Why hasn’t Mitt Romney closed the door on his opponents? Romney has dominated much of the early primary states and his 6-of-10 performance on Super Tuesday should’ve been the end for his rivals. Yet rather than looking for the doors Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are still discussing their strategy for taking the nomination and targeting each other rather than Romney. The answer is as simple as pie: Romney hasn’t connected with the broader Republican base.
Romney suffers from two distinct issues: A wealthy and successful entrepreneur in times of the Occupy Wall Street one-percenters and a vague sort-of-conservative stance. Romney has not been able to resolve the confusion between his notably liberal stance while Massachusetts Governor and his campaign message of conservatism. Romney just hasn’t sold it. Romney had success with more moderate Republicans, but much of the base is still looking for that elusive “anti-Romney” who poses the greatest distinction to President Obama.
Romney’s path to the nomination is by far the clearest and both his organization and campaign funds would make betting against him a long-shot. The Romney war chest is well stocked and his years of campaigning for the nomination have resulted in a powerful national campaign organization. This nomination campaign should’ve been a first-round knockout.
We’re witnessing a David-and-Goliath moment. The Gingrich campaign has been a rollercoaster with desertions, funding issues and clear lack of support from Washington insiders. Santorum is effectively a nobody with a miniscule campaign, out-of-the-mainstream conservative views and probably the least forward-thinking campaign of the four remaining hopefuls.
Romney is benefitting from the weakness of his rivals that should’ve propelled him to a quick and decisive victory for the Republican nomination. Yet Romney can’t make the sale with the base. Romney has bludgeoned his opponents with multiple million dollar ad campaigns that started with him dismembering Newt Gingrich in Iowa and clearing a path for Santorum. It seems as if every move by Romney to disparage one opponent has profited another.
While many pundits point to Romney’s victories on Super Tuesday as the sign that none of the other three hopefuls have a realistic path to the nomination, yet they fail to consider that if Romney can’t quickly dispatch a Santorum with a feeble organization and a bank account filled with moths, can he defeat the Barack Obama political machine? Romney’s slim victory in Ohio speaks volumes.
This campaign season is beginning to look a lot like 2008 for the Republican Party. Four years ago the Republicans nominated a clear moderate John McCain as the candidate of last resort. It would seem they are about to repeat the same mistake in 2012. The GOP base would prefer any of a dozen other people who have chosen to sit out this year’s presidential election and are about to settle for Mitt Romney. What Romney has managed to do is much the same as McCain did in 2012: appear like the least lousy choice in a field lacking a standout.
The Obama campaign isn’t waiting around for the Republicans to pick Romney. The Democrats have analyzed the field and determined that the GOP will stumble into the fall campaign with the default next-in-line approach and are going at Romney full-bore. Obama will define Romney long before Romney has locked-in the nomination and the president’s re-election appears more and more likely.
Dear Conservative friends,
I am praying that no one gets the nomination, so that we can have a brokered Convention. After the 1st Ballot, I assume all the delegates will be free to vote for another candidate. Then, after several ballots, someone will put into the mix a person who – while he/she does not seek the presidency – will, out of his/her patriotism, accept the nomination after a few more ballots give him/her the nomination. This person will be a solid conservative in ALL areas. The base will unite behind him/her, and he/she will SOUNDLY defeat Mr. Obama.
I know that sounds unreasonable, but we need a miracle! With a brokered Convention, in my opnion, we give our Lord Jesus the option to put His hand on HIS choice. Thus, this election must be centered on FAITH and NOT reason. If our Lord chooses not to intervene in this election, then I feel that our Nation may never be able to recover from the ungodly direction in which the current administration is taking us. Therefore, we must PRAY for our Lord to send us HIS choice — to be His instrument to bring about our healing. It is the 11th hour! PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!
Yes Father. I am also praying for brokered convention. I know that people say it is an unlikely scenario…and I know that it is a rare phenomenon. But it seems to be the only avenue to defeating this ungodly administration.
With God….all things are possible.
Yes, after the first ballot all delegates are released to vote for whomever they wish. Unfortunately money is likely to drive out one or two.
That is why we must all pray that God will permit this election to reach the Convention without a nominee. “Admin”, I feel a very strong conviction in my heart that – if enough of us truly pray to our Lord to intervene – He will answer those prayers. By his grace, I have served Him as a Greek Orthodox priest for over 37 years, and I know that ONLY His intervention can save us from destruction.