This Is It?  I was thinking about a title for this note and Kenny Loggins solved the mystery for me.  The title applies to the three nights of Republican Convention I have just witnessed, concluding with tonight’s Romney acceptance speech.  And…it is not meant in a disparaging fashion; rather one of disappointment.

I have read with amusement that Romney is a weak candidate.  Per the media, this must be so because the economy is historically bad and the President is tied with Romney in the polls.  A Republican of better timbre would surely be several points ahead of a sitting president with such a dismal record.  I haven’t bought into this logic and still do not.  As presidential candidates go, I find Mitt Romney quite impressively qualified.  I have often wondered how it would work out to have an effective CEO for President and see if our government might function better if it is run as a business.  Agree or not with this proposition, one must admit that it is an interesting thought.  I think that Romney’s perceived (by some) weakness as a candidate is a result of media bias and the Republican Party’s eternal quest for the perfect candidate.    But I digress; back to the topic at hand.

Anticipating a business-like acceptance speech from this recently-crowned nominee, I was frankly looking forward to a refreshingly detailed approach to setting this country’s economy back on the path to prosperity.  Instead, I heard a fairly unimpressive regurgitation of highlights from the Romney Campaign for President Organization to date.  Now, I still believe that Romney is clearly the right choice for this election based simply on Obama’s poor performance and Romney’s clear qualifications for the job, but I must express significant disappointment in not hearing Romney totally buy-in to a business-like approach to government in tonight’s speech.  I heard nationalism, personal history, swipes at an all-too-easy-to–hit Obama record, and recycled platitudes to a convention hall full of ready-made disciples.  This will be an interesting 60+ days of Presidential campaigning to come and I wait with anticipation to see how the Democrats will rebut this Republican show next week.

Panic In the (Washington) Streets?  This has got to be a very scary time for the Obama campaign.  After waves of anti-Romney advertising at a cost that ran the campaign coffers into the red for a month, after several bad hits for the Republican party (nude swimming, idiotic remarks, imminent hurricanes), and the continuing “firewall” protection of the mainstream media, the Obama campaign now finds itself trailing and/or at best, even with the Romney campaign heading into the Republican National Convention.  Additionally, polls now seem to verify that the selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate has propelled the Romney candidacy ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan and closing rapidly in Iowa.  All of a sudden, the conventional wisdom that no Republican can win the White House without Ohio is being questioned.  A mid-west scenario that puts Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa in the Romney column is shifting the complete dynamic of this presidential race.  If you do the electoral math, it is indeed conceivable that Romney could win this election without winning Ohio.  Or, to put it differently, suddenly there is the notion that Obama cannot win this election without winning Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa.  This new urgency to protect territory that was only yesterday considered to be safely tucked away is an added campaign expense and concern that an already embattled (or battling internally?) campaign really does not need at this time.

With new found momentum following the Ryan selection, this Romney surge in the polls going into Tampa has got to be the explanation for some of the bizarre actions being taken by the Obama campaign; such as stationing Biden at the Republican Convention on opening day and ignoring the traditional principle of lying low during your opponent’s convention.  Facing the prospect of actually being outspent in the remaining days of the campaign, it will be interesting indeed to watch how the Obama campaign spreads its already-diminished financial resources to cover these new battleground states.  One can only wonder what will happen if Romney goes into his convention with a one-or-two point lead in the polls, gets the traditional bounce following his convention to boost that lead to five-or-six points, and Obama’s convention bounce is effectively foiled by the immediately following employment and economic data release.  Acts of desperation may know no bounds and we may get an up close and personal view of how they do politics in Chicago.

The Most Significant Aspect of a Second Obama Term.  Even though the first two years of the Obama administration was blessed with control of Congress, and did in fact pass major legislation during that time; it can be argued that the most significant actions taken during this administration have been the executive initiatives it has pursued since the Republicans took control of the House in 2010.  At that time, it would appear obvious that the President gave up on any further legislative accomplishments and began to focus on two things: First, getting himself re-elected, and secondly, implementing his agenda through administrative and executive fiat.

It is during this second half of his term that we have received a very clear picture of the Obama vision for America.   For some, this is a celebration of sorts and a good reason to extend his authority for another four years.   For others, it not only borders on an abuse of executive power but also provides a troubling glimpse into what an unfettered President Obama may try to accomplish in a second term.  Unfettered?  Yes, unfettered by the concern of standing for another election and having to trifle with the representatives elected by the people and, for that matter, by the people themselves.  It would present to him an opportunity to work the vision that he is so very sure of into reality.  As convinced as he is that he is the best candidate for president, he is far more confident that he alone has the clarity of sight and the benefit of extraordinary wisdom to shepherd this country to the place it should be. 

Regardless of who we elect as our next president, it is essentially guaranteed that the House will remain in the hands of the Republicans.  The Senate will either remain under Democratic control clearly or by default due to a pair of Independents who caucus with the Democrats.  If the Republicans were to gain control of the Senate, it will only be legislatively relevant if they also gain control of the White House.  If they achieve majority Senate status and lose the White House, we will essentially have the same environment of stalemate that currently exists.  On the other hand, a Republican sweep of both the White House and the Senate will indeed usher in a term of significant change in this country’s leadership and, quite likely, in its policy direction.

So it would seem that come January of 2013, we as a nation will be heading down a very different road.  Either we will have a new Republican philosophy implemented that essentially wipes the slate clean and begins anew…or…we will have an emboldened Obama administration that will test as never before the ability of the Executive branch of government to exert its influence over the way this nation does business.  Is it any wonder that our economy is reflecting uncertainly about what tomorrow holds?