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The Spectacle Blog
I don’t think I ever claimed Mitt Romney was an electoral powerhouse or that the Republican base loved him, Stacy. I’m simply addressing one narrow point: Even if Romney is only winning narrow margins after massively outspending his GOP rivals in big states with expensive media markets, what reflects poorly on him doesn’t necessarily reflect well on his opponents. Romney isn’t likely to stop outspending them anytime soon, and Barack Obama would surely outspend them.
But since you asked, yes, Romney is a very weak frontrunner. My guess is he has at least some fear that his primary opponents will keep him short of the 1,144 delegate finish line. But his biggest concern is almost certainly the primary campaign’s impact on his negatives should he win the nomination. He wants Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich to go away and stop reminding the base how much they dislike him.
Note that nothing in my skepticism about Santorum and Gingrich’s prospects going forward assumes any real strength on the part of Romney. But if Romney is weak for not wrapping up the nomination and quieting conservative concerns, how strong are the candidates who can’t beat him?
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More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/26/et-tu-stacy-mccain
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Anommynous| 3.26.12 @ 5:20PM
I want this race to continue to the convention. If we are going to be stuck with Romney, at least let's hold his feet to the fire, make him run so far to the right during the primaries that it will be impossible to shake those positions from his Etch-a-Sketch.
The votes that are eluding Romney are the base. These are the people he will need for the GOTV efforts, the people he would rely on for small donations. Instead, his negative campaign has depressed the vote of his base. What a terrible candidate.
PCC| 3.27.12 @ 10:10AM
Is it in the GOP's interest to have convention delegates apportioned on a proportional basis in the primaries rather than the winner-take-all basis used in the general election?
Doesn't it virtually guarantee a protracted primary battle amongst several candidates with sectional strength rather than the national appeal necessary to win in the general election?
Les| 3.26.12 @ 5:24PM
Santorum hasn't done anything impressive since that Tuesday night in Feb. when he shocked the world and won Minnesota,Colorado and Missouri. In ohio,he had a huge lead and lost it,sepite actually having the establishment,ie Mike DeWine behind him. In Michigan,he had a double digit lead.
Dai Alanye | 3.26.12 @ 8:34PM
Establishment my Aunt Fannie! Has-been DeWine speaking for Rick vs brand new Senator Portman making ads for Mitt, plus calls from Dan Quayle, Barbara Bush and others.
What took down Santorum's numbers was an overwhelming storm of lying robocalls. I know because I had to answer them. In NEOhio more than thirty calls for Romney against five or six for Santorum.
Valin| 3.26.12 @ 5:51PM
The question is Why should Mitt Romney be President, and not one of the other candidates?
Something I've not heard Willard Whitebread tell us.
aware| 3.26.12 @ 6:27PM
Because it's his turn?
Simon Templar| 3.26.12 @ 6:57PM
Exactly.
Kitty | 3.27.12 @ 7:55AM
Dittos.
Doug| 3.26.12 @ 6:25PM
So Romney's donors, backers, voters and SuperPACs will just pack up and go home if he loses? All that money will miraculously disappear? Guess that means that they are not serious about being either conservative or wanting to beat Obama.
Simon Templar| 3.26.12 @ 7:03PM
Great point, Doug!
Simon Templar| 3.26.12 @ 7:02PM
Antle the THIRD,
"He wants Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich to go away and stop reminding the base how much they dislike him."
You keep forgetting one important thing here.
This is the Republican Party nomination process.
It is not the next guy in line or the GOP establishment primary pick season.
Your inevitable candidate by the very nature of his inevitability, arrogance, and obvious lack of concern for what the base thinks of him has already failed. You can not see this.
Yes, I would be saying the same for any of them if they were handling themselves like Romney has..
Occam's Tool| 3.26.12 @ 7:30PM
Personally, I still want Allen West. If it goes brokered, let's get the man who will rip Obummer a new one.
Clint| 3.26.12 @ 7:46PM
Follow The Money Trail.
Romney's Crony Donors:
Goldman Sachs $535,680
JPMorgan Chase & Co $375,650
Morgan Stanley $323,800
Credit Suisse Group $299,160
Citigroup Inc $282,765
Bank of America $277,850
Kirkland & Ellis $222,702
Barclays $221,650
PricewaterhouseCoopers $191,500
HIG Capital $188,500
Blackstone Group $178,800
Wells Fargo $163,200
UBS AG $156,550
Bain Capital $154,000
EMC Corp $128,300
Citadel Investment Group $122,125
Elliott Management $121,000
Bain & Co $113,300
Sullivan & Cromwell $107,150
The Villages $97,500
The Tea Party Rebellion Heads To An Open Convention.