Stephen Weinstein, Elkins Park
Pass on first-person candidate
Mitt Romney’s remark about Rick Santorum’s suspension of his campaign — “This has been quite a day for me” — is striking in its focus on Romney himself. More than anything, he simply wants to be president. This accounts for his market-based positions, or flip-flops, on the issues. We would regret electing a president who thinks in the first person.
President Obama says that he would rather do the right thing than be reelected, so he is exactly the person I want to reelect.
Margaret Rohdy, Philadelphia
Republican in name only
The editorial “Santorum’s out, so Romney’s in” (Wednesday) says, “Romney’s record suggests his general-election campaign will reveal his willingness to cross party lines for the good of this country.” Of course he will. That’s why we conservatives find his all-but-assured coronation so deplorable. We are not fooled. We know Mitt Romney is a “moderate,” a Republican in Name Only (RINO), or — my preferred description — a “Democrat-Lite” candidate. Romney is merely John McCain with a neat hairdo.
Vincent P.A. Benedict, Collegeville, benedict1940@gmail.com
Etch A Sketch candidate not OK
The Inquirer’s editorial “Santorum’s out, so Romney’s in” (Wednesday) concluded that “now that Romney essentially has the nomination, it’s time for him to use that Etch A Sketch ... and begin a new campaign aimed not at the GOP right, but at America’s middle.”
This advice suggests that it is perfectly acceptable (and expected) that a candidate who has sold himself under a narrative designed to pander to extremist primary voters should now reverse that narrative to appeal to centrist voters in order to get elected. If Romney is indeed a centrist, it can only be concluded that his approach to the primaries was a cynical ruse to secure the nomination through dishonesty. Now that he has made his bed, let him lie in it.
The media should be prepared to call Romney out every time he flips out that Etch A Sketch during the campaign.
John R. Attanasio, Philadelphia
Flip-flopping now a good thing?
The Inquirer editorial not only confirms the Etch A Sketch charge that was started by one of Mitt Romney’s aides, but it tries to suggest that this a good thing. Are the board members suggesting that there’s something good to say about someone being a “flip-flopper”?
Seems like only yesterday that the same charge was made against Sen. John Kerry and that people considered it to be a bad thing.
Richmond L. Gardner, Horsham, rlg3526@ix.netcom.com
