President? Or role model?

Last night Mitt and Ann Romney were interviewed on Fox and according to Mitt, he says he's not going to disappear.

I hope not. While he failed in his bid to win the Presidency he may be infinitely more valuable to our nation as a role model in how to live a decent life, be a productive, caring citizen and in so doing achieve personal success.

At the risk of sounding like that lowlife John Edwards, there really are two Americas today. Charles Murray has spelled it all out in his latest book, Coming Apart. 

There's one America where people follow the traditional and possibly boring path that usually includes things like attending school, studying and graduating from high school then going on to university or technical school in the hope of developing worthwhile and marketable skills. 

Marriage might follow, and after that, a family—kids. It means being a good parent—a BIG job. And being a good husband or wife—not just when times are easy but when they become tough and trying. You can get through life without developing spiritual faith or believing in God. That's a personal choice. But people who possess a strong faith tend to have a durable set of values they can carry with them throughout their lives. That can be a source of strength when times do get rough—and they most certainly will. It can also help them be better citizens in their communities and do a better job raising their children while giving them their own set of values to live by. 

Being a good citizen means more than paying your taxes and showing up at the polls to vote every so often. It involves things like volunteering as a firefighter, a soccer coach or scoutmaster. It means showing up at parents' night, school board and borough council meetings (boring though they may be at times). It means being a good neighbor and noticing if something seems amiss in the house across the street or in the behavior of the kids on the block and then doing something about it. It might even require you to take enough interest in your country that you decide to serve it directly in the military or working in a government agency or even—God bless you—running for public office yourself.

In the other, non-traditional America, people are more likely to drop out of school and fail to get both an education and marketable skills. They are more likely to have children out of wedlock and not be around to provide the homework help, guidance and values only parents can. Instead of contributing to society, they are more likely to become dependent on society. Their chances of personal success are slim and as a result their children carry a greater burden in their own struggle to succeed. 

By all accounts, Mitt and Ann have lived good and decent lives. Instead of holding them up for ridicule, as some people have, America should be looking to them as examples.

We would all be better for it.