Newt VS. Mitt: The Choice

The departure of Herman Cain from the presidential race re-enforces what has been known for the past month: the GOP presidential primary will come down to a contest between Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA). The choice for republican primary voters on a variety of issues should be made clear. In some areas, there are similarities between the two hopefuls; both accomplished welfare reform, added jobs, and were able to cut spending and pay down debt. However, there are also several areas where the two differ. While Newt Gingrich has been innovative in the bold solutions he has offered Americans, Governor Romney has insisted on using the mentality of a Washington insider without even being one where as Speaker Gingrich was in congress for 2 decades. A prime example of this is tax reform. Tax cuts, as proven when Ronald Reagan was President and when Newt Gingrich was Speaker, stimulate economic growth if implemented correctly. Many Americans are skeptical of our tax code and system. Speaker Gingrich has a tax plan that, if enacted, would stimulate economic growth, help families save time and money, and fundamentally change the tax code. Mitt Romney offers small tax cuts and does not change the tax code what so ever. But the differences between the two candidates is much more than tax cuts. On the spending side, both candidates have expressed a desire to reform entitlement programs and repeal Obamacare as means to reduce the national debt. The difference is, Speaker Gingrich also plans to apply lean six sigma to the federal government as a means to modernize it, saving taxpayers $500 billion each year. Governor Romney has not committed to such a bold plan. Even on health care, Governor Romney offers nothing more than establishment thinking, such as allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines. Speaker Gingrich supports some establishment ideas, but he also has some original ideas on healthcare, such as promoting research in health care. Whether the issue be tax policy, spending, health care, or anything else, Governor Romney clearly represents the interests of the establishment, where as Speaker Gingrich represents bold solutions based on all good ideas. Furthermore, Speaker Gingrich has far greater knowledge of many issues a President deals with than Governor Romney. Though there should be little doubt that Governor Romney would be a good President, he would not be a transformational leader like Speaker Gingrich. It is going to take more than some good ideas and money to beat Barack Obama, it is going to take a clear understanding of complex issues and the ability to present a bold case to the public.