Democrats for Romney? (to block Perry)

Washington Post ^ | September 16, 2011 | Dana Milbank,

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[snip]

.....Romney has a well-known history of more liberal positions on health care, climate change, gay rights and abortion. .....

Encouraging Perry’s candidacy is too dangerous a game for Democrats. Since World War II, no president with an approval rating as low as Obama’s (now hovering around 40 percent) has been reelected. And polls showing Perry to be weaker than Romney against Obama should be small comfort. In January 1980, a Harris poll found that President Jimmy Carter was polling four percentage points better against Ronald Reagan than he was against George H.W. Bush. Carter was more than 30 points ahead of both at the time, but, because of the electorate’s sour mood, wound up losing to Reagan by 10.

It’s reasonable to think the same could happen to Obama in the likely event that economic numbers don’t improve much. “What should the White House do now?” Democratic strategist James Carville asked in a CNN.com commentary this week. “One word came to mind: panic.”

So, given these growing fears that Obama may lose in 2012 to any Republican with a pulse, maybe it’s time for Democrats to stop hoping that Perry will be the next Barry Goldwater. There’s admittedly not much they can do to shape the outcome of the presidential primaries, but they might wish to think twice before using their rapid-response teams to help Perry bury Romney.

One party operative close to these decisions told me there have been a “lot of conversations” about the dilemma, with some labor and environmental groups arguing for easing up on the anti-Romney message machine out of a belief that he would be the “lesser of two evils.”

Good thinking. If Obama is doomed, who would Democrats rather have in possession of the nuclear suitcase: the technocratic Romney, or the coyote-shooting Perry?

[ken21]

no doubt romney would be more comfortable than perry with

the democrat plantation of feminists, gays, criminals, enviro’s, and zoo specimens.

[CPT Clay]

This is why the New Hampshire Primary should be closed.

[PMAS]

“....but Romney has a well-known history of more liberal positions on health care, climate change, gay rights and abortion.”

Enogh Said.

[shield]

Florida is an open primary, isn’t it?

[Senator Goldwater]

This is funny, because Perry was a Democrat even during the Reagan years, and the Romney’s have been Repubicans since the FDR days.

[freespirited]

In that case, voters might well be willing to pull the lever for any alternative – even a Texan who boasted about shooting a coyote while jogging

Milbank is so out of touch he doesn't appreciate that almost anyone outside the Beltway would admire a man shooting a coyote that was threatening his dog.

[Waryone]

No. Florida does not have an open primary, but the dems have up to thirty days before an election to change parties if they want to vote in the republican primary in our state.

[shield]

So if they change parties to vote in the primary...then they can vote in the general for whoever, right?

[Digger]

Here it starts. Democrats are going to choose our party pick???? Why does the RNC allow open primaries???? This is going to be our undoing

Because this is the corrupt "Two-Party Cartel".

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

It seems like Rush Limbaugh opened that Pandora’s Box with his “Operation Chaos” in the 2008 Dem primaries.

[hsalaw]

If Romney is acceptable to many Democrats---WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

It tells me they're afraid of Perry. This is how we got McCain - by picking apart all the other choices. If Sarah's going to get in, she's got to do it NOW; otherwise, we have to get behind Perry asap.

[nascarnation]

Axlegrease knows that Baraq has no chance in a 2-way matchup.
He only got 53% last time with EVERYTHING going for him.

So the plan is to get Mitty nominated via the Dems version of Op Chaos, spark a Tea Party challenger on the ballot in most states, and win with a Clintonian plurality.

[newzjunkey]

We should know by now party registration doesn't tell the whole story.

Perry's been a Republican longer than Reagan had been when he ran in 1980.

[Waryone]

Of course, a person of any party or no party can vote for anyone on the ballot in the general election.

[Force of Truth]

I laugh at this, because Rick Perry is polling very high numbers from hispanics. You know why.

[Force of Truth]

Romney has been rising in the polls. The Dems were attacking him when he was a front-runner, and will again if he regains the advantage. Romney is also polling better than Perry vs Obama. Some of the reasoning used here just does not line up with reality. The Dems don’t want the Republican to win NO MATTER WHO HE IS.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Yes.

The Left will work to depress the GOP vote (w/ a Romney nomination) which will inhibit 2012 GOP voter TURN OUT (which they KNOW is softening for their team) and set up as many places where fraudulent voting will help (and they're fighting the voter ID bills passed in TX, GA and WI).