Why the Wall Street Journal Editorial Writers Hate Mitt Romney

If He Gets the Nomination Though, They Will Come to Love Him

The Editorial Pages of the Wall Street Journal reflect the Journal’s desire to have a pro-business conservative as President.  Mitt Romney would seem to be a perfect fit.  He ran a buyout company that often fired employees after loading up the companies with debt, which is surely the way the Wall Street Journal opinion folks think a business should be run.  He seems to espouse pro-business policies, and his tax policy is right out of the Conservative playbook.

The Wall Street Journal editorial writers though just do not like Mr. Romney.  On Monday they ran this editorial

Florida Republicans for Obama

railing against the moving of the Florida primary to late January.  Their concern

The real motivation here may be the traditional desire among party elites to settle the nomination early, lest Republicans fight among themselves for too long. . . It's already October 3, and a rushed calendar means the primary campaign would be over in four or five months. This would help the well known and well-heeled candidates, or those who have been running for years. But it may not help the GOP select the best nominee for this consequential election season when voters are looking for a candidate who can win, rather than the one who is merely next in line.

Ok, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure how who the "well known and well heeled candidate", the one who is "merely next in line" and the one that has "been running for years" is.

The following day is this editorial

The Obama-Romney Tariff



Associated Press

The senators speak during a news

 conference on Sept. 22, to discuss

unfair currency manipulation.



and anytime the WSJ links a person with Mr. Obama you can be sure they are slamming him to the maximum degree.  Now the Journal has been pro-free trade, not a bad position to take providing the government provides for short term aid to employees who are displaced by changes in trade policy (a policy that does horrify the Journal).

 As usual the WSJ goes overboard, accusing a rather mild bill sanctioning China for currency manipulation of potentially causing a 1930’s. like Depression.

The attack on Mr. Romney

Senate Republicans aren't about to stand in the way, especially when their Presidential front-runner, the supposedly business savvy Mitt Romney, is also calling for unilateral trade duties against China to give his candidacy a populist edge

is the usual personal stuff the Conservatives engage in, nothing new there.

The real question is why the animosity to a candidate so clearly in line with WSJ policy?  Part of the answer is the Massachusetts health care mandate, the law in Massachusetts that requires it citizens to be covered by health insurance.  This so offends the Journal that they desperately want another candidate, and the crushing blow they received when NJ Gov. Christie decided not to run must have been devastating.

The remaining reasons are Mr. Romney’s views on immigration and the above mentioned currency issue.  The opposition to Mr. Romney’s harsh immigration rhetoric is not based on compassion but on business practices.  The Journal’s editors are afraid Mr. Romney’s positions will harm the ability of U. S. companies to attract low paid workers, legal or not. 

The thing the Journal does not understand is that none of that matters.  Mr. Romney is so politically malleable that any positions he takes today will be easily reversed tomorrow if there is political gain to be seen.  One thing everyone can count on is that no one can count on Mr. Romney to stay true to his current beliefs.

As for Mr. Romney, if he does get the nomination look for the editors of the WSJ to suddenly find all of his virtues, and that his faults will be long forgotten.  In fact, at that point those faults will have never existed.