Timothy J. Muise
Student No. 0213018
S.B.C.C.
P.O. Box 8000
Shirley, MA 01464-8000
10/12/2007
STATE and LOCAL POLITICS
GOV-103-ES
MODULE NO. 1
Essay (a)
QUALITIES OF CHARACTER
To make it to the highest office in any state you must display personal character reflected in a wide range of aspects. If you look at the current array of seated Governors across our great nation you will see very different men and women with varied backrounds [backgrounds] and qualifications. The broad range from hardline concervative [conservative] Republicans like Idaho's Larry Otter )who will we talk about more later) to liberal Democrats like Massachusett's [Massachusetts's] Deval Patrick, reflect different geographical political climates as well as political trends existing, beginning, or ending. Current events, pressing issues, and predacessor's [predecessor's] follies, triumphs, or placid status quo, work there [their] way squarely into the mix.
The first requirement of a candidate for Governor is that he has some successful track record to rely on. Running for any states high office is a venture in selling one's self, and you have to come into the deal with a salable bill of goods. In our fine state, a vast expanse of Democratic entrenchment, we elected a Republican conservative (there exist some who would argue with that catagorization [categorization]) with a Mormon belief system. When's the last time you met a Mormon who lived in Massachusetts? It happens, but so do double lightning strikes. Mr. Romney came along at a time when Massachusetts had been stuck in the status quo administration of Phil Weld, Paul Celluci, and Jane Swift, and even though they too were all Republicans, the state was not quite ready to give the then array of democratic candidates a shot. It is clear the constituency saw the list of Democrats and local republicans - as cookie cutter versions of what we had been stuck with for the past decade plus and were ready for a change.
Mitt Romney came in with a brilliant success in his resurection [resurrection] of the scandal plagued Salt Lake City Olympics, and seemed to have a squeeky [squeaky] clean moral record, with an almost idealic [ideal] family life. The mud digging press in the Boston area did all within their power to find some dirt on fair haired Mitt, but it was clear he was a man of morals, not just talking the moral talk but truly walking the moral walk, and with his impressive track record the votes gave him the nod. The importance of the Romney example is that you don't need strong moral ties to the community, nor do you have to be part of the popular geographic religious make-up. If you come along at the right time, have a strong platform from which to swing your bat,