The following endorsement was published on Feb. 3, 2008 in the Denver Post Perspective section.
Republicans have weeded a diverse and talented field of presidential candidates down to two finalists and a beguiling but quirky pair of also-rans, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, now the frontrunner, is an American hero, a foreign-policy expert and a veteran of the Washington trenches. But with a volatile economy overtaking Iraq as a chief concern among voters, we believe that Mitt Romney is the best choice for Colorado Republicans.
As a governor of Massachusetts, a skilled businessman and the savior of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Romney possesses the executive acumen necessary to implement policies that produce results. Wouldn’t that be a strange change in Washington?
In a recent phone interview with The Post’s editorial board, Romney impressed us with his broad range of knowledge, his grasp of economic policy and his understanding of issues important to Western voters.
Washington Republicans have strayed far from the fiscal conservatism their party has traditionally championed. So while we applaud McCain’s stand against wasteful spending, we’re even more impressed with Romney’s real-world experience in running lean budgets and bringing financial competency to companies.
We believe his economic growth plan — eliminating taxes on capital gains and interest and dividends for middle-class households — will help spur capital investment and the economy.
But the best example of Romney’s ability to create the type of bipartisan solutions so desperately needed inside the Beltway is his health care record. Romney forged a plan with Democrats in the Massachusetts legislature to help insure as many as 400,000 citizens while still preserving market competition and choice.
Romney has stressed that his Massachusetts plan is not the answer for every state. But it’s a promising start and inspired Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton’s own health insurance plan.
On foreign policy issues, both Romney and McCain have promised to continue fighting terrorism worldwide and both have backed the surge in Iraq. While McCain has combat experience that can’t be discounted, Romney has surrounded himself with competent leadership and his lack of military experience shouldn’t keep him from leading America firmly and wisely on the world stage.
Two issues have surfaced in the campaign that have undercut Romney’s popularity. First, his opponents have labeled the governor a “flip-flopper” for shifting views on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. This is a valid concern, but politicians should be allowed to evolve over time as society changes or as they come upon new information. Romney admits to evolving positions on many matters. He told us that “someone who hasn’t changed their mind is someone you wouldn’t want” as president.
“I said, ‘Look, I personally oppose abortion, but I think the government ought to stay out of it.’ And that is effectively a pro-choice position,” Romney said. “And then I became governor and I became government and I got a bill on my desk which would have caused the creation of new life through cloning and the destruction of that life after 14 days and I simply said, ‘I cannot be party to that.’ So I vetoed that bill . . . and said, ‘I recognize that now that I am government, I simply must come down on the side of life.’ ”
The second issue has been the gratuitous focus on Romney’s Mormon faith. It’s been injected into the race, slyly and despicably, to create a wedge in the Republican contest. This sort of religious bigotry has no place in today’s political battles.
Romney’s handling of these troubles, with an even temperament and gravitas, were factors in our decision to support his bid.
Romney has the resume and executive experience to be not only an effective president, but a problem-solver in a world full of problems.
