WaPo - "Mitt Romney finds his (corporate) voice" - Romney Doubling Down On Corporations Are People

[TomCADem]

Interesting pro-Romney analysis of Romney's job plans that confirms why he is the Republican corporate establishment's handpicked candidate, and why he may very well represent the greatest threat to unions, because he is pro-Chamber of Commerce through-and-through. The interesting thing about this article is that it is actually pro-Romney in tone. Nonetheless, Romney still comes off as a weenie. Because Perry has forced him to fight for his nomination, Romney is liberated enough to show his corporate credentials to the delight of the Chamber of Commerce. Repeal Financial Reform and Health Care Reform! Makes you wonder what would remain of the NLRA if he gets elected as President with a Republican Congress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mitt-romney-finds-his-corporate-voice/2011/09/06/gIQABRmp7J_story.html

But Perry’s sudden surge to the top of polls has brought an unexpected gift to his rival: It has, by unburdening Romney of his head-of-the-pack status, released him from the tedious and timid campaign he was running. Relieved of the high expectations, Romney is free to take sides unapologetically in a battle over whether the Republican Party will reclaim its mainstream traditions or remain a protest movement.

The first signs are encouraging. As Romney rolled out his economic plan in North Las Vegas Tuesday, he solidly rejected the slash-and-burn economics of the Tea Party in favor of a Chamber of Commerce wish list.

* * *

The usually awkward Romney seemed in his element as he delivered his speech, even if he was wearing a yacht-club blue blazer and tan gabardines on the floor of a truck repair shop. He used only a page of handwritten notes for his half-hour talk, and he eschewed anti-government rhetoric in favor of boardroom competence. “Look, this is a business plan for the American economy,” he said. “If we want to create jobs, we’ve got to have the best business plan in the world.”

This hardly makes Romney a liberal, or even the moderate he once was. As he again defended his curious formulation that “corporations are people,” he sounded almost plutocratic. But it at least shows that the man who had been a frightened front-runner is now willing to state more boldly what his candidacy is about: the corporate establishment’s answer to Perry’s angry populism. Call it the soft courage of low expectations.