The Dems/Establishment have several backup strategies beyond simply backing Obama’s re-election:
1) Support Romney, as the consummate, go-along-to-get-along RINO insider for the GOP side,
2) Have Huntsman or another Establishment option as a backup for Romney’s still being a stiff of a politician,
3) Promote Bachmann to at best deter and at worst split votes from Palin’s entry into the campaign, and
4) Having now bathed The Donald in a faux GOP tea (party), prime him for a GOP vote-splitting Perotesque 3rd party run in the general election.
Thus, they’ll do their best to have Obama win, including supporting another GOP milquetoast for both easy defeat and complete malleability should the milquetoast by some bizarre chance actually win.
You’ve got to give them this: they’re 10X better at cynical political manipulation than anyone on our side.
I agree except for #3. I’m not sold that the media is trying to keep Palin out. I think the idea that the MSM/Dems fear her the most is pure nonsense. But if I’m wrong, I think the candidate they would push to keep her out would be Rick Perry. If Rick Perry gets in (which is seeming more likely) what is Palin’s argument for running against him?
I expect an effective alliance between corporate Republicans and the Democrats to give Romney the nomination. For those Repulicans, well, “It’s his turn.” The Democrats already have their candidate and will reregister as Republicans to flood the Republican primaries and give us Romney as they did for us last time with McCain. In 2008 they understood long before the rest of us did that the kenyan had a lock and the later Republican primaries had large contingents of McCain Democrats voting in them. McCain was the Democrat candidate for the Republican nomination. Romney seems to fill that bill this time around.