The mainstream media will vilify ANYONE who we nominate. Which candidate is going to be the best equipped to beat back the attacks and take his case directly to the American public? Which candidate has a record of accomplishment he can point to so he can say, no matter what they say about me, I’ve proven I can get what I say I’m going to do done?
There is another very important point to consider that could make nominating Romney very dangerous. Everyone is just assuming that the economy will remain the big issue a year from now. But what happens if it’s not? For one thing, the media is going to spin any minor uptick in the economy as a huge turning point and the start of the Obama recovery. If the Supreme Court overturns Obamacare, businesses will rejoice and almost overnight start expanding and hiring again. We are already swimming upstream as being the party people trust on the economy, because we rarely have been in the past. We also just got smacked down in Ohio on Kasich’s disastrous union referendum, indicating our “right-wing social engineering” may have gone beyond what the public was prepared for (please understand this electoral pragmatism is the only reason Newt had some issues with the Ryan plan). Any positive news on the economy and people could very easily move back to trusting Obama on that issue.
So where does that leave us with Romney? He’s being sold solely as a businessman who knows how to fix the economy. That is putting all of our eggs in one basket on one issue that we HOPE will be playing in our favor next year. Romney should be able to tell you that diversifying is what makes for the best investment.
For that reason, Newt is the clear choice. There isn’t one issue that Newt isn’t well-versed on and ready to debate. If there is a terrorist attack or other national security issue, Republicans should get all the automatic advantage on that. But Romney will present as a milquetoast national security lightweight without the 4 years of experience that Obama has. Newt on the other hand has the gravitas and the persona of toughness that people like to see from Republicans on national security matters. I can remember even some liberals saying Dick Cheney is the type of guy they want staring down America’s enemies. Newt also has an incredible knowledge of military history that could be used to his advantage in discussing any national security issue.
Even if every news story out there is going against us, Newt has the deftness to pull any kind of magic trick out of his pocket to try and win some advantage on a totally unexpected front. Look at how quickly Newt was able to stir up a national debate on the judiciary. Newt can turn the focus of the election around on a dime. He is prepared to discuss any topic in great depth. The election could come down to nothing but the difference in philosophy between our parties. Newt is ready to highlight any one of those differences. Even if Romney is a genuine, sudden convert to conservatism, there is no way he will be prepared to discuss what we believe and why we believe it on every issue with any kind of gravitas.
Romney is a bad investment when it comes to next year’s election, plain and simple. Newt is the candidate with the balanced portfolio that we can use to handle any contingency that might arise. Newt is actually the safe, conservative choice while Romney is the Hail Mary pass long shot. I’m putting my money on Newt.
You make a lot of good points in support of Newt. You also highlight his glaring fault. He's unpredictable. Being a bomb thrower can be a good thing but not if you blow yourself up.
I'm not a Romney supporter. I will vote for him in the general election if I have to but his candidacy does not excite me.
I doubt Newt will get the nomination because Republicans will remember him sitting on the couch with Nancy Pelosi, riding the bus with Al Sharpton and they will know all about the 2013 book which, according to reports, has more of the global warming wackiness he and Nancy were trying to sell us on.
I almost barf when I see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6n_-wB154
As I've said before: Newt nominated = Obama reelected.
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