The American Spectator

Mitt Romney’s surprisingly combative campaign — highlighted by yesterday’s visit to Solyndra — is getting positive reviews from some erstwhile conservative critics. Rush Limbaugh proclaimed, “This is not the McCain campaign.”

BuzzFeed reports on the phenomenon:

“I thought we were going to see John McCain all over again,” said Brad Thor, a bestselling novelist and popular figure on the right who supported Santorum. “But you know what? That fire I’ve felt for previous candidates, I’m starting to feel it. And that surprise presser at Solyndra was like pouring accelerant on the fire.”

Thor said when he heard about the Solyndra stunt, he cheered aloud: “Way to go Mitt!”

“My God, this is right out of Breitbart’s playbook. I love it!”

This dovetails nicely with Byron York’s explanation of why Romney won’t distance himself from Donald Trump:

Romney aides believe that cooperating with Democrats and media figures who are demanding a Trump disavowal would most certainly lead to more calls for more disavowals of other figures in the future — leaving Romney spending as much time apologizing for his supporters as campaigning for president.  Team Romney views it as a silly and one-sided game designed to distract voters from the central issue of the race, which they remain convinced will be President Obama’s handling of the economy.

I have my own theories about Romney and Trump, but the week was kind to the strategy York outlined: we began with unflattering headlines about Trump and ended with a focus on the disappointing jobs report. It’s good for the campaign, though I do think if conservatives don’t care about “Romney’s moderate record – as long as he’s a fighting moderate” (to quote BuzzFeed’s McKay Coppins), they will be reminded that substance matters more than style if a hypothetical President Romney starts governing.