?
After back-to-back wins in the Florida primary and Nevada caucuses, Romney has left much to be desired. Sure, a win is a win, but the victories have more to do with Romney’s substantial advantage in resources than his stance on the issues that matter to voters. This fall, that’s not going to cut it.
Should Romney win the Republican nomination, he won’t have the luxury of advantage in resources against President Barack Obama, who raised $68 million in the fourth quarter alone.
Romney is going to have to campaign and win on substance and issues, something he has yet to prove capable of. Running as a management consultant or businessman alone isn’t going to resonate with voters.
In a recent poll released Sunday by Washington Post-ABC News, Obama leads Romney in a hypothetical general election test, 51 to 45 percent.
By more than 2 to 1, Americans say the more they learn about Romney, the less they like him.
What is there to learn, you ask? Well, a lot.
Romney is the human weathervane of politics. He’s been notorious for wavering on populist stances, ranging from abortion, immigration, taxes and healthcare.
In his 1994 Senate run, Romney argued that he was more pro-choice than Ted Kennedy.
During a debate with Kennedy in 1994, Romney said, “I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it, and I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice.”
It was revealed in 2011 that Romney used polling data from Richard Wirthlin, Ronald Reagan’s former pollster, to determine that he would run as a pro-choice candidate in Massachusetts for that race.
After losing to Kennedy in a landslide, Romney again campaigned as pro-choice in his successful 2002 gubernatorial campaign.
And then he started thinking about national office as a Republican.
In a 2005 Boston Globe op-ed, Romney came out as pro-life after vetoing a bill to increase access to emergency contraception.
Talk about your all-time flip-flops. It doesn’t end there.
In a GOP debate in October, Romney commented that he had never hired an illegal immigrant in his life. Less than three minutes later, he admitted to hiring a lawn service that employed illegal immigrants. Maybe it wasn’t knowingly, but Romney’s tendency to make misleading statements is laughable.
In 2002, Romney refused to make “a pledge in writing” on taxes. Four years later, he signed one and touted it as a selling point for his candidacy.
In a GOP debate in 2008, Romney stated, “I support the Bush tax cuts. The Bush tax cuts helped get our economy going again when we faced the last tough times.”
However, in 2003 Romney refused to endorse the tax cuts, and The Boston Globe cited him telling the state’s congressional delegation that he “won’t be a cheerleader” for tax cuts he didn’t agree with.
In 2009, when comparing his own Massachusetts healthcare reform to President Obama’s, Romney commented that “the president’s copying that idea. I’m glad to hear that.”
In 2011, he called the reform “bad news.”
Half of the time, I’m not even sure Romney actually knows what he’s talking about. Not to mention his bewildering tendency to muddle statements, adding to the uncertainty on his views.
“Corporations are people. I’m not concerned about the very poor,” Romney infamously stated.
With comments like this, it’s no wonder people are reluctant to rally behind the man.
In December, Time magazine published an issue showing a grimacing Romney on the cover with the headline asking “Why don’t they like me?”
Well Mr. Romney, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, and you’ve cemented yourself as a man of vague ideology.
Outside of looking like a wax figure, which Romney has pulled off flawlessly, the American people are going to need more.
By that I mean anything that bears resemblance to a coherent political stance — of which I’m not sure Romney is capable.
Matthew Westfall is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Winchester, Va. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mwestfall.
 
—-
Contact Matthew Westfall at [email protected]