Don't Worry, Be Happy

Maria Bartiromo, a CNBC commentator, asked the candidate what he thought posed “the greatest long-term threat” to the American economy.

But instead of summoning a litany of facts and statistics, Mr. Romney suggested that the greatest threat was this: “Our sense of optimism. America has to be optimistic and recognize that there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

The gauzy answer might have surprised some observers, but the comments fit into the sunny mien that Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, has tried, with varying degrees of success, to carry off since the beginning of his campaign.

Pessimism can become self-defeating, yes, but it's a necessary risk associated with sober assessment and corrective action. The real question is whether Americans are justifiably pessimistic. A quick inventory of recent headlines:

- National debt hits record $9 trillion
- Dollar at record lows
- Gold at 28-year high on dollar weakness
- Oil prices resume rise
- 2007 deadliest year for U.S. in Iraq
- Tsunami of entitlement spending nears
- $5 Gas in California

We keep hearing we need "strong leadership." But that's intended to mean somebody who'll focus on those pesky terrorists and any country we chose to rattle sabers at. REAL leadership would address the systemic problems underlying the headlines above: out of control spending, interventionist foreign policy, printing money out of thin air, and general Government Gone Wild. A real leader doesn't just smooth talk and go with the flow. The marquee candidates refuse to touch vital issues in a substantial way. Romney, at least, would rather play Bobby McFerrin's greatest hits.

You want a leader? Here's a leader.
Get concerned. Focus that concern. Do something different this election year. Only a fool keeps trying the same solutions, expecting a different outcome.