TODAY'S ASSOCIATED PRESS STORY BY THOMAS BEAUMONT: Intensity question for Romney stirs doubt for fall
MY BLOG ENTRY OF NOVEMBER 18, 2011: Why Mitt Can't Win
I'm not sure what the Republicans can do at this point. For reasons that will forever be a mystery, genuinely viable, electable Republicans never entered the primaries this year, leaving the field to Romney and the seven dwarfs. Newt Gingrich? Herman Cain? Michele Bachmann? You'd think somebody would have looked at this field and the weakened Barack Obama and literally JUMPED into the race. Alas, no.
I like the current front runner, former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania as a person, though I disagree with many of his positions. I think he is a genuinely good man and it might actually be nice to have a good man as President. But his far right wing social conservative positions make him unelectable.
So we're left with the consoling fact: President Obama's on-the-job training has been painful, but he is getting the hang of this President thing.
This is a really short post prompted by the new POLL showing the Newt Gringrich is about to pass Mitt Romney even n the "firewall" state of New Hampshire. Here is the link: Poll: Gingrich, Romney in Dead Heat in N.H.
Here's Mitt's problem in a nutshell. The Mitt Romney who was the excellent governor of Massachusetts could have won easily. I would certainly have chosen him over Barack Obama and so would many others. He was the perfect Republican, intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate and honest. He could have easily overcome the few issues where he didn't match the far right wing of the Republican Party.
But that Mitt isn't running. Instead he reinvented himself into the far right wing Romney. His problem is that nobody believes him. Those who appreciated the bravery of the original Romney feel betrayed he has so easily abandoned his principles. And far right conservatives just think he's full of shit.
His only support comes because the liberal media keeps telling Republicans, desperate for a victory, that Mitt's the only candidate who can beat Obama. But there is no passion there. Hell, there's no there, there. Mitt would go down to defeat in a pattern similar to John McCain.
Republican's have no enthusiasm for Romney. There will be no grass roots effort. The election will be boring with everyone from both sides staying at home.
Now, I'm on record saying nobody currently running can beat Obama, so it hardly matters. Newt, Mitt, Herman, Rick... they'll all go down to defeat.
I've often said that a candidates ability to hold to his principles matter more to me that party or even political positions. With that standard it's not possible for me to vote for Mitt.
