KJO,
I’m pretty much for Romney because I don’t see a viable conservative. I’m a North Florida technologist and pretty far from the Washing DC party. Maybe it’s all very simple for you but Gingrich scares me and I’m not an insider. I think he’s a man of huge ego and ambition with a history of pushing big government ideas. I also think his personal life has been a wreck, will be fodder in the general campaign, will force conservatives to give up the character matters argument, and worst suggests a pretty obsessive personality. I do not trust him and think him capable of Nixon level damage to the party - I don’t see Reagan2.0 there.
With Mitt - sure the upside is largely limited. We deserved better but we have the candidates that we have. I also think the downside is largely limited and that the real focus is getting Mitt a strong Congressional majority. I do believe that if we had a conservative Sen/House, Romney could have one of the most conservative administrations we’ve seen. I don’t think this because I think he’s a closet Goldwater but because I think he’ll compromise from his slightly right center position to wherever the legislature bends.
I guess in short, I think a Romney administration is a 2-4 cycle commitment for conservatives to really wind out increasingly right of center congresses. That means consolidating on ELECTABLE Tea Party style candidates early and getting them funded.
You don’t want 0bamacare repealed?
Romney is now advised to not repeal it. This is what you want? Do you realize that people over 70 are going to be called units and chipping the population starts soon, with Union members by 2017? You WANT this?
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/01/25/romney-advisor-no-obamacare-repeal/
Problem with Romney is you don’t know who you’re getting. He ran against Kennedy from Teddy’s LEFT.