"Pretty Resigned"

National Review (Corner) ^ | September 28, 2012 | Dennis Boyles

[madprof98]

That, apparently, is the long-held view of Mitt’s men — not and not just about the forthcoming debates, but about the whole campaign.

I have this from the lips of Sam Coates, the deputy political editor of the London Times, who was on BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House last Sunday participating in one of those panels of pundits-looking-at-the-press. Everyone agreed that, according to the polls, the U.S. election was finally over and that Obama would be back for four more years. All the newspapers all said so. “It feels,” said Coates, “that the incumbent is pulling away.”

Coates said the assumption of a Romney defeat fit his own view of the Republicans surrounding Mitt, a pessimism he saw back when Romney was in London eating his foot while talking about the Olympics. “His aides were there,” he said, “and they were telling some of our political advisers that, really, they weren’t that optimistic about their guy’s chances. They’re pretty resigned to it not going well, and it’s interesting to see that people are already moving away from his campaign.”

Does this seem plausible? Coates is a normally careful reporter. So does it seem that the coterie of mostly cautious Republicans surrounding Mitt are just going through the motions, they way they did for Dole and McCain? Does it seem, as it does from the Euro side of the Atlantic, that Mitt’s Republicans are embarrassed by their base — by “the vision thing” — and sometimes even by their VP nominee? If that’s true, then maybe all those odd polls reported by Katrina are true, too. After all, for two terms in the state of Kansas, where almost every voter is a Republican, voters routinely chose Sebelius, a left-wing extremist, over GOP candidates well-marinated in “moderation.” Nobody wants to vote for the reasonable chap running as functionary-in-chief.

In fact, what Americans seem to want is more polarization, not less. Those Republicans who try to campaign by galvanizing and leading their base, instead of ignoring and avoiding it, must be feeling now the way Romney’s dour aides have apparently felt all along — “pretty resigned,” minus the pretty. This is true in Senate races, too, and especially with influential PACs. In Michigan, where conservative Pete Hoekstra was running neck-and-neck with liberal Debbie Stabenow, the super PACs quit early and went elsewhere. As one source well-placed in the Hoekstra campaign told me, “We feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of Senate races.”

Scott Walker, the conservative Wisconsin Republican who defeated an all-out, union-run recall effort in a Democratic state, seemed to speak for many of the unwashed, according to the Independent:

It is no accident that Mr Romney hopes to close the book on his latest embarrassments with a bus tour in Ohio. It may also be telling that the tour will be opened by his running mate, Paul Ryan. Mr Ryan, who will address supporters in Lima, Ohio, today, is increasingly being seen as the more effective campaigner. Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin, said as much when he praised Mr Ryan and said he hadn’t seen the “kind of passion I know that Paul has transferred over to our nominee”.

Like other Republican luminaries, Mr Walker is no longer shy in offering his counsel to Mr Romney. “I want to see fire in the belly,” he declared, demanding evidence that the nominee is “lit up and ready to go”. He added: “I think you got to get off the heels and get out and charge forward.”

Fire in the belly? Lit up and ready to go? Mitt? Like a Glo-Stick on a bus, maybe.

[Mr. Silverback]

Thanks for the good advice.

[ansel12]

You have to stop the personal stuff, on thread after thread, no matter the topic, you launch into pure personal attacks like some woman that has been scorned or something.

This is a political forum, not a ladies bitch session, try to stay focused on the posts themselves.

[ansel12]

Here is my post, which fact is it that you find fault with, my personal memory, my list of things that he has moved back to the left on?

To: meadsjn
Surprizingly, Romney shifted more conservative after the primaries, first time we've ever seen that in our lifetimes, perhaps the first time it ever happened.

I don't recall that, I saw him move left on the boy scouts, abortion, homosexuals in the military, Obama and taxes, Obama care.

69 posted on Fri Sep 28 2012 17:08:48 GMT-0700 (Pacific Daylight Time) by ansel12

[linn37]

If it was Mccain I might buy it. That last election was brutal for republicans. If you are in a game and tied with your opponent you don't resign yourself to losing.

[Lakeshark]

This is a political forum, not a ladies bitch session,

Sorry, coming from a bitcher like you, I find that supremely ironic.......

Now go on your way, the other Axelrod conservatives are counting on you to help give Bambi another four years.