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Anybody But Romney?

By: Bob Sordahl (Diary)  |  January 19th, 2012 at 10:44 AM  | 

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Someone coined the phrase “Anybody But Obama” to describe the primary goal and direction of the Right in America.  I don’t know if that will be a winning strategy in 2012 or not.  The truth is “anybody” may not be able to garner enough independent and undecided votes to beat this incumbent.  Who the Republicans choose to receive their nomination is very important, and should not be treated as if anything but the status quo will do.  Interestingly however, this primary season has taken on the appearance of an “Anybody But Romney” mentality in the Republican ranks, which I think is the real story of the Presidential campaign so far.

Ironically, the people hurt most by Obama’s lack of experience and ability are those who voted for him, but now feel duped and lied to.  The economy didn’t get better.  The world still hates us, maybe even more than before.  There are more people on food stamps and welfare than ever.  The President makes unilateral decisions without the advice and consent of Congress, and has surrounded himself with advisors Czars and appointees of questionable qualifications and ethics.

People who were poor before his election are still poor now and no one has rescued anybody from their own personal Katrinas.  But these very voters are now in the position of staying with the evil they know, instead of changing to an evil they don’t know.  They are not about to vote for a candidate with unknown performance ability, because they got burned badly the last time they did.

In order to get that voting bloc, Republicans need a candidate who can instill confidence and good will in the American mood.  We don’t need anyone to tell us what is wrong with this Country.  We can all see that with our own eyes.  We need a cheerleader of sorts, personable, confidant and collected.  We need a candidate who makes us smile rather than worry about their motives and “Anybody But Romney” is not necessarily that candidate.

I am not banging the drum for Romney here.  Rather, I am warning that whoever the Right eventually chooses, had better be a candidate who can not only carry the Party faithful and Tea Party fringe, but also dig into the ranks of the disillusioned Left and huge bloc of independents who really shape election results in this Country.

I like Cain, Bachman and Paul for their fiscal conservatism.  I admire Gingrich for his knowledge of history and government.  I like Perry for his straight talk even with the occasional senior moment.  Conservatives have given each their day in the sun and now Santorum seems to be the man of the hour.

The perfect candidate is a fantasy.  The search for and insistence upon perfection will end in failure.  “Anybody But Romney” is a manifestation of that search.  Romney may not be the one to beat Obama, but if that is the case somebody better tell me who is, and do it soon.

Originally posted on 01/08/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

COMMENTS

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  • http://www.neoavatara.com/blog neoavatara

    I want someone else, but please, tell me who that person is? I wanted to support Perry…he stumbled. I liked Cain, and he imploded. I always liked Newt, but can he withstand the personal barrage that starts today with his ex-wife?

    If Newt survives and wins South Carolina, maybe I will jump on that bandwagon. But until someone else proves that they have the power to go the duration, Romney is the tentative pick.

    Please, please convince me I am wrong.

    • HaroldHutchison

      He’s like Rex Grossman was with the Bears. You got either Good Rex, who could dominate the game, or Bad Rex, who could blow it. Good Newt is very good – his smackdown of Obama over food stamps was superb. But he’s inconsistent, as his comments on the Ryan budget and Bain Capital show.

      Bad Newt emerging means another four years of Obama. That means Kennedy and Scalia could be replaced with justices like Sotomayor and Kagan.

      A progressive-tilting SCOTUS would be a disaster.

      • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

        I urge all to vote for Mitt or Santorum.

      • Common_Cents

        Romney has shown when challenged he has a glass jaw. He couldn’t handle Bret Baier, or candidates on stage when directly confronted.

        Hunting varmints? really? ooops, i mean moose, errr…Elk! That’s the ticket!

        What is really going to nail romney is his offshore accounts. mark my words. That is why he is dodging his tax record release. Offshore accounts will be tremendously damaging to Romney.

  • Juggernaut

    scary fact but polls change. I’d like it better if the moderates margin were less than 15 points rather than 41 points. Moderates don’t like Romney and he’s a moderate by admission.

    http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/763526/new_poll%3A_obama_leads_over_romney/

    President Obama owes his standing primarily to his ability to keep a slightly positive favorable rating and voter’s general disdain for Mitt Romney. Obama’s most recent net favorable rating is +2 (49 percent favorable, 47 percent unfavorable). Mitt Romney’s net favorable rating is -18 (35 percent favorable, 53 percent unfavorable).

    PPP’s Tom Jensen says Obama has “claimed the middle,” leading Romney 68-27 among moderates and 51-41 among independents. There’s a huge gender gap in the poll: Obama leads by 14 points among women

  • tngal

    First it was Anybody but Obama. That was the warcry. Everybody could coalesce around that. Then when romney landed with a 20 percent base came the anybody but Romney crowd. But when Pawlenty wasn’t loved by the mods, the ABPawlenty crowd started screaming. Then the ABPerry’s, Then Anybody but Bachman, then Cain then Newt, and yes the ABSantrum’s. the Anybodybuts have certainly won.

  • HaroldHutchison

    And the “anyone but Romney” approach means another four years of Obama, which means that Kennedy, Ginsberg, and Scalia would be replaced by judges like Sotomayor and Kagan.

    The long-term implications of that are not good. What chance would conservatives have of implementing policy in the face of a supreme court that tilts to the left?

  • johnconradarens

    Poll after poll suggests that the large plurality of Americans consider themselves conservative. THAT’S the Tea Party. Your diary is well written and cogent, but I think it’s a bit disingenuous. Clearly, you are a Romney supporter, and that’s fine. Do it with gusto and aplomb, though.

    But, so far, the only argument I’ve EVER heard from Romney supporters isn’t that he’s got this proposal, or that he favors this policy, or he’s really strong on this particular issue; no, it’s that he’s the most “electable”.

    First of all, it isn’t necessarily true, second, it’s hardly inspiring.

  • http://Conservativecompass.com Bob Sordahl

    You’ve misinterpreted my post. I wanted Christie to run. I liked Bachman but could tell she had no staying power. I REALLY loved Cain, but shit happens. I was happy when Perry entered the race, and strangely, happy when he dropped out. I like Santorum, but he always looks too worried to be the President. Ron Paul is terminally naive, and Newt is…well, Newt. His pros and cons on any given day are a toss up. I’ve often written about the trade off of Party purity versus ability to be elected. Will we ever find the perfect candidate? Not likely, but we are all united in one singular goal: Ridding this Country of Obama. You are right that Romney is difficult to pin down on issues, but the American people in large measure don’t care about the details. They vote at a more visceral level. They vote their gut and that is where our candidate needs to be able to make an impact. Who of the current crop makes you feel best about America and our future? That is the candidate I will support.