Reminded me of Bush talking about Putin. Wishful thinking.

All those years of reason over emotion, literalville,etc. I will support Romney, but unlike Rush I will not lie to myself about it.

No there does NOT. Similar logic has been used with respect to Ford, Dole, and McCain. Wishful thinking is not a substitute for evidence.

Romney is vastly superior to Obama. But if Romney is a conservative, he is a stealth conservative and a stealth candidate like no other in modern history.

One of the reason we got into so much trouble with W was that we really really really wanted to believe that he was a bit more than he was. Let’s not repeat that mistake.

Romney could make an excellent President. However, there is little to show that he is motivated by any degree of conservatism that exists at his core.

Romney has no more core than any other past nominee. Romney has no more core than any other current candidate. So there is nothing about Romney’s “core” that distinguishes him from anyone else.

So instead of looking into his eyes, conjecturing about his heart, looking at tea leaves, etc. why not just say that Romney is the better choice and leave it at that?

This need we have to love our guy even though we spent that last couple of years knocking him is unhealthy.

Romney is the better option, but conjecture about his “core” is unhelpful. Frankly, we need to be prepared to push back against all of our DC politicians should they win, and that will require a clear non-emotional perspective on Romney and who he is.

What Romney told Rush during one meeting? This is evidence of what?

(1) That Rush is getting soft
(2) That Rush like all of us desperately wants to believe that Romney is a conservative at heart.
(3) That Romney is a politician who is willing to emphasize certain things in certain audiences

Oh my gosh—a politician who tells an influential conservative in a private conservation and without identifying any specifics —that they will be conservative. At least Bob Dole was willing to say “If you want me to be Ronald Reagan, I can be Ronald Reagan.”

The Rush conversation is at least two tiers beneath that, and the Reagan statement by Dole was of absolutely no value.

Romney had the most tepid economic plan until forced to up his game. In terms of specifics, he has skillfully avoided identifying any cut outside of repealling Obamacare. At least when Bachmann spoke in non-specific cliches, Bachmann was saying things she had always said.

I acknowledge and have repeatedly acknowledged in the past that Romney could be some kind “stealth conservative” candidate. I hope it is true.

However, there is no evidence that supports the conclusion that Romney is materially different than Ford, Dole, McCain, et al. To the contrary, Romney was the most moderate of the contenders this year. This is true in what he has said as well as what he has done.

if Romney insists on being graded on a blue state curve because of Mass, tea party people are entitled to grade him on a tea party 2010 curve because of the general mood of the country. The most conservative thing Romney has done or said on the stump was to be seen smiling while standing next to Paul Ryan. It aint nothing, but it aint much.

One conversation between a politician and an influential member of the base is no basis to conclude anything about Romney.

There are people out there who have some basis to say something about whether Romney is some type of Manchurian Candidate conservative—-but Rush is not one of those people. Rush has repeatedly said that he doesn’t know any of the candidates in a meaningful way.

Rush should be careful to avoid the Bush-Putin silliness.

Seriously though, if you listen that often you know that Rush has often disclaimed having an real personal knowledge of the candidates. That distance is purposeful. It makes Rush’s statements on Romney quite puzzling due to the inconsistency.

One topic is a large subset of the history of economics, the other is a private conversation (why private?) that lasted for how many minutes?

Either people are making too much of the Rush comment (everyone has some core after all), or Rush is making too much of a single private conversation with a politician in the middle of a campaign season.

If Romney is unwilling/unable/scare to sell specific conservative ideas in a primary campaign, he won’t do it in a general campaign either. Even if he wins…it will be extra difficult to govern on things he didn’t campaign on.

The Romney stealth campaign (which is a best case scenario) is one of the close clever DC-pundit-campaign consultant ideas that will end up biting us in the collective @$$.

List of cuts: Obamacare . . .. and other stuff

Entitlement reform: Supports it, but won’t talk about it voluntarily, much less try to sell it.

Romney is either running a stealth campaign (best case scenario) or hoping to convince conservatives that he is running a stealth campaign (worst case scenario).

At some point, Romney is going to have to support a platform of policy rather than merely a narrative of biography. A President will ultimately need to sell his ideas to the public. Romney’s strategy of not talking policy (a salesman deciding not to try and sell) is only in the best interests of the center-right if one believes our policies to bad unpalatable to independents.

Update: I just had a conversation with Romney’s brother (a former law partner of mine here in Michigan). Folks—Romney is 100% conservative. His action plans are AWESOME. I can’t talk about the specifics (private conversation and all), but trust me…. we are talking great stuff!!!!! So all you Romney skeptics talking about the past can just knock it off know. Nothing to worry about. Get with the program folks!

Saying that Romney is not a conservative is not bashing the guy. Steve Jobs, Jimmy Hendrix, and Christian Bale weren’t conservative either, but that isn’t to deny their respective talents.

In terms of Rush, I simply agree with what Rush last year more than what Rush said last Friday.

My criticism is more of the people jumping on the “news” of Rush’s observation that of Rush himself.

Drawing evidence of a person’s core from a single non-public conversation is right up there with arguing by authority on the list how to avoid reason.