November 2, 2011--GOP Speed Dating
What is going on with the Republicans?
Mitt Romney has from the first been the candidate-in-waiting. Historically, the GOP nominates the person who came in second during the previous presidential cycle.
Reagan was the runner up to Nixon in 1968 and then won the nomination in 1980 after Nixon was elected to a second term, resigned, Ford inherited the presidency, and then haplessly lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976. H. W. Bush came in second to Reagan in 1980 (remember "Voodoo economics"?) before himself being nominated eight years later. Dole was Bush's chief challenger then, and after losing was nominated and then lost to Bill Clinton in 1996 who had defeated President Bush four years earlier.
Are you following this?
George W. Bush was the rare exception. He made a first and successful effort to win the nomination in 2000, but as a Bush he had a lifetime's experience coming in second. Then the pattern reasserted itself with McCain, who was the runner up to Bush in 2000 before being nominated in 2008 with Romney coming in second.
So according to the Republican way of doing things, this should be Romney's turn, right?
Wrong.
From all the polls it seems as if Romney can't manage to get more than 25 percent of Republicans to cozy up to him. I have speculated here that this has less to do with his flip-flopping and the resulting suspicion among the ultra-conservative base that he is a closet moderate than the fact that the evangelicals in the Grand Old Party see Mormons as non-Christian cultists.
For whatever the reasons, a parade of candidates has challenged Mitt and in turn become short-lived front runners. Even if they are certifiably ignorant about the most basic facts of American history (Michele Bachmann), certifiably self-promoting (remember The Donald); certifiably crazy (see Rick Perry's speech, twitches, and muggings at a recent New Hampshire rally--it's on YouTube); or just plain certifiable (see Herman Cain's on-going struggles to present his preposterous tax "ideas" and his bumbling defense of himself from sexual harassment charges--only Bill Clinton made more of a mess but he had more to lie about).
If poor Herman falls by the wayside, like Bachmann, Trump, and Perry look for Newt to make a move or even, help us, Rick Santorum. If they fail, as they surely will, there is always Sarah Palin to fall in love with again. Remember her?
Mitt Romney has from the first been the candidate-in-waiting. Historically, the GOP nominates the person who came in second during the previous presidential cycle.
Reagan was the runner up to Nixon in 1968 and then won the nomination in 1980 after Nixon was elected to a second term, resigned, Ford inherited the presidency, and then haplessly lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976. H. W. Bush came in second to Reagan in 1980 (remember "Voodoo economics"?) before himself being nominated eight years later. Dole was Bush's chief challenger then, and after losing was nominated and then lost to Bill Clinton in 1996 who had defeated President Bush four years earlier.
Are you following this?
George W. Bush was the rare exception. He made a first and successful effort to win the nomination in 2000, but as a Bush he had a lifetime's experience coming in second. Then the pattern reasserted itself with McCain, who was the runner up to Bush in 2000 before being nominated in 2008 with Romney coming in second.
So according to the Republican way of doing things, this should be Romney's turn, right?
Wrong.
From all the polls it seems as if Romney can't manage to get more than 25 percent of Republicans to cozy up to him. I have speculated here that this has less to do with his flip-flopping and the resulting suspicion among the ultra-conservative base that he is a closet moderate than the fact that the evangelicals in the Grand Old Party see Mormons as non-Christian cultists.
For whatever the reasons, a parade of candidates has challenged Mitt and in turn become short-lived front runners. Even if they are certifiably ignorant about the most basic facts of American history (Michele Bachmann), certifiably self-promoting (remember The Donald); certifiably crazy (see Rick Perry's speech, twitches, and muggings at a recent New Hampshire rally--it's on YouTube); or just plain certifiable (see Herman Cain's on-going struggles to present his preposterous tax "ideas" and his bumbling defense of himself from sexual harassment charges--only Bill Clinton made more of a mess but he had more to lie about).
If poor Herman falls by the wayside, like Bachmann, Trump, and Perry look for Newt to make a move or even, help us, Rick Santorum. If they fail, as they surely will, there is always Sarah Palin to fall in love with again. Remember her?
posted by Steven Zwerling at
5:38 AM
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