To the editor:

Here’s what I would advise presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney:

For the last few months, you have been running against people who had a lock on the Tea Party vote. You were trying to show that you were more conservative than each of them.

You were trying to live down your reputation as a moderate governor of Massachusetts. “Obamacare” was, after all, based on your initiative in that state.

Trying to change your spots proved difficult. Tea Party adherents think that you are trying to be a right winger just to get their votes.

Independents, of whom there are now more than members of either other party, don’t know whether you are conservative or moderate.

It’s a losing game. Now that you have beaten your right wing challengers, you can recover the moderate Romney.

To win, you must adopt a central theme, a moderate theme that concerns all Americans.

The simple but powerful theme could be the urgent need for fiscal responsibility.

President Obama’s failure to accept the recommendations of the Simpson-Bowles committee suggests his lack of concern for our rising debt. A campaign based on fiscal responsibility would take advantage of your business background and be more comfortable for you.

Richard Chapin,
Georgetown

[email protected]