Posted on 11/09/2012 4:38:36 AM PST by Zhang Fei
(Putting on my flak jacket). Let me say that I'm no fan of Romney's politics, but the guy ran a decent campaign, and he appeals to swing voters in a way that Santorum and Palin cannot. And let's face it - what's he going to do with the rest of his life? If there's one thing he's got, it's time and money. He can learn from his mistakes, just as Nixon learned from his, and perhaps lead the GOP to victory in 2016.
I learned to like Romney in the end, but for a variety of reasons he did not bring out the base. He attracted less votes than Palin did in 2008. Too bad the GOP-e did not use the Palin magic in 2012. The GOP-e has no clue how to attract its base. Zero!
My sense is that he did not want it badly enough, and underestimated the amount of detailed knowledge and political skills it takes to win office. I get the impression that politically-speaking, he's a part-timer rather than someone who's deeply engaged in the minutia. He is a great family man whose children have benefited from his attention and guidance. The nation, however, has suffered from his inattention to politics, that culminated in his defeat in 2012.
In contrast, Reagan was an aloof father whose life's work wasn't raising his children; it was figuring out how to raise this nation out of the disasters of the 60's and the 70's, and how to get in a position to implement his preferred policies. As a result, several of Reagan's children have turned out pretty dysfunctional, and it's clear that this must have been a source of pain for him. In retrospect, we owe Reagan a great deal for the personal sacrifices he made on the road to the presidency, so that we could have the decade that slowed down the economic death spiral which was simply a matter of time once FDR initiated the New Deal.
That’s what we said this time
Short-sighted thinking, because that probably cost us the Senate as well. That did more harm than reelecting the Marxist.
Mr. Romney, like Rove, was in it for the $$$$$$$$$$$$ only.
Backstabber Rove made an estimated 50 to 200 million from the
disaster. So watch for him to eagerly repeat it.
America is so screwed that the GOP did not listen.
RINO Romney and backstabber Rove did not even
let Ms. Palin SPEAK. And the result is they
are richer, and all America is poorer.
Why Romney chose that model we will never know for sure but I'd be willing to bet that the same guy who suggested to W that he should ignore the critics and not respond may have influenced it. Karl Rove, losing elections for everyone but Bush since 2000.
Stop smoking crack! Romney was a horrible candidate. Not only was he not a true conservative, but he’s a member of a religious cult (Mormonism) which is NOT a Christian faith!!!
Does anyone FORCE a company to offer coupons? I thought not. But the modern American electorate is likely to DEMAND that companies offer them coupons or else...
Taking advantage of an offered lower price is not wrong. Demanding government take from others by force and give to you is evil.
We can't, unless we get rid of all the RATs and have Republican "conservative" majorities in those states. Which means, then, that we're screwed.
agreed
It's ironic to read such comments on a website called free republic. Our forefathers risked their lives and livelihood for religious freedom. Somehow the intolerance they sought to escape crossed the ocean with them.
No hope a’tall until someone emerges with the balls to respond like Reagan when being dissed by the media.
My favorite political moments were when Ron would smile, shake his head and say “Well, (insert name of lamestream would-be character assassin), there you go again, but .....”
I think the REAL difference between Reagan and the rest of the pitiful candidates the GOP has been running of late is the personal goals of the men in question.
I TRULY believe that Reagan’s goal was to help this country, even to the extent that he ran the milktoast, NWO promoting GHWB as his running mate in order to mend fences within the party.
The goal of the rest of the bunch has been to get elected POTUS.
And, don’t give the kneejerk BS about “ya have to get elected first”.
Reagan got elected BECAUSE his goal permeated his personality AND his campaign, not because he wanted to be POTUS.
THAT’s why Obamination got elected - he has also convinced the sheeple that he GENUINELY wants to help this country (including the “... I’ll be a one term president” statement).
LOL
Right now I’m not even seriously thinking about 2016; I still haven’t gotten over Tuesday. I can think of only two people I’d want to run: Allen West or Mark Levin. Both are pure fantasy, so who cares.
Bush
Dole
Bush
McCain
Romney....that my nose now resembles Michael Jackson nose prosthesis!!
Romney couldn’t beat Obama?
Romney didn’t beat McCain.
Disgraceful. A billion dollar campaign? What did Republicans get for their money?
McCain, 2008 popular vote: 58,319,442
Romney, 2012 popular vote: 58,163,978
That is the biggest fact of this election and no one is talking about it.
NO WAY!!!!!!!!
Before that the only real cases are William Henry Harrison in 1840 and Grover Cleveland in 1892 (and he was a former President who had a plurality of the popular vote in 1888). Andrew Jackson won in 1828 after losing in 1824 but that was in the interval between the end of the first party system (Federalist vs. Republican) and the rise of the second party system (Whig vs. Democrat), and the winner of that election had to be selected by the House of Representatives.
The elections before 1804 don't count because the second-highest vote-winner became Vice President.
Romney could only run now if he had Sarah Palin for backbone
“The last time we ran a conservtaive was Ronald Reagan. He won in the biggest landslide we’ve ever seen.”
Yes, but don’t forget that he won such a landslide, in part, because he was able to attract/convert “Reagan Democrats.” He was able to do so because, on top of being a true conservative, he was also the “Great Communicator” - in other words, he was able to communicate his conservative principles (and, more geneay, his vision for the future of America) to all Americans.
One problem with our modern political culture (gerrymandered districts, the internet, the pretty sharp divide between conservative and liberal media, etc.) is that today’s conservatives do not need to be good at selling their ideas to people who do not already self- identify as conservatives ( and believe me, there are plenty of people who hold conservative beliefs on the issues, but do not necessarily view themselves as ‘conservatives,’ so to speak). The next Reagan (if that person exists) will need to be able to do that).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.