The New Republic : Thanks for the Greatest Turkey of the Year : Mitt Romney : Not just for being a clumsy candidate in a year when a more agile one might have knocked off Barack Obama, but for the broader benefit he served the Democratic Party as a powerful clarifying force

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The New Republic
Why Democrats Should Give Thanks For Mitt Romney
By Alec MacGillis
November 21, 2012


Why Democrats Should Give Thanks For Mitt Romney


Some excerpts :

But that didn't happen. Why? Because the Republicans nominated Willard Mitt Romney. In an era of resentment toward unaccountable financial elites, they put forward the ultimate financial elite, a man who sliced and diced companies, sheltered his income offshore, and, above all, was eye-poppingly incapable of discussing his wealth and the economic anxieties of those less fortunate in ways that might put voters at ease.

The muddle that had clouded the political debate since Obama's inauguration parted. On Election Day, when exit pollsters asked voters whom they thought the candidates favored, a plurality, 44 percent, thought Obama favored the middle class, while 53 percent thought Romney favored the rich. Meanwhile, one in five voters thought that a candidate's "caring about people like me" was the most important quality, and 81 percent of them voted for Obama. 

The benefits for Democrats carry forward post-election: as we head toward the so-called fiscal cliff, there is little doubt who's for raising taxes on the wealthiest—a proposition supported by some 60 percent of voters—and who is not.

So Democrats, as you raise your glass on Thursday evening, say or think a thanks for Mitt Romney, who, like the Wampanoag Indians bringing their five deer to the feast, brought a great gift to America: clarity.

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