Three of Mitt Romney's emerging strengths

IBD Editorials ^ | May 29, 2012 | ANDREW MALCOM

[Kaslin]

With summer officially underway and only 161 days left before the presidential election, it's a good time to take inventory of Mitt Romney's chances of sending Barack Obama into early retirement a la Jimmy Carter.

The MSM has made much of Obama's commanding poll leads among blacks and Latinos. Romney was supposed to be vulnerable among evangelicals, until Obama's same-sex wedding gift. We heard a lot about Obama's strength among women, until it started to fade.

No one knows, of course, but conventional wisdom today holds the Nov. 6 outcome will be close. Unless it isn't. And then we'll hear all about why it wasn't.

You don't hear much about Romney's strengths these days, but what can we discern right now about them and their scope?

Well, economics and jobs have been atop virtually every opinion poll since Obama took office and began his determined drive for pretty much anything else. Gallup asked people recently to describe their economic views. By more than a two-to-one margin (46%-20%) Americans called themselves some shade of conservative instead of liberal. Even moderates (32%) outnumbered liberals.

On social issues the gap was closer (38%-28%), but conservatives still outweighed the spendthrifts.

[Mozilla]

Romney is no Reagan. Romney was an independent and a progressive during Reagan/Bush. So it will be harder to send him across the finish line. It is like fighting gasoline with a match.

[Mozilla]

I dislike all the idiots who voted for Romney in the primaries.... what kind of a moron would risk America’s future by doing that?

[Impy]

Don’t blame me, I voted for Santorum.

[gitmo]

Obama will lose, leaving Romney to take the White House.

[Impy]

As to why anyone voted for Romney in the primary, the Republican electorate at large is not as well informed or politically savvy as they should be.

[tumblindice]

Romney and Reagan both have six letters in their names. Having said that: I'm thinking all we can hope for is that the bench-sitters in the middle who hated Bush believe we don't like Mitt (and that would be a reasonable assumption) AND Mittens has his conservative epiphany or `Come to Jesus' moment before the end of the year. He is going to want another term. Dig up Stassen and he could beat the Kenyan. People are sick of him. Of course viability, that's what a lot of the DUmmies were hoping for in Zero and he never gelled .... he's a one-termer and will soon be competing with Carter and Clinton for `Worst Ex-President' title, it's definitely bedtime, I can't believe I'm reconciling myself to Gromit.

[RaisingCain]

Err, wrong. Mittens fights dirty against conservatives. He’ll kiss Obama’s a** in the general.

[RaisingCain]

“The rending of garments and gnashing of teeth from FR continues.
Personally, I see some positives to never, ever saying or thinking that Mitt is just what we want and 100% great. I hope to see him win and to have his feet kept to the fire from day ONE. We need to drag him, kicking and screaming if necessary, to the right starting November 3.

As a side note, it will be HILARIOUS to hear the Dems paint him as an uber-conservative.”

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You had no power in selecting him in the first place. What makes you think you can hold his feet to the fire? This is self-delusion.

[myself6]

Doesn’t have to be...

The convention is there for a reason... Lets convince enough of the delegates to abstain from voting in the first round.

I blame the GOP for this mess, and Ill NOT support their dumb ass’s should they actually nominate a socialist out of the convention.

[myself6]

I care...

So i guess that makes what you posted an infantile gibbering stupidity..

F’ing dumb ass

[jdsteel]

How do we drag Romney to the right after the election? By sending him conservative legislation to be signed. Of course, that requires a majority in the House and the Senate.

[Finny]

Oh, okay! Gotcha. Thanks for taking the time to explain! :^)

[RaisingCain]

I doubt it. Look at how they treated us in this election. Do you really think the GOPe is going to bend for us now, when they shoved their power in our face throughout the election? It is incredibly unlikely.

[jdsteel]

We see things differently. IF (granted, a big if) we capture the Senate and keep the House, and the Tea Party backed folks write and pass CONSERVATIVE legislation it can happen. At that point the GOPe, as you call them, is irrelevant. IF anything, the Tea Party wins in the primary will prove to RINO’s that they are on thin ice if they don't see the error of their ways. Let's take health care as an issue. If the House and Senate pass the repeal Romney either signs or doesn't. What do you think will happen? I say he signs.