For those right wingers who are beginning to complain about Romney ...

... not being conservative enough, consider these points made by Ronald Brownstein ("His Original Sin"): (emp add)

Of all Romney’s primary-season decisions, the most damaging was his choice to repel the challenges from Perry and Gingrich by attacking them from the right—and using immigration as his cudgel. That process led Romney to embrace a succession of edgy, conservative positions anathema to many Hispanics, including denouncing Texas for providing in-state tuition to the children of illegal immigrants; praising Arizona’s immigration-enforcement law; and, above all, promising to make life so difficult for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants that they would “self-deport.”
...
a second early decision has greatly compounded that challenge. Through the primaries, Romney embraced an unreservedly conservative social agenda (such as defunding Planned Parenthood and allowing employers to deny contraception coverage in health insurance plans), especially after Santorum emerged as his principal rival.
...
His decision, when the nomination was almost sealed, to embrace a 20 percent cut in marginal tax rates ...
...
Romney also fatefully dismissed criticism from other Republicans about his experience at Bain Capital as an attack on free enterprise rather than develop a more specific response to the allegations about his business record.

A tough stance on immigration, limited concern for womens rights, and extreme capitalism are all part of the right-wing policy mix. It's what Romney is out there selling (although with a lighter touch most recently). The charge that Romney will lose because he wasn't conservative enough is not credible.

It's true that some of Romney's positions emerged as a tactical response to challengers (Perry, Gingrich, Santorum), but that hardly matters. He took those positions and made them his own and the face of his campaign.  Oh yeah, and then there's the selection of Paul Ryan this summer.


posted by Quiddity at 9/29/2012 03:34:00 AM

Is the GOP still a national party?


posted by Quiddity at 9/26/2012 02:39:00 AM

Jennifer Rubin delivers the optimism:

In her latest upbeat column about Romney, she writes:

With regard to message, conservatives have worried that Romney has gotten off track or isn’t seizing opportunities swiftly or aggressively enough, while the wrong track/right trap gap closes for the president. Gillespie says this is a function of the leftover warm and fuzzy feeling from the convention. He argues there is no outside factors that will sustain that sentiment, pointing to a series of economic numbers including unemployment, the deficit, and the jump in healthcare costs. (Just today, the Wall Street Journal reports, “Stocks tapped the brakes on their recent rally, as data pointed toward weakening in global economies. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nine points, or 0.1%, to 13569, in midday trading on Thursday. The blue chips have climbed 4% over the past two weeks, as the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan have announced stimulus measures.”)

posted by Quiddity at 9/21/2012 07:47:00 AM

One for the time capsule:

Why Romney Will Win
By Dick Morris - September 14, 2012


posted by Quiddity at 9/14/2012 07:40:00 PM

The essence of the Romney campaign:

From the Los Angeles Times:

Romney plays on 'God gap' between the parties

Mitt Romney, in attacking President Obama, recites the Pledge of Allegiance and says he would fight any effort to remove 'In God we trust' from U.S. coins, though no one is proposing that.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Making a play for veterans and evangelical voters in this conservative military community, Mitt Romney on Saturday accused President Obama of straying from the nation's guiding principles.

After spontaneously reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in his speech, Romney referred to the fact that U.S. coins bear the motto "In God we trust" and said he would resist any move to change that.

"For me, the Pledge of Allegiance and placing our hand over our heart reminds us of the blood that was shed by our sons and daughters fighting for our liberty and sharing liberty with people around the world," Romney said. "The pledge says 'under God.' I will not take God out of the name of our platform. I will not take God off our coins and I will not take God out of my heart. We're a nation that's bestowed by God."

Romney's embrace of faith and patriotism come off as thin, phony, and unconvincing. Yet he will convince some people, such is the nature of mankind. Which explains how mountebanks have succeeded throughout history.


posted by Quiddity at 9/14/2012 03:17:00 AM

Are you better off than you were four years ago?

Best statement on that score comes from a Tweet by pourmecoffee:

Were you better off getting into wars and financial crises or getting out of them? Take your time, you have till Nov. 6.

posted by Quiddity at 9/04/2012 07:17:00 AM