Excellent post, YC. Romney won’t win. However, if it were to happen, he’d be a liberal big spender, an appointer of liberal justices, and a political hack who would force the dead carcass of obamacare onto the nation.
Thanks, and you’re right. Romney WON’T win - even if every last FReeper suddenly threw away all pretense at principles and voted for him. The simple fact of the matter is that known “centrist,” liberal Republicans do not win national elections, nor do they win statewide elections in the majority of the states. Someone like Romney might be able to win a statewide race in a state like California or Massachusetts, especially when facing a weak Democrat opponent, but at the national level of the Presidency, this is moot, since Obama WILL TAKE all of the states where Romney is what you could remotely call “popular.”
The evidence for this is manifold - Ford, Bush I in 1992, Dole, McCain. In 2016, we’ll be able to make the same argument and add Romney’s name to the list.
The reason for this is simple - liberal Republicans are weak. They project weakness, and they do not inspire voters to vote for them. Liberal Democrats at least lead their party from their principles, no matter how twisted and disgusting those principles may be. Liberal Republicans, however, are what they are because they *necessarily* are compromisers, deal-cutters, sell-outs, and wishy-washy schmoes. The average voter looks at someone like Romney and thinks, “Nah. If I want a liberal, I’ll just vote for the Democrat.” People like Romney really have nothing to offer to people, leadership and principle-wise.
Reagan won as widely as he did in 1980 and 1984 not so much because of the popularity of his political positions, but because he projected an air of leadership, principle, and strength. He won people over because of the strength of his charactre and principle. Someone like Mitt Romney simply does not have these things, and therefore cannot replicate what Reagan did. A solid conservative who is able to articulate conservative principles, and who can show that they will lead from the front, could do so, winning over even people who only agree with them 50% of the time (i.e. the middle).
Thanks for pointing this out. Obama will crush Romney, so the point is moot if Santorum is not nominated. But those on this thread who actually think it will make a difference can fight three times as hard to support Romney in order to make up for those on this thread who are unwilling to go this route, if it means that much to them.