From the diaries

In the eleven presidential elections since the birth of modern conservatism, five GOP nominees ran as moderates –- and were perceived as moderates. All lost, with the single exception of George H. W. Bush in 1988, and he was arguably running for Ronald Reagan’s “third term.”

Conversely, all six GOP candidacies which were framed and perceived as conservative won.

So it is of concern that the TV’s White House-wannabes who crowned Mitt Romney the victor last October now are trying to hand him the scepter.

But for the commentators who derive smirky satisfaction from predicting bad outcomes and making those predictions self-fulfilling prophesies, shame on you.

None of your predictions are going to make a moderate stand-for-nothing nominee who is more pro-mandate than Barack Obama the victor in November.

Romney’s central narrative is that he, unlike Obama, is a “businessman.”

The absolute worst officeholders of the past twenty years -– Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senators Frank Lautenberg, Jon Corzine, Herb Kohl, and Howard Metzenbaum
– have been the most successful businessmen.

And there’s a cause-and-effect there. A person who thinks he can approach governance in the same way as he makes widgets will invariably conclude that very, very large government is the best government.

So let the commentators preen, four months from now, about how they sat on their rear ends and predicted bad things would happen -– and were right! I, for one, will continue to fight for a good outcome.

WHAT SANTORUM HAS DONE RIGHT, WHAT HE HAS DONE WRONG

Rick Santorum made an issue of ObamaCare. And polling in Ohio shows that those who voted against Romney were most concerned about his position on this issue. No one bought the narrative that the guy who invented ObamaCare (Romney) and still supports the mandate is less culpable than a guy (Santorum) who supported a guy (Specter) who voted for it.

Good for you, Rick! You battled $5 million in TV ads and lost by only 12,000 votes!

But you probably could have won if you had more effectively prepared the public for the Romney slime campaign.

It’s hilarious to watch Barbara Bush and George Pataki advocate the coronation of Romney because of the “negativity” of the race.

Well, who’s to blame for that?

Romney’s central campaign strategy has been to hurl ad hominem sleaze at each of a succession of Republican competitors. And, except for a cute commercial about mud, he has yet to be called to account for it.

Romney needs to be told, by the voters in Alabama, Mississippi, and Kansas, to “take your slime and go back to Massachusetts.”

One final point: We went into North Dakota with the issue of Romney’s abysmal record in favor of firearms registration and gun bans, and we won! Anyone who thinks the same issue will not resonate in places like Alabama and Mississippi is kidding himself.