Posted on 08/27/2014 4:30:53 AM PDT by servo1969
In his Tuesday evening interview on the Hugh Hewitt show, Mitt Romney said it over and over again: "I will not run in 2016."
Though a determined Hewitt kept finding different ways to ask the same question, in the end the 2012 candidate stood by his claim, saying, "I had the chance of running. I didnt win. Someone else has a better chance than I do."
After Hewitt's relentless questioning, Romney did offer the host his "one in a million" chance of running: if all the other candidates got together and said, "Hey, weve decided we cant do it, you must do it." In other words, he isn't running.
Hewitt: Now Governor Romney, because you were the governor of the Commonwealth, you know your revolutionary history. And so I want to throw a little Thomas Paine at you from December 23rd of 1776. They call it the darkest hour of the Revolution. Its before Trenton and the Delaware crossing, after six months of misery and defeats. And Thomas Paine writes the famous opening lines of the crisis: "These are the times that try mens souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of their country, but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." So heres the question. If you personally believed, I mean, really, genuinely believed that you were the only candidate who could beat Hillary, and that belief was confirmed by your family and your friends and respected political advisors, would you not then feel obliged to run?
Romney: (laughing) Well, Hugh, the reason I came to the conclusion I did, which is this is not the right time for me to run, is because of my belief that someone else stands a better chance of winning than I do. Had that not been the case, had I believed I would actually be best positioned to beat Hillary Clinton, then I would be running. But I actually believe that someone new that is not defined, yet, someone who perhaps is from the next generation, will be able to catch fire, potentially, build a movement, and be able to beat Hillary Clinton. If I thought that werent the case, well, I would have been running. But I think weve got a number of very good people looking at this race. Im expecting someone to be able to catch fire and get the job done.
Hewitt: Now Im pressing, and Im pressing an advantage of long acquaintance, and so forgive me for this, but thats subject to change, right? Peoples candidacies implode, circumstances change. People who organized campaigns approach you. And so Im not asking you to, I wouldnt presume to ask you to say "Yeah, Im in the race." But circumstances change. And if you thought that in fact it were not that way, that you thought you were the only one who could do this, youd change your mind, wouldnt you?
Romney: (laughing) Im not going there, Hugh. I know youre going to press, but you know, this is something we gave a lot of thought to when early on I decided were not going to be running this time. And again, we said look, I had the chance of running. I didnt win. Someone else has a better chance than I do. And thats what we believe, and thats why Im not running. And you know, circumstances can change, but Im just not going to let my head go there. I remember that great line from Dumb and Dumber, where the
Hewitt: So youre telling me I have a chance?
Romney: There you go, you remember. Youre telling me I have a chance? Thats one of a million.
Hewitt: Hey, all, the takeaway is already circumstances can change. I know how were going to play this. But I hope its not the Harold Stassen nonsense, which overlooks the far more unlikely comebacks like Reagans and Nixons, and Deweys and Stevenson and William Jennings Bryant. In fact, not even Stassen became a joke until his 64 run. His previous four runs were all very serious affairs. Heres what your running mate said yesterday on this show.
Ryan: I would welcome it. Ive told him that, I was with him last Thursday. I think he should run. I think people are getting to know who he really is. I think theres buyers remorse, and I think hed make an outstanding president. He says emphatically, though, that he wont do it. You know, I just wish he would. I think hed be a unifier. But I just, Ill take Mitt at his word, and hes pretty clear hes not going to do it.
Hewitt: See, hes not as abrasive as I am. And so you have been very clear youre not doing it now. I just keep looking for that, I get asked everywhere I go because I wrote the book about you, have you heard if theres any door open. And I said no, I havent. He always says no, no, no, but Ive always also said that I thought if you thought you were the only guy who could win, youd do it.
Romney: Well, you know, lets say all the guys that were running all came together and said, "Hey, weve decided we cant do it, you must do it." Thats the one of the million were thinking about.
Cruz is the best choice.
He stopped running after the first debate in the last election.
It would be nice to have an American Patriot, someone who loves their country and who has fought and defended it for a president, that would be a fresh start for a change!
Well, I don’t really want to do it. But if enough people petition me I will run. But you better be ready for a major lack of PC.
I’ll knock the candidates that suck, without regard to party affiliation.
Fred Thompson. Not.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3195835/posts?page=46
Romney: It’s Ryan’s turn to run for president
The Hill ^ | August 22, 2014 | Mario Trujillo
Don’t know who’s the best but do know the bozos will pick someone who will pimp for Hillary.
The problem is that for many Conservatives their candidate is perfect (or at least close to it) and all others suck, meaning that there’ll be a blood feud primary season that results in a lowest-common-demoninator, non-Conservative candidate like Romney getting the nomination.
Here’s how I see 2016 going (at the moment anyways) it’ll shake out to Cruz (vision, rhetoric) vs Walker (executive experience). Probably with Perry playing spoiler. Both Cruz and Walker are good and acceptable candidates for Conservatives to rally around. And Conservatives WILL rally around them.
Then dig in and fight to the death for them. Either handing the nomination to a Romney/McCain clone (TBD), or causing so much bad blood that we’ll have an election where a good chunk of the Conservative base stays home, even WITH a true Conservative heading the ticket.
Knock the Dem candidates...not Repubs. None are perfect but let's not help the Dems in chopping down Repubs.<
Some have grown to dislike Republicans more than they do Dems. The odds of the perfect nominee is great and may never come in one's lifetime. Standing up for your principals is noble, but doing it while your house and children burn is pathetic.
Thank you Mr. Romney as I would not vote for you if you did.
I honestly have no idea at this point who our best candidate might be. I only know that it is not Romney.
Romney didn't match his own party platform on abortion, amnesty, 2nd amendment, socialized medicine, or big government.
That's not imperfect, that's liberal.
Want to win? Run a conservative.
Quit fighting to defend liberals.
/johnny
Mike Pence
Well then, I guess the only man left standing is Jeb </sarcasm>.
We have to differentiate between being a conservative and being stubborn. The two are very similar.
I would say that a conservative crosses over to being stubborn at the point that his efforts become counterproductive to the country.
August 27, 2014, 08:01 am
A young candidate could beat Hillary Clinton, Romney says
EXCERPT
Quelling continued rumors of a third presidential run himself, Romney told conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt that “someone new that is not defined yet, someone who perhaps is from the next generation, will be able to catch fire, potentially, build a movement and be able to beat Hillary Clinton.”
He later repeated the call for a “new and not defined” candidate, adding that there are a “number of very good people looking at this race.”
Clinton is 66 years old, Romney is 67.
Romney has discussed his support in the past for a 2016 bid by his former running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), something Ryan has not yet ruled out.
In the pairs first joint interview since their failed White House bid, Romney said last week on Fox News that it was time for his former running mate to run for president.
“He’s very generous. But I had my turn. It’s his turn now,” Romney said.
On Tuesday, Romney went further.
“I think Paul has the kinds of qualities youd like to see either in a president or in the highest levels of leadership in other parts of Washington, namely the House,” Romney said.
I’m glad he’s not running, but Romney is a good dude. And he would have been something like one billion times better as president than Golfy McMuslim.
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