When a person decides to run for President, he opens himself up to the American people, and we have a right to know as much as we can about his background , his history, his beliefs, and his agenda.
Of course, no one is tied down to what he says his agenda is, as circumstances and events will shape a lot of what occurs during his administration, if he is elected President.
But being honest, frank, transparent, is always the better way, as we value someone who comes across as not secretive, not deceptive, not manipulative.
Sadly, Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee for President, particularly after victories in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, now needs to prove that he is not secretive, deceptive and manipulative, the impressions he has left in the battle for the nomination over the past year.
Therefore, if he wants us to take him seriously, and decide if he deserves to be President, he must come forward with information in precise terms about the following:
Romney needs to tell us about his Mormon faith, how he views it, what he thinks of its shortcomings and the criticisms made of it, as many wonder about a religion often considered a cult. We have a right to know how much his faith will govern his decision making and his world view.
Romney needs to reveal his investments, if any, based on reports, that he has in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Monaco, or Swiss banks, and why he chose to invest there, rather than in US banking institutions.
Romney needs to explain his family history, and the truth about his father, instead of claiming how poor his dad, George Romney, was, and how Mitt pulled himself up all on his own without any help from family, a story that is seen as a myth. He needs to stop denying his heritage and his wealth and advantages inherited from being the son of the chairman of American Motors and the Governor of Michigan in the 1960s.
Romney also needs to tell us what his agenda is on foreign policy, how he plans to relate to the outside world. And he needs to tell us what kind of Supreme Court appointments he would wish to make, and how he sees the law and the Constitution, in specific details. And he needs to stop evasion as a tactic, as he will be confronted with it during the campaign by media investigation, and certainly by President Obama in the three televised debates. We have a right to know if he wished to govern as a moderate or a conservative.
Since he insisted that Obama should be forthcoming on his plans after the election, he must be willing to do the same, and be totally transparent in all regards, something he has not done so far.
If he is not transparent, then he will lose the election. If he is transparent, and we find the information unacceptable, then he will lose. But better to lose on transparency than the lack of it. To have an image of being honest, frank, and transparent, is always preferred, and a good character lesson for the nation at large!