ROMNEY'S NEXT JOB

So what will Mitt Romney do after he loses his final bid to be president in November? Here’s my thought: President Obama should make one of his first appointments at the beginning of his second term by naming Romney as head of his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, replacing Jeffrey Immelt, the Republican CEO of General Electric.

This would be a job much more suited to Romney’s proven skills than Commander-In-Chief. He has already demonstrated his mastery as a fixer and turnaround maestro at the Utah Olympics and at Bain Capital. Wall Street experts seem to think his results at Bain beat those of any other major venture capital firm. Sure, he didn’t give as much thought to saving jobs as he did to the bottom line for shareholders, but that was his assignment, the goal of any venture capitalist. As the Jobs Czar, Obama can keep a tight leash on Romney’s natural inclination to fire the entire country.

While the appointment of Immelt was designed to show that Obama was friendly to the business community, Romney not only would be more skillful, but would exemplify the post-partisanship Obama ran on in 2008. It might begin a process of major healing between Democrats and Republicans. And Romney would not have to worry about his Etch-A-Sketch reversals on such issues as abortion, gay marriage, and the healthcare mandate. He would never need to comment on those conservative taboos again. And let’s face it, after losing the presidency and possibly taking the Republican House down with him, there would no longer be a place for Mitt Romney in the Republican Party. This is a guy who likes to produce results, and this would be a great chance, perhaps the only one for him to redeem his legacy.

It would also make Obama look bold and courageous. Yes, both men would have to eat a bit of humble pie. But Romney has already demonstrated he can go with the flow in switching positions. Obama might have a bit more difficulty. Like George W. Bush, he has seemed resistant to admitting that he sometimes makes mistakes, and he would have to admit that he could have done a better job with the economic recovery.

Jerry

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