(Newser)
–
Four of the past six US presidents were also former governors, and the qualification is generally considered one of the best for the White House. Nevertheless, you won't hear Mitt Romney boasting of his term as governor of Massachusetts very often, preferring instead to talk about the Salt Lake City Olympics and Bain Capital. That's because Massachusetts talk equals RomneyCare, abortion-rights support, and closing tax loopholes for the rich—in other words, being a centrist, a fate worse than arugula this election cycle, reports Politico.
Romney's campaign says he wants to focus on his business background and better distinguish him from President Obama. But Democrats call the omission revealing. "I think it’s weird for him to talk about what he wants to do in government and not make reference to what he actually did in government," says the Bay State's current governor, Deval Patrick. Pointing out how Massachusetts was 47th in job creation under Romney, Patrick said, "Mr. Fix It didn’t fix it." Nonsense, counters a Romney spokesman: “Gov. Romney is proud of his record and his leadership experience in both the private and public sectors."
