It is September 18, 2016 and Mitt Romney is leading Hillary Clinton by 2 percentage points
If Mitt Romney beats Ms. Clinton it will because he set the stage for his victory during the primary season of 2012.
In the summer of 2012, when the rest of the GOP field was running to the right, Mitt Romney stuck to his moderate guns. While Michelle Bachman and Newt Gingrich stoked the fires of hatred and division among Republicans, Mitt Romney argued for a more sensible, inclusive GOP. It was obviously a message that the Republican primary voters were not ready for, but by clearly and consistently making a case for a more tolerant, rational GOP, Romney was able to build an installed base of supporters who carried him to victory in the 2016 primary. Romney sensed that his politics were well tuned to Republicans who had grown weary of the culture wars and constant partisan attacks against a popular Democratic President and was able to distinguish himself as a candidate with core values and character.
During the televised debate, Romney garnered boos when he rebuked the eventual nominee, Newt Gingrich, who suggested the President Obama was not fully American, “That is a disgusting sentiment, Mr. Speaker. As a Republican and an American I am appalled at your suggestion. You are talking about the President of the United States.” But that willingness to challenge the extremism that had set in on the right of American politics won him fans across the political spectrum.
Whether or not he beats Ms. Clinton this November, Mitt Romney will be remembered as a statesman and patriot who rose to the challenge when his party desperately needed someone to step up.
And then Jason wakes up…
If Romney had half as much integrity as he has money in Swiss Bank accounts, it could have played out that way.
I have been making the case that if Romney had looked presidential and forced some sanity into the debates and refused to jump into the mud, he’d be beating Obama right now.
But as is the case with the American Taliban, you cannot negotiate with them. Here we are in mid-September, and Mitt is STILL trying to nail down his base.
Mitt made his bed. I feel much sorrier for America than I do for Mitt.
I don’t think he would be the nominee is he tried to force some sanity into the debates. This is the teabaggers GOP. Still, there would have been merit in losing well.
At which point he will have spent 10 years running for a job that lasts, at most, 8 years.
First Romney would need to have his Lee Atwater/George Wallace moment where he renounces and regrets his former attitudes and behavior. He doesn’t possess the character.
Agreed. This path is completely closed off now. He would have had to possess the character a year ago to resist the siren call of wingnutia.
The party will think Romney was too moderate, when he loses. They will go further to the right convinced that the public is more conservative. Don’t expect a good candidate until one of the wing nuts loses in a landslide.
By the way Hillary Clinton is the most popular politician in the country.
The American Taliban? It wasn’t Republicans that took that film maker in for questioning. And you can say it was for whatever reason you’d like. Anyone with half a brain knows it’s because the administration didn’t like the content of the film…1st Amendment be damned!
When Martin mentions people with half a brain, you get the feeling that he is speaking from direct experience.
If you replace Romney with Huntsman it makes more sense.
If Clinton runs and if Hunstman runs you will have a contest. Both of those are big ifs. Clinton will be something like 77 and Hunstman will be in a party so marginalized that Ronald Reagan couldn’t get the nomination because there will be nothing left except right wing aliens (extraterrestrial life, not illegal immigrants).
“Anyone with half a brain knows it’s because the administration didn’t like the content of the film…1st Amendment be damned!”
In what way does taking a parolee in for questioning violate the First Amendment? He hasn’t been charged with anything, his video hasn’t been censored. Why are so many conservatives such pants-pissers?