Romney's Problems (And What He Can Do About Them)

Two Big Problems; One Solution

As the self-proclaimed “severely conservative” former governor of Massachusetts moves through some tough primaries to ultimately win the republican nomination for President, candidate Romney will find that two issues will come back to dog him that will grow in importance to moderate voters.

The first is his proclamation that this election is about the very “soul” of America, and how exactly he defines our “soul.”  The second relates to the business experience that he claims as demonstrates why he is best equipped to be President. Many Americans will question this assertion in a new way.  

Things won’t look good, on either front. But, there is a way to overcome what will become strong negatives to moderates:  The winning strategy lies in the decision of which camp Mr. Romney will ultimately pitch his tent permanently - with the far right, or, with the center and center right.  America is coming to understand that the only litmus test for good governance is collaboration. Center left and center right will reward those who have the courage to compromise, and vote against those who don't.   

The Soul of America? Really?

Souls don’t change too much, now do they? When he was on top of the polls and ready to “win” the Iowa caucuses, candidate Romney called the 2012 presidential election a battle for the “soul of America.”  


That really caught my attention. Soul. That’s a serious word if there ever was one. When you hear the word “soul” what do you think of? 

Mitt Romney defined America’s soul in economic terms: free enterprise and capitalism. I've spent my entire career in free enterprise, including start-ups and more established mid-sized firms. I get it. He says that the soul of America is that spirit of free enterprise. OK, then. That’s his take.

To create a stark contrast for America, candidate Romney claimed President Obama to be the flag bearer of the clearly failed European "socialist" model, that of bloated government spending out of control, overregulation and excess taxation, where government’s resulting obligations have brought the European Community to the brink of economic catastrophe. Sounds really bad,  and, it is. So the contrast is created; the bed is made. 

It seems to me that candidate Romney has had a real hard time connecting with America. One wonders why. He appears eminently qualified to lead a great organization. His business acumen seems without peer.  He has state-level executive experience. He saved the Olympics. His father was a two-time governor and member of President Johnson’s cabinet. He is wealthy almost beyond measure. Great credentials. But attempts at true connection feel strained. Few Americans begrudge candidate Romney for his wealth. It’s his heart - his soul - that we just can’t seem to figure out.

I think that Mr. Romney is entirely wrong that our American soul is based on Free Enterprise. It’s not. The first word, "Free," or "Freedom," is certainly closer, but that's not it entirely, either. I think that the Moderate Middle Majority sees America’s soul as our shared experience and beliefs, made up of many things: shared experiences of immigration (most, not all); of hard work; of love of family; of freedom; of good governance by the people, for the people; of pride in a country that has saved the free world from tyranny and destruction several times in the last century; America as an example for the oppressed of other lands to rise up and be heard, as we ourselves first did several centuries ago; of religion that speaks less of “don’t tread on me” and more of “doing unto others what we would have them do unto us;” of religious tolerance; of fairness; of the spirit of free enterprise, of competition (with regulation in place to protect Americans from human frailties like dishonesty and greed); of hope, including hope for safe cities and towns; of equality; of social justice.

What do you feel constitutes America’s soul? What drives President Romney? He should speak to this. His answers should speak to America’s Moderate Middle Majority. If not, his bed is made.  

Candidate Romney's Business Experience, Dissected In A Different Way. 

Candidate Romney’s wealth is inspiring to me. I think that most Americans feel the same way. In the end, the problem with candidate Romney is not his wealth. Nor do I think that Mr. Romney will lose too many votes from those thousands of American jobs that Bain's companies cut through streamlining, squeezing suppliers, bankruptcy, technology innovations, or outsourcing jobs to other nations overseas. Face it: that’s business. He created thousands of jobs, too. 

He learned his trade at Harvard Business School. HBS follows the case study model of learning. The assignments were clear: come up with up with the best business decisions based on the facts of the case. I reveled in such case studies in my own business school experience. Believe me, the impact on workers, their families and communities in case studies we studied were seldom taken into account in our deliberations, either. It was more like playing Monopoly: do I mortgage my railroads to buy more hotels, or not. Miss the mark and you get a "C" grade. We considered the facts of the case, determined the best outcome for the organization, wrote it up, presented it, learned about the actual outcome, received our grade, and moved on to the next case.

The stakes were certainly higher at Bain. The companies were real. The money was real. Investor expectations were real. And, the consequences for the businesses acquired were real, too. The investors, wealthy individuals and institutions - his clients - saw excellent returns. Americans should applaud that. The issue will be that he was more like the puppet pulling the strings; seldom at ground level, in the trenches and working shoulder to shoulder with others building a dream. that's what most Americans can relate to.  Instead, he was two steps removed, deciding fates, based on numbers.

Since his days in leveraged buyouts and venture capital, candidate Romney has led an Olympics, ran for he US Senate, was elected governor of Massachusetts, and has been running for president for some time. He's seen more than his share of living rooms; shaken a million hands. But we still wonder how connected he is to real, ordinary people like you and me, the busy and trusting Moderate Middle Majority; the managers, workers and families who sacrifice their time, careers and energy into building their own, perhaps more modest dreams, hopeful that their elected officials do the right thing.

- - - - - - - 

Candidate Romney needs to bear his "soul" to America’s Moderate Middle Majority. For it is the center (center right and the center left) who will determine his fate, not the far right. He must govern from center, doing what's best for that widest of groupings of American citizens. It’s that simple. 


The sooner he moves to favor the center, the better are his chances in November. If that means giving his Republican primary opponent(s) more far right votes through Super Tuesday and beyond, then so be it. Risky? Yes. It is such defining moments, filled with risk and uncertainty, and led by the soul, not by the poll, that create the great leaders. Candidate Romney needs to pitch his tent near center, and stay. The battle will be fought, and the victory won, there. 

SC Moderates, Stand Up And Be Heard!

South Carolina moderates - Republicans, Democrats, independents - the evidence is clear that government led by the fringes (both the far left, and the far right) simply brings gridlock. We hope that you set a strong example for the rest of your country: move this great nation back to center, and away from the fringes. 

The "middle majority" has listened patiently to the loud, self-centered, and over-invested voices of the far right and the far left. They have achieved both great fame and power in our time. And, they are jointly and equally responsible for the dark place America finds itself in today. Both fringes’ stands have proven to be intractable. This is no way to govern responsibly.

Leaders from both sides will not share power unless forced - or emboldened - to go against strong, vested fringe interests through (a) the court of public opinion and (b) at the voting booth. The fringes do not want you, America’s moderate middle majority, to rise up and be heard, but rather rely on your continued silence.

  

The fringes will continue to fight for their issues on their terms for as long as we will allow them, keeping progress from our reach and assuring a splintered center devoid of form or purpose.  The usually silent middle majority - those who see themselves somewhat left or right of center and away of either fringe - needs to speak plainly. Have you not been spoken to plainly by the fringes for years now, while observing divisive stands supported by faulty logic? The eyes of the nation are now upon South Carolina. Bring your demands for bipartisanship and leadership from the center to the candidates, and to all Americans through the media. Question faulty logic. Stand up for your convictions (which are right and proper). Show your conviction with your vote. This will embolden all candidates to move to the middle, and that is what American government and politics needs most. 

Which Republican candidate do you think will govern from the center? Here is what Centrists - Democrats, Republicans, unaffiliated - might often feel about what is fast becoming the most important issue of our time: governance. Good governance. Note: only when good governance (emanating from both sides of the aisle) returns to Washington D.C. will America's economy dramatically improve, bringing new jobs and improved market conditions for all. Until then, we will tread water. We hope that you vote for the candidates (presidential, congressional) who you believe most identify with often held Centrist beliefs:

• We understand that single-issue litmus testing is often the weapon of the self-interested, the often over-invested. We see a bigger picture. We connect things. Broad, not linear thinking, is essential in good governing. 

• We do not fear the future. We learn from the past but do not yearn for it. Instead, we are inspired by the promise of tomorrow.

• We understand that moving to a better tomorrow requires compromise during the process. That way, more can participate in building that better tomorrow. (If you do not believe in compromise, you are plainly not counted among us.)

• We want debate, not to win, but rather to find best ideas and solutions, often formed through spirited conversations that inter-mingle issues and ideas from many sides, that when brought together, create better solutions.

• We do not serve to glorify ourselves, our name, our family, our business, or our own personal legacy. We serve our country, all its citizens, and respect its institutions.

• We support candidates based on their demonstrated good character, and rational, collaborative approaches to solving society’s greatest issues. Such rational approaches must include effective listening and even compromise during debate. Inability to compromise stalls forward movement, harming all, the antithesis of good governing.

• We dare to envision a profoundly different and better world for all. We believe that great change can occur. Great changes have occurred throughout time. We seek to bring about great change in this, our time; not to stand still or step backward.

• We believe America to be that greatest beacon of liberty, of human rights, of cooperative government and goodness. 

• All people, regardless of country, color or creed, want these things of which America is so proud - freedom, liberty, opportunity, hope. America’s promise has made it harder and harder for the cruel, the ruthless, the narcissists, the treacherous, to rule. The Soviet bloc is long dead. The Great Spring is upon the Middle East. The days of the ruthless are numbered. Our beacon of liberty and goodness must continue to brightly shine to show the way for all nations.

• We understand that change is constant. Our world, our institutions, our thinking, must evolve - in positive, not radical, or reactionary - ways. The voices of reason must be loudest of all. These voices must lead change. 

We must fight back and overwhelm the fringes by November. The fight must be launched from the middle, outward. We must demand, event protest for bipartisanship and governing from the center. That is what our families and our financial markets seek.  Good government led from the center will reduce market uncertainty and increase consumer and business confidence. Greater confidence in our society, government institutions and market outlook will result in sustained private sector growth and expansion, new jobs, and an improved housing market, leading to increased revenue for a much smaller, more streamlined government. 

Hardened positions, however courageous and righteous they might appear, have brought us to this dark place. We must be as aggressive and just as righteous in demanding bipartisanship behavior from both sides. This will give great strength, form and purpose to the center, enabling progress on the important issues of the day. Bipartisanship forces compromise. Our leaders must have the courage to compromise.

For more information, go to www.americancentrist.us. Download our 20 page booklet “An Urgent Call” at the web site, or email us for your own printed copy(ies). Register and stay updated at http://TheCenterIsNotTheProblem.blogspot.com. Follow this movement on Twitter @CentristsUnite 

Forward this link to your friends and colleagues. Thank you. 

NH Voters - Start Moving America Back To Center!

New Hampshire Voters - Republican, Democrat, unaffiliated - the evidence is clear that government led by the fringes (far left, far right) simply brings gridlock. We hope that you set the example for the rest of your country: move this great nation back to center, and away from the fringes. 

The "middle majority" has listened patiently to the loud, self-centered, and over-invested voices of the far right and the far left. They have achieved both great fame and power in our time. And, they are jointly and equally responsible for the dark place America finds itself in today. Both fringes’ stands have proven to be intractable. This is no way to govern responsibly.

Leaders from both sides  will not share power unless forced or emboldened to go against strong, vested fringe interests  through the court of public opinion and at the voting booth. The fringes do not want you, America’s middle majority, to rise up and be heard, but rather rely on your continued silence.  

The fringes will continue to fight for their issues on their terms for as long as we will allow them, keeping progress from our reach and assuring a splintered center devoid of form or purpose.  The usually silent middle majority - those who see themselves somewhat left or right of center and away of either fringe - needs to speak plainly. Have you not been spoken to plainly by the fringes for years now, while observing divisive stands supported by faulty logic? The eyes of the nation are now upon New Hampshire. Bring your demands for bipartisanship and leadership from the center to the candidates, and to all Americans through the media. Show your conviction with your vote. This will embolden all candidates to move to the middle, and that is what American government and politics needs most. 

Which Republican candidate do you think will govern from the center? Here is what Centrists - Democrats, Republicans, unaffiliated - might often feel about the most important issue of our day: governance. Note: only when good governance (emanating from both sides of the aisle) returns to Washington D.C. will America's economy dramatically improve, bringing new jobs and improved market conditions. We hope that you vote for the candidate who you believe most identifies with many of these characteristics of good goverenance.

• We understand that single-issue litmus testing is often the weapon of the self-interested, the often over-invested. We see a bigger picture. We connect things. Broad, not linear thinking, is essential in good governing. 

• We do not fear the future. We learn from the past but do not yearn for it. Instead, we are inspired by the promise of tomorrow.

• We understand that moving to a better tomorrow requires compromise during the process. That way, more can participate in building that better tomorrow. (If you do not believe in compromise, you are plainly not counted among us.)

• We want debate, not to win, but rather to find best ideas and solutions, often formed through spirited conversations that inter-mingle issues and ideas from many sides, that when brought together, create better solutions.

• We do not serve to glorify ourselves, our name, our family, our business, or our own personal legacy. We serve our country, all its citizens, and respect its institutions.

• We support candidates based on their demonstrated good character, and rational, collaborative approaches to solving society’s greatest issues. Such rational approaches must include effective listening and even compromise during debate. Inability to compromise stalls forward movement, harming all, the antithesis of good governing.

• We dare to envision a profoundly different and better world for all. We believe that great change can occur. Great changes have occurred throughout time. We seek to bring about great change in this, our time; not to stand still or step backward.

• We believe America to be that greatest beacon of liberty, of human rights, of cooperative government and goodness. 

• All people, regardless of country, color or creed, want these things of which America is so proud - freedom, liberty, opportunity, hope. America’s promise has made it harder and harder for the cruel, the ruthless, the narcissists, the treacherous, to rule. The Soviet bloc is long dead. The Great Spring is upon the Middle East. The days of the ruthless are numbered. Our beacon of liberty and goodness must continue to brightly shine to show the way for all nations.

• We understand that change is constant. Our world, our institutions, our thinking, must evolve - in positive, not radical, or reactionary - ways. The voices of reason must be loudest of all. These voices must lead change. 

We must fight back and overwhelm the fringes by November, beginning in New Hampshire on Tuesday. The fight must be launched from the middle, outward. We must demand, event protest for bipartisanship and governing from the center. That is what our families and our financial markets seek.  Good government led from the center will reduce market uncertainty and increase consumer and business confidence. Greater confidence in our society, government institutions and market outlook will result in sustained private sector growth and expansion, new jobs, and an improved housing market, leading to increased revenue for a much smaller, more streamlined government. 

Hardened positions, however courageous and righteous they might appear, have brought us to this dark place. We must be as aggressive and as self-righteous in demanding bipartisanship behavior from both sides. This will give great strength, form and purpose to the center, enabling progress on the important issues of the day. Bipartisanship forces compromise. Our leaders must have the courage to compromise.

For more information, go to www.americancentrist.us. Download our 20 page booklet “An Urgent Call” at the web site, or email us for your own printed copy(ies). Register and stay updated at http://TheCenterIsNotTheProblem.blogspot.com. Follow this movement on Twitter @CentristsUnite. 

Forward this link to your friends and colleagues. Thank you. 

Open Letter To Iowa Centrists: Rise Up And Be Heard on January 3rd!

On January 3rd, Iowa’s 1,784 precincts will gather together to hear from supporters of the Republican Presidential candidates, and then vote their preference. The Democrats will gather to caucus, as well. Iowa’s Centrists - Republicans and Democrats both - these caucuses offer you 3,568 opportunities to rise up and be heard! 

The “middle majority” has listened patiently to the loud, self-centered, and over-invested voices of the far right and the far left. They have achieved both great fame and power in our time and are jointly - equally - responsible for the dark place America finds itself in today. 

Both fringes’ stands are hardened and intractable. If the far left and far right continue to have their way, the American political landscape will necessarily become darker still. Neither side will share power unless forced to do so through the court of public opinion and at the voting booth. They do not want you, America’s middle, to rise up and be heard, but rather rely on your continued silence and indifference.

We must fight back to have good government once again. We need to overwhelm the fringes by November, beginning today. The fight must be launched from the middle, outward. Iowa’s Centrists, we look to you to begin to alter this dark political landscape to bring back progress to America. We must protest for bipartisanship, and governing from the center. That is what our families and our financial markets seek.  Good government led from the center will reduce market uncertainty and increase consumer and business confidence. Greater confidence in ourselves, our institutions and our markets will result in sustained private sector growth and expansion, new jobs, and an improved housing market, leading to increased revenue for a smaller, more streamlined government. 

The fringes will continue to fight for their issues on their terms for as long as we will allow them, keeping progress from our reach and assuring a splintered center devoid of form or purpose.  The usually silent middle majority - those who see themselves somewhat left or right of center and away from either fringe - needs to muster the courage to speak plainly. Iowa’s silent middle, have you not been spoken to plainly by the fringes for years now, listening silently while observing their selfish stands and faulty logic? Can you now speak your mind  just as plainly, at this time when your country needs you most?

What might you say? Perhaps the following can help you begin to collect your thoughts. Feel free to take whatever you wish, with no need to name its source...

- - - - 

3,568 Opportunities To Speak Out In Iowa on January 3, 2012. 

Thoughts For My Speech; Thoughts For All Americans.

“Today, January 3rd, the eyes of the nation do not look to Washington D.C. or New York, or Boston. They do not look to Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Today, the eyes of the nation and the world are upon us. They look to Dubuque, to Des Moines and to Sioux City. They look to our small communities, to our universities, our businesses and our churches. They look to the citizens of Iowa, hoping for a signal. ‘In what direction might this great country go,’ they are asking themselves. I wonder what our answer will be.

“America needs to come back to Center.  The fringes - both on the left and on the right - have created gridlock and have failed to lead or to govern responsibly. The debt ceiling debacle of 2011 was a perfect case in point of the failure of what has surely  become “fringe rule” on both sides. Consumer confidence has hovered near rock-bottom for years now, longer even than the current President has been in office. Debt continues to mount. No progress is being made, on any front, for anyone. I am hear to speak plainly. I blame both sides, and equally so! 

“Yes, the silent middle majority has been overwhelmed by the boisterous rabble of the fringe. Many are simply self-interested, over-invested, and drunk with power. And, they are not particularly interested in us, average Iowans, or our well being. It is clear that history will not speak well of this time. Civility is dead. Self-interest now rules. The system is broken. Our America has entered a dark period in her history. She surely calls upon reasonable citizens like me to rise up, and to be heard.

“If you cast your vote to a fringe candidate, defined as one who sees bipartisanship as weakness, who chooses gridlock over compromise, and who willingly undermines the spirit of our legislative processes to suit their selfish ends, you will help bring this party to defeat in November. For the American people have grown tired of the arrogance, failures and futility brought through fringe rule. The Center will rise during 2012. This middle majority will determine the winner of the 2012 Presidential election, and the winner will govern from the middle, not from the left or the right fringe. 

“Who am I? What is a Centrist American? Let me help you understand much of the thinking of America’s middle majority:

• We understand that single-issue litmus testing is often the weapon of the self-interested, the often over-invested. We see a bigger picture. We connect things. Broad, not linear thinking, is essential in good governing. 

• We do not fear the future. We learn from the past but do not yearn for it. Instead, we are inspired by the promise of tomorrow.

• We understand that moving to a better tomorrow requires compromise during the process. That way, more can participate in building that better tomorrow. (If you do not believe in compromise, you are plainly not counted among us.)

• We want debate, not to win, but rather to find best ideas and solutions, often formed through spirited conversations that inter-mingle issues and ideas from many sides, that when brought together, create better solutions.

• We do not serve to glorify ourselves, our name, our family, our business, or our own personal legacy. We serve our country, all its citizens, and respect its institutions.

• We support candidates based on their demonstrated good character, and rational, collaborative approaches to solving society’s greatest issues. Such rational approaches must include effective listening and even compromise during debate. Inability to compromise stalls forward movement, harming all, the antithesis of good governing.

• We dare to envision a profoundly different and better world for all. We believe that great change can occur. Great changes have occurred throughout time. We seek to bring about great change in this, our time; not to stand still or step backward.

• We believe America to be that greatest beacon of liberty, of human rights, of cooperative government and goodness. 

• All people, regardless of country, color or creed, want these things of which America is so proud - freedom, liberty, opportunity, hope. America’s promise has made it harder and harder for the cruel, the ruthless, the narcissists, the treacherous, to rule. The Soviet bloc is long dead. The Great Spring is upon the Middle East. The days of the ruthless are numbered. Our beacon of liberty and goodness must continue to brightly shine to show the way for all nations.

• We understand that change is constant. Our world, our institutions, our thinking, must evolve - in positive, not radical, or reactionary - ways. The voices of reason must be loudest of all. These voices must lead change. 

“My instinct is that the majority of Iowa’s citizens do believe in many of these things, and my hope is that you vote for the candidate who most espouses these views, both on January 3rd, and again in November. The future of your country depends upon it. Help force collaboration and bipartisanship to Washington, D.C., replacing gridlock, bitterness and distrust. Centrists among us, stand up now and be heard!” 

For more information, go to www.americancentrist.us. Download “Urgent Call” at the web site, or email us for your own printed copy. Register and stay updated at http://TheCenterIsNotTheProblem.blogspot.com. Follow this movement on Twitter @CentristsUnite.

Wanted: Candidates (and Voters!) with Balance

“Balance” is in short supply in politics today. Why is balance so important?

Most of us respect those people whose “body of work” shows a consistent pattern of balanced thinking and judgment over the long term. Is that not what we all look for in our friends, our children, or colleagues or our boss? When one has strong balance - that certain centeredness - we all know it. We gain comfort and confidence from their great inner strength, their wisdom, their balance.

Those are the people who we should elect to higher office today. They may not be heroes. They may not be famous. They may not be photogenic. They may not glad-hand well. They may even disagree on some of the important issues I believe in. But, they have my vote.

When we elect wrong people to positions of trust, we begin sliding down that slippery slope to a general state of imbalance in our system of governing, and in the general order of things. This is exactly where America finds itself today. It can get from bad to much worse rather quickly. Failed campaigns, failed careers, and failed institutions lie in the scrap heap of imbalance, led there by the narcissists, the fanatics, and the greedy.

It is easy to blame the Other Side for the problems we find in American government and politics today. Such thinking is shallow, lacking courageous self-reflection. You see, we’re all to blame. Blame our leaders on both sides, who relied on strategic imbalance from the start (e.g., one side wins all; collaboration as spineless; listening, for the weak; “they deserve it!”). Blame the citizens who supported such winner-take-all governing. Blame citizens to the far right and far left who have been for too long hoodwinked by imbalanced self-interests who prey on strongly held beliefs, applying their litmus tests, sound bites and cults of personality to trump balanced approaches to problem solving that bring results, not gridlock.

And, blame those of us who have stood silent (me included), the true American majority, those somewhat left and somewhat right of center who stay away from the fringe. We’ve watched, bewildered, from the sidelines, while the two fringes, hopelessly split, lead us all down a dreadful path.

This great problem of gridlock wrought by imbalanced thinking will not fix itself. The American middle needs to come together as one, across party lines, demanding balance. If we are able to come together as one, those good and balanced elected representatives in Washington D.C. who remain, or who are newly elected in 2012, will find that they can in fact courageously lead from the center, supported by more voters from the middle than either fringe can muster. That is the key to reestablishing our voice.

Precisely that will cure what ails America, bringing with it many rewards: renewed consumer confidence and reduced market uncertainty leading to a bullish investment climate; and job growth, leading to increased revenue and short, medium and long-term debt reduction. And, the American engine of progress for all will be restarted.

The future of America is up to its middle majority! We need candidates and voters with balance. Find them. Be one. Be courageous. Please stand up and be heard! If we do not bring about this change, there will be only one person to blame. Download our booklet and find your voice at http://www.americancentrist.us/.

Supercommitteee Failure: Silent Middle Must Rise Up

Gridlock has brought America to this very dark period in her history. The debt-crisis debacle has surely proved to all reasonable Americans that our legislative processes are crippled by the loud, powerful, bullying voices of the far right, and the far left. Each is responsible. The silent middle has been overwhelmed by the boisterous rabble of the fringes and their well-organized, self-interested, over-invested support structures. Civility is now “officially” dead. Bipartisanship means weakness. Loyal opposition is passé. The greatest system of government the world has ever seen has been hijacked. And the middle watches from the sidelines.
We must call upon America’s center majority to rise up and be heard. The center must generate that same passion that we have seen from the farther right and the farther left, bringing America’s middle both form and purpose to force healthy dialogue and lasting change. America’s leaders must possess the courage to cooperate. Center-left and center-right voters, joined together by country — not by party or selfish interest — must elect new leaders locally and nationally if those in power today do not heed our call.
Fledgling Centrist movements (like this one) will soon bring form, purpose and passion to America’s middle majority. We must encourage formation of a broad coalition to raise our voice and create an overwhelming response to end the gridlock and bring bipartisanship, reason and progress back to American government and politics. Please take time from your busy life to consider how you can help move your country and end the gridlock. A 20-page booklet that we have produced can be viewed/downloaded at www.AmericanCentrist.US. It paints a picture of what many might see as a better America for the 100 percent, and suggests ways that you can help. Please share this message with colleagues, family and friends during this holiday season and throughout the 2012 election year. Want a printed booklet? Email us and provide address information. Finally, please follow us on Twitter @CentristsUnite 

Assuring Profound Centrist Influence in the Next Administration, Regardless of Who Gets Elected

Blame America's far right and the far left equally for where America finds itself today. Here’s how the American Center can profoundly influence the outcome of the 2012 elections and, with some certainty, restore bipartisanship and progress. 


1. America’s Centrists must now flex our collective political muscle. Fledgling movements (like this one) are rising to provide purpose, form, function, and a meeting place for this largest of American voting blocks. Most helpful would be for major polling organizations in partnership with responsible media to determine both the size and level of anger of this real American majority. 
2. Centrists – we Americans who park ourselves somewhat left of center, or somewhat right,  and who disavow the fringe for its narrowness, its selfishness and bullying behavior, must express our outrage to our elected representatives, party officials and our friends. Doing so in large numbers will profoundly alter the debate during the election year.
 3. This bloc must break new ground by convening a Blue Ribbon Panel of respected citizens who are proven centrists, great men and women from public service, business, academia, and Main Street. This panel should diligently explore the great issues of our time with each candidate in a very public forum, sans media, drilling the candidates (and uncovering their follies) on effective governance, real debt solutions, climate change and energy policy, the future role of the military, how to create a resurgence of American generosity as government must do less with less, and so on. The panel will obtain candidate commitments on these important issues, and, in October 2012, recommend to its dominant bloc who we should put our full support behind, and why.


In this way, The Many, not The Few, will determine who occupies the most important position in the world, and strongly influence how he will govern. Regardless of who wins, the future is likely to be brighter. Long forgotten concepts like bipartisanship, a loyal opposition, and progress for the “100 percent” will be resurrected, regardless of whether fringe elements want it or not. The fringe will go back to being just that. Wall Street might just experience a sustained bull market, owing it to a path well laid-out, risk reduced, systemic dysfunctions confronted and conquered. Companies will invest in new plants, equipment, and new jobs. 


But, here’s the rub: it will take millions of Americans to form this third and last movement (from the Tea Party, to the Occupiers, to the Centrist Majority). I call upon these Americans to Rise Up And Be Heard! There are many ways that you can (and must) help. Go to page 19-20 of Rise Up And Be Heard to see how many you can do. Thank you.