“I’m sorry, we’re suffering from a disconnect here.
Are you trying to say that hiring consultants is buying the election?”
No.
Buying the election would be trying to win solely by
use of money and nothing else. No, wait. That’s what
Romney did. But that was not my point.
My point was that in response to your claim that Romney
won 4.7 million votes by virtue of his ideas, I claimed
that [based on FEC records] Romney:
1. used money to buy influence with those who would
endorse him.
2. used money to carefully shape his image from moderate/liberal
to conservative.
3. had few ideas except those his hired staff wrote down
and shaped to position himself as a conservative.
In short, that it wasn’t ideas at all - at least none he
held himself. He simply made a plan, complete with powerpoint
that showed how someone could win the R nomination. He used
money to make himself into that candidate, changing every
position he previously ran on. Both of these happened
more than 4 years ago. Romney analyzed what it would take to
win and then put it in motion, including changing himself
to present a conservative image.
I suspect he wasn’t committed to is old positions any more
than the new ones. He is a pragmatist, who seeks power,
money, and fame. He probably achieved all three. Just without
the Presidency.
I bet he is far more comfortable now that he can be himself.
best,
ampu
I don’t agree with you, because I was excited by his ideas and by the conservative principles he espoused (though admittedly not pure), not because he paid for my vote.
It’s not worth arguing at this point, though; we’ll see in a few years if you’re right when he runs again.