Posted on 08/27/2008 7:52:58 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan
10. Inexperience. Romney, a one-term governor who did not run for reelection, has precisely one-third of the elective experience that Dan Quayle had when nominated for Vice President, and Quayle was attacked for his inexperience. A Romney nomination would cut against the grain of one of McCain’s best arguments – Obama’s inexperience – and this is particularly true when placed against Joe Biden.
9. Rommey supporters typically say that he would be good on the economy. But why, exactly? Paul O’Neill and John Snow were both highly successful businessmen, and yet were weak as Treasury Secretary. Why would Romney be any different – and would McCain want to be seen to hand over control of the economy to his vice president? Business and government require different leadership styles. Few people can handle both well, and Romney’s thin record as governor provides little evidence he can. The conservative Tax Foundation stated that the total state and local tax burden in Massachusetts rose 5.1 percent on Romney’s watch, and the state ranked 46th in job growth from 2003-2005 (in the middle of a boom). In any event, skill in business is very different from skill in finance – or governing.
8. Thin skin. In the Republican debates, Romney always wanted to be the focus of attention, taking more than his allotted share of time and reacting badly when others questioned his statements or views. McCain clobbered him in the debates, helping assure his own nomination. Joe Biden would do likewise.
7. While “anybody but _______” efforts rarely work in American politics (think Carter, Reagan, Mondale), this one did. At least three candidates – Huckabee, Giuliani, Thompson – decided that they simply preferred beating Romney and effectively worked together to stop him. What was it about Romney they so disliked? This also doesn’t say much about his ability to unite the party, keep support, or exert political leadership.
6. Whether one is pro-choice or pro-life, Romney’s flip-flop on abortion seems terribly insincere. To believe the story as it was originally told, Romney was concerned over stem cell research. Ask any of your active pro-life friends: they will probably know many people who are pro-life except for the stem cells issue and will have met no one who became pro-life because of it. His palpable anger when asked detailed questions about his views does not give credence to the sincerity of his conversion.
5. Can Romney supporters point to even one poll – just one poll – showing that he would have won reelection in 2006? It is not good enough to say “oh, but he said he wanted to run for President, so there were no polls.” (What about Romney internals?) George Bush faced this dilemma in 1998 and won reelection handily as Governor of Texas. What does this say about Romney’s record as Governor? Isn’t the better conclusion that he won (with less than 50% of the vote) only against a very weak Democratic candidate from western Massachusetts and governed in an undistinguished fashion? If we want to say that Barack Obama’s record is thin, we must say the same about Romney’s, so he cannot be the nominee.
4. In 2004, some very effective advertising mocked John Kerry for windsurfing off Nantucket as a sign he was out of touch with the people. How, then, would the people react, in a time of economic gloom, to learning that Romney’s hedge funds – based offshore, presumably to avoid U.S. taxation – are named after a lighthouse on the same island? Can’t you just picture the ads now?
3. With McCain’s implicit one-term pledge, a Romney nomination – giving the vice presidency to a deep-pocketed candidate – would sharply divide the Republican party by effectively conceding the 2012 nomination to him, sidelining both up-and-coming candidates like Governors Pawlenty, Palin, and Jindal and current figures such as Mike Huckabee (who came in second, remember – Romney did not). How will the party react? The same consideration does not apply for a pick of, for instance, Pawlenty, Jindal, Governor Jon Huntsman, or Rep. Eric Cantor. They do not have the money to dominate the party and the conservative movement as Romney does. The 1988 primaries show that a sitting Vice President can be effectively challenged – but Romney would begin the race with a huge advantage simply because of his personal wealth. Allegations have already been raised that Romney’s foundation money has been used (improperly?) to bolster his political image And given this, would President McCain have any assurance that Romney would be loyal?
2. Can Romney supporters name a single major accomplishment of Romeny’s as Governor that would please conservatives? His “RomneyCare” health plan? Unlikely, as the candidate himself walked away from it during the primaries. Did he have any ability to persuade the legislature? After the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage, did Romney even switch a single legislator to vote in favor of placing a constitutional amendment on gay marriage on the ballot, so the people could deicide rather than judges? If so, who? The burden should be on Romney supporters to provide the names and details. Did the Legislature not like him, or is it better to say that he simply walked away from the issue? The Boston Globe’s valedictory editorial (December 26, 2006) sums it up well: "Romney himself admits that a number of his goals remain unmet. His inability to lower the nation's highest unemployment insurance rate, to secure merit pay for teachers, and to reinvigorate the Republican Party were among the frustrations he listed."
1. On a family vacation, he put the family dog in a cage on top of the car while driving for 12 hours, across an international border – an experiment in logistics, aerodynamics, and animal welfare that predictably failed when the dog became ill. Over 50 million American dogs – and 40 million American dog owners – would be horrified. For my own part, I think Obama's selection of Joe Biden (one of the least wealthy men in the US Senate) makes a Romney pick a very, very dangerous exercise in bad optics
1. Some portion of the base dislikes Romney so much they will --- right or wrong -- stay home. Best case, they will just vote and not support with money, time, and organization.
2. Obama will use Romney's attacks on McCain to the same effect as McCain is using Biden's and Hillary's attacks on Obama.
You left out one: Not Jewish.
It’s just amazing so many people hate Romney, and conservatives no less. Most of the Republican primary candidates hated him but that’s understandable. Jealousy was definitely a factor. But NR ?
I am uncertain what Mr. Romney’s faith has to do with anything.
What about Romney’s chosen faith is important to you, kabar?
And he is not a vote-getter.
He spent millions, far more than any other candidate, and had very little to show for it when primary season was over.
BS. McCain was not good in debates in the primaries, he repeated the same one liners over and over. Mitt did very well in debates with substance style and clear communication. Similarly, Huckabee did will with natural presence, one liners, and good solid social conservative stances. McCain won a three way race over the other two due to a division among party groups...social, fiscal, foreign policy.
Merits or no, the Romney’s negative ratings are so high that people will stay home.
Me, I don’t like Romney because he appears to be insincere and had a convenient transformation to being a conservative. Other people reasonably disagree.
Regardless of the merits, a significant percentage of people don’t like Romney.
Hence, politically, Romney is a poor choice.
You can insert other names here and have the same reaction. I absolutely detest Huckabee.
Obama will use Romney's attacks on McCain to the same effect as McCain is using Biden's and Hillary's attacks on Obama.
Can you offer a single quote from Romney that is equivalent to Hillary's attacks on Obama?
Are we going to let some Canadian Pro-abortion Giuliani lover like Frum pick our VP?
I like Romney, but would rather not see him in the VP slot. He is too polarizing.
Didn’t national review endorse Giuliani?
The VP nominee and the VP debate have never to my recall decided anything whatsoever. This insane Mormon hatred on FR and apparently NR borders on derangement syndrome.
Everything about Romney’s business was already attacked as thoroughly as it could be and did not prevent his being elected Governor of Mass. If it was going to matter at all anywhere, it would have mattered there.
The VP pick means nothing to anyone, generally. If McCain serves 1 term, and there is to my knowledge no written pledge from him in that regard, there will still be primaries for the GOP nomination. Romney would have to compete and win.
He can shore up Colorado, Nevada, Montana and MAYBE, just MAYBE, grab enough votes with his family name in Michigan to win it.
The Mormon haters of the base that want to stay home likely all live in states McCain has a 10 point lead in. If they are insane and stay home, McCain will win those states by 9%, while maybe, just maybe picking up Michigan.
There is no other candidate who has this kind of EV adding potential. There is also NOTHING more insignificant in this world than the pure ideology of an extremist who loses elections and has no say in anything.
That’s a really crappy #1 reason. I usually enjoy using any past deed that Willard Myth Romney has done to tweak his robotic supporters, but even I stayed away from that one. It’s petty.
The difference is the issue was never over experience or qualifications, but ideas.
In fact, I think it could be a strength.
Agreed, he simply is not a Conservative, but I don’t think McCain is looking for one.
No - They endorsed Romney - and rightfully so!
Then why is the media so scared of him? Why did the media spend hours and days in the primary telling Romney to get out when no one had even voted yet.
Interesting - but it’s gonna be Mitt!
YAHOOOOO!
FRED THOMPSON:
Kill the terrorists
Secure the borders
Punch the hippies
“Some portion of the base dislikes Romney so much they will -— right or wrong — stay home.
You can insert other names here and have the same reaction. I absolutely detest Huckabee.”
I can’t stand the Huckster, either. And we are not alone.
Hence, the logical choice would be from someone who was NOT AN ALSO-RAN. In other words, NOT Romney, Huckster, Rudy.
I suppose Thompson would be OK (and I really like him), but his campaign sucked, IMHO, so I don’t know what help he would be.
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