Posted on 05/16/2011 6:17:52 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
With the field clarifying, Mitt Romney’s interests now align well with those of one other possible candidate: Michele Bachmann. Both of them have an interest in seeing her do as well as possible.
Like Bob Dole in 1996 or John McCain in 2008, Romney is an establishment-oriented candidate with serious vulnerabilities on his right flank. To get the nomination, he needs (as they needed) to prevent the emergence of a single candidate to his right. So Dole made a tactical alliance with Pat Buchanan in Lousiana, helping to eject from the race the one candidate who could theoretically have denied him the nomination by consolidating voters to his right: Phil Gramm. McCain made a tactical alliance with Mike Huckabee against the candidate against whom both of them were competing and whom both of them hated: Romney.
Which candidate does Romney most need to worry about? In my view, it’s Tim Pawlenty. He can run to Romney’s right, but with establishment support, in a way that I don’t think Daniels or Huntsman can or want to.
The candidate who could play the Buchanan/Huckabee role this time is Michele Bachmann. Like her ‘96 and ‘08 counterparts, she cannot win the nomination but can prevent anyone to the establishment candidate’s right from getting it either. (I think she has greater potential strength in the primaries than Santorum, but if he took off he could play the same role.) So watch for Romney to start making a lot of positive comments about Bachmann.
I don’t believe Romney could win a Romney-Pawlenty contest. But he would almost certainly win a Romney-Bachmann race, and could well win a Romney-Pawlenty-Bachmann race. So to the extent he can boost her, it makes sense for him to do so. Having been on the losing end of this maneuver, Romney, I assume, knows how it’s done.
As though the National Review knows what’s going on....
Yet another National Review article pretending that the elephant in the living room, the person they all fear, doesn’t exist.
Good grief.
Willard Romney is a total non-starter. Forced to choose between him and BO, the choice would be to stay home. Bank on it, Mitt.
Mittens and T-Paw can now split the Huck vote
She who shall be nameless?
I doubt Willard is going to win///??????
If Romney wins the primary, its four more years of Obama, because me and everyone like me is staying home.
Willard figures that he’s going to muscle out everyone before the primaries.
Fine, take your ball and go home. Don’t bitch though, when the Supreme Court goes 6-3 against the conservatives(abortion and whatever else starts or is allowed to continue) and more garbage like obamacare is forced down our throats. Didn’t some of you dense folks learn this last time?
Sure, fight hard for your candidate in the primaries but once it’s decided, it’s anybody but Obama. I think it could be construed as a sin to grow passive in the face of insidious evil and not vote because you make the perfect the enemy of the good.
Yeah, it is hilarious to believe that Phil Gramm was a serious threat to anyone. While I love the guy he was bald and an economist to boot no chance.
Yeah, it is hilarious to believe that Phil Gramm was a serious threat to anyone. While I love the guy he was bald and an economist to boot no chance.
You are right. If we can’t even vote, we are lost. Romney is not my favorite but he is ten times better that this loser in the WH.
Slick Willard shoveled millions into the 2008 race and only managed a distant third place just because he was too egotistical to quit. He stands no chance in the general because he will drive a large portion of the republican base third party. He would end the GOP as an effective party.
Can you see Jim Robinson writing a vanity about how we have no choice but to support Romney, like he did with McCain in 2008?
Me neither.
Romney is 1.0002 times better than Obama and that is grading on a curve.
Funny, that's just what Mrs BE and I said to each other as I read the headline.
Ditto hear! No more lesser of two evils.
No RINO Romney.
EVAH!
I figure she (Palin) will run.
Otherwise she would have done the honorable thing by now and announce that she is NOT running.
Everyone in the field knows she's the candidate to beat and Romney knows for sure he cannot beat her.
His history of big government/socialism/statism is too big a burden for him against a credible candidate from the right.
If Palin does not run I will eat my hat.
That may be the only tactic conservatives have left to reform the GOP.
Get them all unelected in 2012. Reform the party from the ashes.
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