It looks like the Democrats are settling on Romney. As their opponent, I mean.
The House’s top Democrat repeatedly jabbed at the former Massachusetts governor during an hour-long interview hosted by POLITICO and taunted the GOP for a slate of presidential contenders that she said was “not exactly what you would call the first string of the Republican Party.”
And a backbench senator with no record of accomplishment was the Democrats’ first string last time? Yes, actually, he was. He was the best they had. And that says quite a bit about has-beens like Pelosi.
“If the far right thought that Romney could win, they might be more enthusiastic about him,” Pelosi told POLITICO’s Mike Allen during Tuesday’s Playbook Breakfast. “But they question what he stands for and they don’t think he’s going to win. So what’s the sell? I’m not sure he knows what he stands for, and that makes it harder too.”
“I don’t know who knows him,” she added of Romney. “Does he know him?”
I’ve made that last point myself more than once. After five years in the national conversation it’s still difficult to see what Mitt Romney really believes. But the last week has pointed out one thing he definitely believes: Mitt Romney is a capitalist. That alone makes him more fit for the presidency than Obama. As for the rest, meh. The right is skeptical of Romney because his record invites skepticism. He does look now like the most likely candidate to defeat Obama. The question is, what would he do after that victory?
Join the conversation as a VIP Member