This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am an independent, politically. I vote for the best person. Mitt Romney would be a good president. He's intelligent and would use his Harvard business training to analyze and solve problems.
Recently, however, I haven't liked the ultra-conservative things he's been saying. They're dumb. They appear crafted just to get votes. So I've been inclined not to vote for him.
Then a friend emailed me links to two recent Washington Post features about his church service as a Mormon bishop and stake president. I liked the guy.
When confronted with challenges, he was human and pragmatic. On dealing with illegal immigrants, he looked the other way, preferring not to split families and indirectly directing resources to help them legally.
He was a similar problem-solver with Bain Capital, the 2002 Winter Olympics and as a moderate governor of Massachusetts (including health care reform). As president, I bet he'd be the same. He's got my vote. For now.
But Romney would be even better if he had to negotiate with a Democratic Congress instead of tea party nuts, so I'm going to split my vote and go Democrat for members of Congress.
Divided, I stand.
Rob Ross
Salt Lake City