The Tech Guys are wholeheartedly endorsing Mitt Romney. Romney was not our first choice. Charles liked Perry and Patrick liked Pawlenty. But Romney is now the best choice.
The nomination process tested the candidates thoroughly. Only Romney emerged from the debate season and early voting with presidential stature.
We admire Perry’s and Pawlenty’s track records and Gingrich’s big ideas. But Romney bests them all. Romney debates with more competence than Perry and more confidence than Pawlenty. And Romney’s executive ability is in a different class than Gingrich’s.
The Tech Guys are more “progressive” on immigration than Romney. We wish he were bolder on fiscal policy. We would love a more “entrepreneur-like” big vision.
But despite these issues, the fact remains that Romney is probably as ready to be president as any candidate since Eisenhower. He aced his SATs, graduated at the top of his Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School classes and capably managed a top-tier private equity firm, an Olympics and a mid-sized state. He has a super-high IQ, 30 years of executive experience and has been preparing for the presidency for the last six years. He has 10 times the business experience of any president in American history.
It has been said that Romney is no Reagan. It is possible that as president, Romney might not live up to Reagan. But, Romney has the ability, drive and executive experience in the private and public sectors to be even greater than Reagan.
To our occasional readers, it may be surprising that we’re not only endorsing Romney but doing so enthusiastically.
However, while we and some other vocal Republicans do not agree with every detail of Romney’s platform, we are reminded of what Reagan said in 1972: “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor.”
For our loyal readers, the vigor with which we now support him is no surprise. After all, our biggest guide is Teddy Roosevelt. Teddy taught us that anything worth doing is worth doing with gusto and verve. He also taught us to look forward and react to changes on the ground.
Romney will beat Obama in the debates, and he will do so professionally, competently and with a smile. The media’s coddling of Obama is doing him no favors. Obama is not “eloquent” without his teleprompter. Don’t trust us partisans — check YouTube and see what happens during the rare cases when his teleprompter malfunctions. Meanwhile, Romney has spent months answering hostile questions with no notes.
We also believe that nominee Romney will make a bold choice for vice president. We see him choosing someone exciting and qualified such as Susana Martinez, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Nikki Haley or Chris Christie. Any of these would be a bold, big-tent choice.
Many in the GOP are looking for “ideologically pure” candidates. Often conservatives say: “Look at Reagan, he won.” This may seem like heresy, but although we feel “a Reagan” could still win today, it would be hard because the American electorate and the media environment are vastly different today than they were in 1980. The composition of America’s population has changed and the media is more in the bag for Democrats than ever before, as are most of American’s other influential institutions: Hollywood, foundations, universities, the thugs that lead America’s unions, etc.
We believe Romney is a leader for the America of 2012. He is an incredibly hard worker. He believes in American exceptionalism. He has real-world experience. He has created jobs, made industries more efficient and competitive globally and attracted investment capital from abroad.
Romney is an experienced leader. He has been governor of a complex liberal state — no easy task for a Republican. He has worked across the aisle. We believe Romneycare was a mistake, but at least Romney was bold and tried something. He has since learned his lesson and admitted his mistakes. Romney is not stubborn.
We believe Obama has none of the attributes, experiences and accomplishments that we listed above.
Please join us in supporting the next president of the United States, Mitt Romney.
Charles Curran and Patrick Ennis have spent over 35 combined years as technology investors and innovators. They live in Washington, D.C. and Washington State, respectively. Follow Charles on Twitter at @charlescurranDC. Follow Patrick on Twitter at @pjennis.