Posted on 09/03/2014 1:53:57 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
— Albert Einstein
Unbelievably, the drumbeat has begun for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to run for president a third time. The man who lost twice for president is now being encouraged by many party leaders to give it another try.
Congressman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, recently told MSNBC, “I think he’s proven right on a lot of stuff. I happen to be in the camp that thinks he’s actually going to run, and I think he will be the next president of the United States.”
Chaffetz is not alone; commentator Ann Coulter, Internet titan Matt Drudge and many others are on board the Romney 2016 bandwagon. In addition, Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Romney’s running mate in 2012, told reporters last week that he would “love to see Mitt Romney run for president again.”
Romney is the darling of the establishment wing of the party. He is a moderate from the Northeast who is not known for strong positions on social issues. For example, he has changed his stance on gay marriage and abortion multiple times.
While he is for a secure border and opposed to amnesty, he is the worst possible candidate to address the dangers of socialized medicine. As governor, Romney championed a Massachusetts version of government-operated healthcare. President Barack Obama used Romney’s plan as a model for the disastrous Affordable Care Act that was foisted on the American people.
Even with all of his baggage, Romney was positioned to defeat Obama in the last election. He won the first debate and needed strong performances in the final two outings to seal the deal with the American people.
Instead, he listened to his advisers and played it safe. The result is that Romney missed many opportunities to blast the president on the Benghazi terrorist attack and wound up agreeing with Obama on a number of issues.
In the last election, his comments on the “47 percent” of Americans on government assistance and his remarks about “binders full of women” were manipulated by the media and misinterpreted by voters.
His successful background as a Bain Capital executive was easy fodder for Democrats to attack him as a rich, heartless businessman. Sadly, his leadership position in the Mormon Church was an issue for some evangelical Christian voters who were not comfortable supporting a candidate who did not share their religious faith.
For reasons both fair and unfair, Romney was not a particularly good presidential candidate in two nationwide elections. Despite this track record, insiders in the Republican Party are obviously in love with the idea of another Romney campaign. According to Ryan, he should run because “the third time’s the charm.”
Fortunately, Romney has not taken the bait so far. He has been adamant that he is not running again. Hopefully, he will continue to hold off these misguided requests and spend his time supporting good GOP candidates across the country.
Romney can certainly play a role as a fundraiser. He should be a respected elder statesman but not subject the Republican Party or the country to another presidential campaign.
The bottom line is that Romney cannot win. He does not unite the wings of the Republican Party and is not an effective candidate to reach independent voters.
Like moderate presidential candidates Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole and John McCain, Mitt Romney was unable to win, even after two attempts.
Now, it is time for the Republican Party to start a new chapter and nominate a reliable conservative who can articulate a positive message to the American people. This type of candidate can win in 2016. Clearly, Romney cannot.
Romney is the darling of the establishment wing of the party.
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in 2008 Congressman Duncan Hunter called this group the Kennedy Wing of the GOP..
McCain, Romney, etc
California Governor Reagan was a political giant and leader of the conservative movement who was running against a sitting republican president, and lost the nomination against him, after midnight, President Ford prevailed with 1,187 delegates to Reagan’s 1,070.
Romney has won a single election in his more than 20 year career, and he served that single term as a failure and had to give up his goal of reelection, leaving office with 34% approval and turning the seat over to the democrats.
Romney has continued to fail politically ever since.
To this day, no one knows what Mitt Romney’s reason is for being involved in political campaigning.
Meaning Teddy Kennedy not John..
But rather than encourage Romney or anyone as luke warm as he is to run again, isn't now the time to try to get a little bit more than a third of a loaf?
Charging zot conbobulator.
Reagan:
1968http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_1968
1976http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_1976
1980http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_1980
Cruz attended high school at Faith West Academy in Katy, Texas, and later graduated from Second Baptist High School in Houston as valedictorian in 1988. During high school, Cruz participated in a Houston-based group called the Free Market Education Foundation where Cruz learned about free-market economic philosophers such as Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, Frédéric Bastiat and Ludwig von Mises. The program was run by Rolland Storey and Cruz entered the program at the age of 13.
Cruz graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1992.
While at Princeton, he competed for the American Whig-Cliosophic Society's Debate Panel and won the top speaker award at both the 1992 U.S. National Debating Championship and the 1992 North American Debating Championship. In 1992, he was named U.S. National Speaker of the Year and Team of the Year (with his debate partner, David Panton). Cruz was also a semi-finalist at the 1995 World Universities Debating Championship, making him Princeton’s highest-ranked debater at the championship. Princeton's debate team later named their annual novice championship after Cruz.
After graduating from Princeton, Cruz attended Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1995 with a Juris Doctor degree. While at Harvard Law, Cruz was a primary editor of the Harvard Law Review, and executive editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, and a founding editor of the Harvard Latino Law Review. Referring to Cruz's time as a student at Harvard Law, Professor Alan Dershowitz said, "Cruz was off-the-charts brilliant."
Of course. But most presidential candidates are insane to think that they could win or do the job. Insanity, in candidates as in voters, is almost a prerequisite.
Except that John and Bobby were probably more conservative than them.
Insane? No, just lack of a good pick for a candidate.
In November 2016 I will vote for the candidate without a D after their name. I may go home and take a long hot shower while trying to get to the bottom of bottle of Tennessee whisky but I WILL vote and I will vote to beat the Dems. If I can’t vote for someone I will vote against someone else but I will not stay home and pout like a baby because my perfect candidate didn’t make the finals.
I agree with you. The media will take down every conservative candidate and the remaining conservatives still standing will finish each other off I will not sit out and not vote that is for sure. My only wish is that we come up with a winner. No more Hillary . Biden or Kerry.
IMO, reminds me of Nixon.
But his entry into the White House was aided by a stint as VP.
While I supported Romney on two occasions, (for lack of a better course of action) I would not likely do it again. It’s not a matter of holding my nose like it was with Dole, or McCain, it’s that after watching Romney’s style and political ability, I came to the conclusion that he is not the strong leader that can rally enough people to achieve the necessary mandate that will be required for any Republican to be effective. We need more than a branch manager bureaucrat type, no matter their organizational ability. We need a leader in the Reagan mold who can make things happen.
So I’m not going to bash Romney. I like and respect him for the person he is, but I am also not a die hard pragmatist. I am not going to opt for what some believe is the pragmatic, easier route.
Someone who meets or exceeds my expectations of a great leader will have to come forward and today, I have no idea who that should be.
But that is what it will take, as far as I am concerned.
Romney will never be President. No more retreads.
There are several men and probably a few off stage ladies that would do much more good for a Founders USA than Romney. For me Romney has shown to be a person who does not hold the Founders view for the USA and It’s heartland intentions as a goal. West and Gaudy would suite me well.
If republicans want democrat lite as their candidate then so be it. I'll shut up and sit down.
thasts why I clarified it was Ted that Rep Hunter meant..
in 2008 Ted Kennedy was still alive and still trying to destroy the US...
although Willard is left of Teddy Kennedy..
Willard made old Ted look severely conservative
The ‘perfection’ canard is a lie spread by liberal republicans because they ran someone that didn’t even match their party platform on abortion, amnesty, gun-control, socialized medicine or big government.
/johnny
Shouldn’t it read Column: Republicans insane to think of running Romney again.
We have been doing some grass roots stuff in my area of NH. I was kind of pissed off that in the towns, towns mean a lot up here, that there was no town committees in a very conservative area.
So I yelled a lot and threw a few bucks around to people of influence and I was informed today that there is a consensus to form a five town committee. (Small Population)
My argument was that the conservative leaders start at the local level, town meetings up here can get nasty. The rats can organize so can we.
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