You’re right.
Romney is *already* “moving to the centre” (i.e. the left) now that he thinks he’s in the clear. Nobody is going to “hold his feet to the fire.” And you know why? Because conservatives were too stupid to get around conservative candidates instead of just lamely voting for Romney “because he’s inevitable.” To hold somebody’s feet to the fire, you have to have leverage on them. Conservatives have demonstrated to Romney that he can win, even when he ignores conservative concerns. Therefore, conservatives have no leverage on Romney whatsoever.
This tripe about “well, we’re gonna really hold his feet to the fire!!!” is nothing but chest-thumping windbaggery.
What’s worse - if he does somehow win the general, he may actually be WORSE than Obama, because he’ll have a compliant GOP Congress, just like Bush had. Any program Romney wants, Romney will get, and there’s nothing conservatives will be able to do about it. At least with Obama, the GOP makes a pretense of putting up a fight.
The GOP IS going the way of the Whigs - and I’m increasingly convinced that this can’t happen fast enough, even if it does shoot down that Party’s hopes in the 2012 Presidential election. Replace it with something fresh.
FOCUS! DEFEAT OBAMA! First things first! We can’t create anything new until all this CRAP is cleaned up first.
It appears our conservatives might be planning to co-opt Mittens.
If you can’t beat him, make him join you.
We have Cheney giving him the miscon business, Ryan the fiscon, and Sarah and Michelle ready to help with Socon, and Newt with Perry chomping to champion 10thcon.
If we strengthen all FOUR legs under Mittens while keeping him out of the country or on the golf course at least as much the the Zeros,
we can turn this around and un-do everything of the last three years.
It’s not like Mittens has any original ideas, anyway. He enjoys the figurehead status he fights for.
I think he’s OK with being PINO - POTUS in name only - if he messages that he can be contained.