Does Character Matter?

Newt Gingrich had an interesting interview this morning in Tampa, Florida.   He was interviewed by David Brody of CBN news and was asked why he thinks evangelicals have forgiven him for his past mistakes and appear to be rallying behind his candidacy.  His response was interesting.  He said:

“They recognize that I have not hidden from the facts of my life, that I have confessed my weaknesses, and that I have had to go to God for forgiveness and for reconciliation."

"And I think most people can identify, either with themselves or with loved ones, that life has moments that are very sad, you wish wouldn't have occurred.  And you look back on them and you seek forgiveness for not having done everything you could have."

"So, I think in that sense, it may make me more normal than somebody who wanders around seeming perfect and maybe not understanding the human condition, and the challenges of life for normal people."(Click to read CBN interview).

I can't stop thinking about this interview.  Gingrich's insinuation that his own past mistakes make him easier to relate to for normal people is quite frankly offensive.

Mr. Gingrich, I am impressed that you have had the discipline to overcome some major mistakes in your life.  We are all entitled to that kind of change and I hope for your sake that you are what you say, "a changed man," but let's be perfectly clear, the "facts of your life" do not make you easy to relate to.

• Cheating on your first wife and leaving her with cancer does not make you normal.  
• Being married to your second wife of 18 years and then leaving her for your mistress does not make you conventional.  
• Being the first Speaker of the House in history to face ethics violations and be publicly reprimanded by Democratic and Republican colleagues with a $300,000 fine does not make you ordinary.  
• Being forced to resign from your Speakership does not make you typical.
• Calling your ex-wife a liar on national television for discussing your very public betrayal does not make you someone most can relate to.

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I am baffled Mitt Romney is now being attacked for the moral compass by which he has led his life.

It is ridiculous to insinuate that somehow Mitt Romney has escaped the trials and hardships of life.  He like all of us, has had to face adversity.  Like all of us, he has had to decide how those moments of adversity will define him.


As a Young LDS Missionary

Mitt Romney had a very defining moment in his life as a young missionary for the LDS church in France.  At the age of 21, he was driving along the French countryside with a few missionaries, the mission president and his wife.  They were struck by another vehicle in a head-on collision.  It was a horrific accident.  The mission president's wife was killed instantly.  Mitt Romney was also terribly injured and was initially pronounced dead at the scene.  He was in a coma, but was able to make a full recovery.

This accident proved to be a defining moment for Mitt Romney.  The injured mission president returned to the United States to bury his wife and he decided to leave Romney in charge of the affairs of the mission.

Romney was given the task to tend to the administrative duties of the mission, as well address the needs of 200 emotionally weakened and scared mission colleagues.  By all accounts, he led with dignity and many were "struck by his resilience."

He did not give up.  He fulfilled his duties and helped the missionaries refocus their responsibilities to act as ambassadors for their faith.

In a 2007 interview with the New York Times, Romney said the experience changed him.  He credited his mission with "growing up quickly."  He went on to say that the experience defined his faith in Jesus Christ.  He said, "For me it became much deeper." (Click to read NYTimes Article)

Mitt Romney has since been a faithful and life-long member of his church.


His Wife Ann's Illness
In 1997, after experiencing severe numbness and fatigue, Ann Romney was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  In an 2007 Boston Globe interview, Mitt Romney described watching Ann fail a series of neurological tests as, "the worst day of my life."

Unsure what their future held, Romney stood by his wife and helped their five sons adjust to the new reality of life with a fragile and weakened mom.

Photo from mittromneycentral.com

In 2008, Ann was also diagnosed with breast cancer.  She had the pre-cancerous lump removed and underwent radiation therapy.  Mitt Romney stood by her and helped her regain her strength.

Mitt and Ann have been married for 43 years, they have raised 5 exemplary sons and are now proud grandparent to 16 grandchildren.

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Defining moments.

It has long been said that, "Character is what defines you when no one is looking."  I couldn't agree more.  Character matters.  It is a predictor for how one will act under difficult circumstances.  It is an indicator if one will be guided by a moral compass.

One's character is defined by how one faces the adversities of life.

AP Photo

Mitt Romney is a man of good character.  He is a man of faith.  A man who loves his wife.  A man who loves his family.  A man who has committed his life to their well-being.  A man who is charitable.  A man who is an incredibly hard worker.  A man who is a solid leader.  A man who by all accounts is honest in his dealings--all his dealings.

Mitt Romney is a man of good, moral and honorable character.  America needs a leader with this type of character.  America will be a stronger nation with a leader like Mitt Romney.

Shame on those who are trying to portray him as "abnormal."  Shame on those who portray these qualities as a weakness.

George Washington once said, "I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."