Five Do's and Don'ts for Mitt Romney, GOP Nominee

By Preston Cooper

Let's have a round of applause for the 2012 presidential nominee of the Republican Party, Mitt Romney. Last night, the Texas primaries gave him enough delegates to officially clinch the GOP nod. After knocking down thirteen challengers in as many months of campaigning, Romney has entered the second act of the presidential contest: the general election.

Game on, Obama.

In the next five months, Romney must convince the country that he is better equipped to occupy the Oval Office than the sitting president. As of now, he's not up to the challenge. Despite a lethargic economy and rumblings of renewed conflict in the Middle East, most polls still show the candidates tied. This election would be an easy win for the Republicans if Romney would take a little more initiative. Why do we not know his intentions after the repeal of Obamacare, or the hard numbers of his plan for deficit reduction?

If we're going to return Obama, Romney has to prove that he's worth our store credit.

Therefore, I've compiled a list of five do's and don'ts for our GOP nominee. Barring complete financial meltdown or nuclear war with Iran (both of which I'm trying not to count on), Mitt Romney must change his game plan to solidly win the White House.

DON'T spend time on social issues. Obama is not waging a war on religion; his war is on commonsense economic reforms. Social issues such as gay marriage and abortion are also where we find some of your biggest flip-flops. The economy is your strong suit, and it remains weak in critical swing states like Florida and Nevada. Use it to win the election, and then fix it.

DO press immigration reform. Hispanics, to whom immigration is a top issue, are a critical voting bloc that Obama won handily in 2008. We've heard a lot of talk about what you're going to do with illegal immigrants; let's talk about how you'll simplify the process for people coming here legally. Immigration has long been a backbone of this country, and voters want to know what you're going to do about it.

DON'T keep your plans for the country shrouded in ambiguity. My big issue is the nation's balance sheet; I want to know how you're going to cut taxes by twenty percent while also balancing the budget and bringing down the debt. Let's see some numbers.

DO spend a little time on the real Mitt Romney. If you're uncomfortable sharing personal details, dispatch Ann to do it for you. She can tell us about how you helped a Bain associate search for his missing daughter, or about time with the family that didn't involve strapping a dog to the roof. Don't let this distract from the real issues, though; in 2008 we elected a funny, interesting, nice-guy president with zero preparedness for the job.

DO talk about an issue important to voters across the political spectrum that has gone almost completely untouched this election season: partisan gridlock. In 2008, Candidate Obama promised to unite the parties and ended up dividing them like no other president in history. Gridlock has defined American politics for the last two years, giving us imbalanced budgets and downgraded debt. How are you going to end the stalemate in Congress and move the country forward? Talk about it. This is an issue you can win on.