Mitt Romney, ineluctable or unelectable?

Society has no choice but to ditch right-wing policies if they want to join the 21st century. Am I wrong, or does social and fiscal conservatism have a place in 2012?

Republicans are not fiscal conservatives.

And for the record, unelectable.

It seems unlikely. Candidates like Rubio or Christi have been solicited but declined. I can’t see them trying to establish a campaign in two months. An impossible feat. It’s always fun to speculate but the timing and people involved just don’t lend themselves to this happening. No matter who the candidate might be, they would be excoriated by an enthusiastic press rushing to find all the dirt they could on a candidate not yet vetted. It would get very ugly.

@dappled_leaves

Some of us are.

@Jaxk That’s what they all say. :/

Points for use of ineluctable. I think he’s unelectable myself.

My guess is anyone is electable when they are against Obama this time around. I think he has made enough of a mess of this country and finally the ones whom elected him the first time are seeing you can’t run on just the word change without an actual plan of how you want to change things.

I think Romney will squeak in with enough delegates, but it will be close.
If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if the convention throws out all the candidates, and drafts someone that didn’t want to expose themself to the torture of the primaries.
Palin? She’ll try, but they don’t want her.
Christie? They’d love him, if he would run with Jenny Craig.
Boehner? Makes my eyes water with laughter just thinking about it.

No, the convention will draft none other than Jeb Bush.

I would be fascinated, depressed, and freaked out if Santorum won the Presidency.

I can’t see a dark horse coming in at the 11th hour. I think Jeb Bush would have had a great chance against Obama, if his brother’s legacy was not so negative to so many. He might be a real possibility in 4 years though, once more years have passed.

I think there is still a possibility Romney could really rise to the occation if he gets the nomination. The Republicans have a huge fear Romney will move more moderate once the primaries are over, and I think that could really help him. This is why I would be fascinated if Santorum won the presdiency, because I just can’t understand the logic behind the argument that it is best to pick a candidate the polar opposite lf Obama. But, I could not undersyand how Bush was reelected, so what do I know.

@Blackberry No, I do not think you are wrong about the outcome should our electorate decide to stay the course of the “conservative” revolution launched by Ronald Reagan and all the billionaire funded right-wing think tanks back in 1980. But history is littered with the corpses of great nations that decided to ignore reality and follow this political philosophy or the other straight over a cliff. I hope we won’t join them—but only time will tell.

@dappled_leaves Thank you, and agreed on both points.

@Jaxk I agree that drafting a dark horse is unlikely. I can’t fathom how, after such a contentious primary, the party could ignore all who voted and draft a dark horse who would have to build a campaign overnight against an incumbent.

As to fiscal conservatism, IMHO you aren’t there yet. Your heart may be in the right place. I am sure you are appalled at the deficits the GOP has run up. But so long as you inssist that tax cuts bring in more revenue, and failing to invest in the future produces savings, I say flunk Econ 101. One more time around the wall.

@marinelife Thanks. The word play is what drove me to post the question. And I agree with your conclusion, as well.

@creative1 There are a lot of people who agree. I think they have been taken for a ride by the special interests who drove us over a cliff back in late 2007 for their own financial benefit. But I will be the first to agree that lots of Americans are easily duped, and might volunteer to be fleeced again.

@filmfann Boehner? Seriously? :-) I think there is a high likelihood nobody secures 1144 delegates. What happens after that? I truly do not know, but my best guess is we get a Santorum/Gingrich ticket.

@JLeslie That’s why Jeb Bush sat this one out. He may be Machiavellian, but he’s nobody’s fool. Romney will have the “motivating the base” challenge even if he does secure the nomination. Someone the base totally trusts can give a wink and a nod, and seem to move to the center. But Romney, they do not trust. Should he win 1144 delegates (and I don’t think he will) he cannot pivot to the center without losing his base and getting creamed due to low GOP turnout in November.

@ETpro But the right hates Obama. I think they will still turn out.

@JLeslie Maybe, but I think if Romney pivots way back to center he only further reinforces the flip-flopper image and loses his base in the process. My guess is they would rather have a Democrat they hate in there than a RINO they hate.

@ETpro He only needs to stay neutral on social issues I think to win a lot of independents. He does not have to say he is pro-choice, he just needs to say his priorities will be the economy and jobs. That he has no desire to waste time on social issues at this point in American history.

@JLeslie That’s all he needs to say to alienate the base, that ONLY cares about social issues. And bare in mind he will have to adopt your recommended course in the face of a blizzard of adds showing him saying just the opposite during the primaries. Politicians largely haven’t caught on yet, but they do have the Internets and on there you can fine the YouTube.

@ETpro Funny, I have said all along I think most people really vote on social issues more than anything. Both Republicans and Democrats. I might have done a Q about it I don’t remember. Everyone around me was saying the economy is the most important issue, and I begged to differ. Not long after all this started with Santorum.

@JLeslie Pretty prescient.

I just think he’s a soppy fucker with no charisma & a large square head.

@ucme But he has executive hair.

@ETpro Freshly torn from a bison’s arse.

@ucme So that’s how it’s done.

You learn something new every day.