My letters to the editor

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I wrote variations of these two letters to several papers this weekend. I thought I'd share in case they don't see the light of day anywhere else!

To Newsday:

In your endorsement of John McCain, you criticize Romney as not having enough experience. Romney's position as a Washington outsider is precisely his advantage in this race. Experience for experience's sake will not help the American people. Demonstrable success, on the other hand, will.

Once you get past the pervasive attempts to disparage Romney for peripheral issues, one can finally appreciate how Romney's incredible skills could benefit America. His experience demonstrates exceptional judgment, the ability to succeed in a bipartisan (or openly hostile) setting, and intellect that shadows McCain's.

While McCain has served his country well for decades, he doesn't have the ability to deliver on the kind of leadership he is eager and willing to bring. His "experience" has demonstrated that. Mitt Romney's experience, on the other hand, can deliver.

To the Buffalo News:

In the Buffalo News Republican primary endorsement, Mitt Romney is described as failing "to inspire a broad range of supporters". Criticisms of Romney's campaign have been loud and varied, and interestingly, demonstrated by a Vanderbilt study to be largely due to religious bigotry.

However, the charge that Mitt Romney does not have a "broad range" of supporters is demonstrably false. In Nevada Romney led in 69 demographics (with Ron Paul edging him out in only three). Romney would have won by more than a ten point margin, even without the Mormon vote.

In Florida Romney won among pro-lifers, terrorism-oriented voters, immigration hard-liners, protestants, conservatives, and a slew of other categories. Surprisingly, Romney is the second choice of Giuliani voters, Thompson voters, and McCain voters. (All from CNN entrance polls.)

I'm convinced most New Yorkers haven't given Romney's message a careful look, deterred by the pervasive character attacks against him. Buffalo can't afford not to support the best candidate for the economy. Romney's competence is undeniable, and his ability to solve problems and successfully work across the aisle is second to none.