Tuesday, October 9, 2012

What really drives Romney?


Here's the thing I can't figure out about Mitt Romney. Why is he running for president?

Seems like a pretty basic question, but from my perspective, I don't see the usual motivating factors such as:


  • A final stepping stone in a long political career. He was in the private sector most of his life and often seems uncomfortable with campaigning.


  • Money and fame. He's already in the one percent in terms of wealth.


  • Patriotism driven by involvement in the military earlier in life. He's no McCain or Kerry, let alone Dwight D. Eisenhower.


  • Ego. Well, maybe, but he's sure not in Herman Cain's league. Romney seems uncomfortable around people, in fact.

Not even political ideology drives this guy. This is a Republican who many conservatives mistrust. The only reason he is supported on the right is because he is not Barack Obama.

It is beyond denying that Romney has switched positions on almost every position imaginable in the last decade, and sometimes from week to week. His main goal seems to be to get elected by any means necessary, not to push hard for any one particular political view unless it can help him get through a primary.

OK, so what is it that drives Romney? Well, it might be the very thing he talks very little about: Mormonism.

It wouldn't be the first time someone rich has run for national office to, in part, bring their religion into the mainstream. Some say John F. Kennedy wanted to be president to provide a certain degree of acceptability to Catholicism in America.

It's not that Romney necessarily wants to convert anyone to his faith. But when you really think about why Romney wants to be president, shedding light on Mormonism, even if subtly, has to be considered. Romney has been deeply involved in the Mormon church for his entire life. The religion remains on the fringe, a mystery to many Americans.

We are a country of firsts, and having the first Mormon president would have to be considered a major accomplishment to believers of that religion. Maybe that, at least in part, is what drives Romney.