The Daily Beast reports that Team Romney is beaming with confidence. For instance, staffers and even Mitt Romney’s wife Ann are talking about what he will do when, not if, he’s president.
“We’re in a completely different stage,” Stuart Stevens, Romney’s senior strategist and image consultant, argued to a couple of reporters in the back of a meeting hall in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Sunday evening, as his shirt-sleeved, blue-jeaned candidate mingled briskly with likely caucus-goers. “I haven’t seen polling on this, but most Republicans think Obama is going to lose. And most of these people”—he gestured at the crowd—“think Mitt Romney’s going to be the next president. So a lot of people are coming to see somebody who’s going to be the next president.”
The author of the piece then wonders whether the Romney-ites aren’t playing with fire. ‘But, wait a minute, wasn’t that dangerous talk before actual voters have actually voted? Wasn’t the former Massachusetts governor’s guru tempting the vengeful gods of politics by venturing into territory once occupied by Mark Penn? Hillary Clinton’s 2008 “chief strategist” preached the doctrine of inevitability, only to be accused of arrogance and proven beyond all doubt to be less than impressive in the prophecy department.’
Well no. These examples aren’t even remotely comparable.
When Clinton was running, those who hated her guts had to find the ‘anti-Clinton’ candidate. They found him in Barack Obama. This was a guy they could all unite behind.
In the case of Romney, however, the opposite is true: the conservative base has tried to find a good alternative (several times even), but has failed to do so time and again. Bachmann, Gingrich, Perry; they all surged in the polls, only to fall back to rock bottom once their records and knowledge were scrutinized.
What this means? Simple: Romney should be able to win. And once he’s the Republican nominee, he should very well be able to make life very difficult indeed for Obama, whose poll numbers aren’t exactly brag-worthy.
I would accept Mittens as the President Elect in November, provided there is a Republican House and a Senate that has 60 Republican Senators in it.
In that case, his Vice President selection is important.
If he goes all gooey Massachusetts RINO in the Oval Office, we can fire him if needed, and replace him with somebody who gets it.
Unlike the Obamanaton, a Bill of Indictment from a Republican House could get real air time in the Senate.
Maybe that notion might help him get some permanent conservative principles.
The man surely does want the office.
That in itself should be frightening to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear.
For the VP slot, so far the word on the street is that he’s considering Gov. McDonnell of Virginia. He looks like another smiling technocrat.
– now means he will lose to Obama later.
Well, on the bright side, if Mitt wins the entire thing it should mean the end of the Imperial Presidency. At least for a term.
Part of that is a cut on Romney, but part of it is an honest assessment–if he wins Romney is going to win because he is not Obama. He’ll never have the broad base of support to ram anything down anybody’s throat, and anything resembling “compassionate conservatism” redux may very well reslt in a Tea Party schism.
‘if he wins Romney is going to win because he is not Obama. He’ll never have the broad base of support to ram anything down anybody’s throat, and anything resembling “compassionate conservatism” redux may very well reslt in a Tea Party schism.’
That’s a very, very good and important point. And that’s a good thing too. The system is not meant to be used by some ambitious, society-changing president who thinks he has a ‘mandate’ to ram bills through anyone’s throat.
B Dubya: Yes, he has to choose a good, appealing conservative running mate. In the general election, it’ll be up to him to convince independent voters to vote for him. He needs a good VP to make sure that the conservative base will show up on election day.
The point I really want to make—and it is really being made for the benefit of Romney’s staffers and influential supporters–is that if Romeny wins it won’t be because he swept a mass of people off their feet. That means there won’t be a lot of clicking of heels and saying “Ja wohl!” when the campaign/administration issues marching orders, especially if they end up trying to redefine conservatism for the unique benefit of Mitt Romney because he’s supposedly the “party leader”.
And that may be the most important thing the Mitt brigade can learn–the man might win the nomination, he might win the election, but in no circumstance can I see him winning the mantle of titular “party leader” absent a few years of actually producing results. And any attempt to act like he has won that mantle merely because he has become “lord of the manor” will result in disaster, because there is too much water under the bridge vis a vis conservatives and establishment types. An attempt to earn the title, on the other hand, will perhaps work. In other words, humility might work. Arrogance won’t.
Among other things, this means squaring the Massachusetts mandate with the need to get rid of the national mandate is strictly Mitt Romney’s problem, not conservatism’s. (I would also point out that if Mitt the Mighty had vetoed that healthcare bill he would be hands down running away with this thing and it would be a coronation march, instead of the “least objectionable” miasma it seems to be. In a different year,with different candidates, he has no chance.)
Basic takeaway for his advisors– Don’t think people can figure out politics and basic political strength and judge their willingness to follow “to the gates of Hell” accordingly. If Mitt’s supporters thinks they can make big demands simply because he wins something, it won’t happen.
Oops–typo. Should be “don’t think people can’t figure out politics.”
The only way that a President Romney becomes acceptable is if we have 200 Alan Wests in the House and 60 Rubios and DeMints in the Senate, Mitt’s natural default is go-along-to-get-along-reach-across-the-isle spineless squish. The only way that he’ll go down the conservative road is if he is dragged, kicking and screaming, every inch of the way!