It ain't over til ....

 I find it rather amusing as I listen to the talking-heads in the mainstream media with their non-stop punditry insinuating that Mitt Romney is the presumptive GOP nominee.  As if the nomination process was over... ignoring those pesky details including counting votes, delegates (and other such nonsense).  Perhaps it would be wise of us to look a little closer at our presumptive nominee, ask ourselves, how did this man get into this position, and is this race really over?

 Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, has that look of being a president: chiseled features, tall, slim, confident.  A long history of campaigning; he has honed his craft of convincing voters that he is a political giant.   The packaging is superior, but what is on the inside?  What do we know about this man?  Did he behave in a manner consistent with conservative principles?

Is Mitt Romney the leader of the conservative cause?  

.. or merely a charlatan seeking power and attention?

Being elected Governor of Massachusetts as a Republican is no small feat.  Massachusetts has graced us with politicians such as Ted Kennedy and Michael Dukakis.   I've always instinctively believed it would be nearly impossible for a conservative Republican to ever win and lead in that state.  After examining the record, it seems my instincts may have been correct.

• Romney changed his affiliation from Independent to Republican in October 1993 
• In his 1994 senate campaign, Romney said: Look, I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to take us back to Reagan-Bush 
• Romney ran for governor as a political outsider in 2002 saying he was "not a partisan Republican" but rather a "moderate" with "progressive" views. 
• Romney held an "unequivocal" pro-choice abortion position during his 2002 campaign 
• As governor of Massachusetts, Romney supported raising various fees by more than $300 million, including those for driver's licenses, marriage licenses, and gun licenses 
• Romney authored 'Romneycare' - Massachusetts' universal health insurance coverage 
• In May 2004, Romney instructed town clerks to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples

Romney is also on record stating he is pro-gun, anti-gun, pro-life, pro-Cap & Trade, anti-Cap & Trade, and he supported the bank bailouts of 2008.

Having this record, it does seem peculiar that the Republican party would be so eager to embrace his candidacy for President of the United States.  How did this happen?  It happened because moderate party leadership has essentially ignored the will of the conservative majority and would like to have a candidate who they feel can be molded and directed by the ruling elite.  Romney is not the type of man who will stand up to fight against party leadership, because his very presence in the race is because party leadership is pulling the strings.

I think it is time for the conservative majority in the GOP to wake up to the shenanigans going on with our party leadership.  It is utter nonsense that the vast majority in this party are being ignored and are being compelled to follow a prescribed path dictated by a view that only moderates are fit to govern.  If we learned anything from Reagan, we certainly learned that is not true.

This nomination has not been decided.  It isn't over until the voters decide it is over.  Now is the time for conservatives to take back control of the Republican party and the process.  We can not afford to put a puppet up against Obama in November, it will be the end of the GOP as we know it.