As you said: Romney is simply unacceptable.
Newt doesn't thrill me either, but he will side with capitalism or with non-governmental solutions more often than either of the leftists we are choosing him to stop. That is close enough. It's nowhere near the enthusiasm I had for Cain, or for Bachmann, or for DeMint, or for so many others (especially for you-know-who from Alaska), but I'll print up the Newt bumper stickers and put one on my car:
I applaude your realism. Those who don’t share it will be very shocked when Newt makes good on his promise that one of his first acts as President will be to “reach out to Democrats.”
Oh my goodness, I love your bumper sticker! May I borrow it?
I also agreed with every word of your post as though I had written it myself.
Pollster1, yours is a reasonable response. It is basically: “Trust but verify and then verify again, and then verify somemore ...” But, finally, is this not what we should be doing (should have been doing) with every GOP president? So, I say, elect Newt; and then lean on him continuously to do the right thing. Demand that he choose a solid VP running mate. Insist that his cabinet and advisors be sound, level-headed conservatives who plan to return home to their communities and want to be able to look their neighbors in the eye without shame or embarrassment. Work to get real conservatives into the congress at every opportunity, and real conservatives into the state and local governments at every level. Assume that unwatched conservatives sent to Washington or any state capital are like well-intentioned policemen who go to work in Chicago. They need to be watched and supported, in that order, for the temptation to corruption is strong.