romney ryanIt's interesting to revisit this question after blogging over the last year and watching the 2012 election campaigns unfold. Who is going to be the best candidate for women and children? For me, it's Mitt Romney. But that is because I consider the economy our biggest concern this go-around. And I think it's time to give a successful businessman the chance to run things for awhile. And as I've said before, I believe a rising tide lifts all boats.

There were times when I liked the Mitt Romney who ran Massachusetts better than the candidate. Back when it was okay to be a Republican and say you were pro-choice, pro-stem cell, and yeah, you cared if people could get health insurance or not. But I blame the process and not the person. How else does a moderate Republican get the nomination when the social conservatives have gummed up the process?

A lot of moderate moms might not feel good about voting for Romney if they believed he was going to be the guy at the top when abortion rights unraveled. Personally, I'm hoping he's going to be too busy turning the economy around and leave the fight over abortion to Congress and the states. And when the engine starts revving again, and people are busy working, that government intrusion into the bedroom will be relegated to the back burner. That's usually the way it works, isn't it? Hopefully, when jobs open up and the economy improves, women will stop being used as targets. Call me naive, but today's modern woman, as nuanced a thinker, as capable a breadwinner, and as fickle a voter as she is, is not going to stand by while legislators try to unravel rights we earned more than 40 years ago.

Looking back at this year, I think we moms learned a lot. For me, this blog helped me to stay informed and really consider my vote. A single mom, trying to pay the mortgage, trying to find paying work, and having to borrow money, I could relate to what was happening to our country and to a lot of my fellow moms. I realized firsthand, it's about downsizing and reconsidering priorities with a goal to a healthier financial future. I guess I just trust the Republican candidates more to do the same thing on a larger scale.

Once Jon Huntsman went by the wayside, I turned to Mitt Romney, and the more I listened to him talk about turning organizations around, the more I liked what I saw. And once the filter between Romney and the voters was removed, the way it was in the debates, Americans warmed up to him, too. 

As a moderate, I was surprised about how my resolve against re-electing Obama really strengthened over the course of the campaign. I just saw the Democrats and the press giving him a free ride when he was playing the very campaign tricks the social conservatives once had a lock on. Like trying to divide and distract women by trotting out social issues. I got mad and I think a lot of other women did, too.

Whoever is elected, let's hope the interest in the Moderate or Independent voice lives on past next Tuesday. Because most moderate moms seem to be saying our top concern is the economy; we want to feel like our government can protect us from threats from abroad, but we need to know we are not making ourselves vulnerable here on the home-front by being in such poor shape financially; we want to take care of our planet, but we need to develop energy independence; we want our kids to have a good education; and we want to feel good about our country again.

I don't have the answers but I think moms can define and tackle almost any problem when it involves their kids. I just hope they turn out in droves to vote next week! And that more of them will consider running for public office. And inspiring those kids, errr, I mean political parties to be nice and work harder to fix this country's problems! And yes, I admit it. I hope they vote for Romney.