Mitt Romney: The Etch-a-Sketch candidate
Fueled by an anti-Obama, anti-Obamacare uprising the Republicans were able to excite the voters in 2010 and they rode a wave to historic gains in the House. The base was excited and couldn’t wait to get to the polls in 2010, but his is not the case in 2012–when the Republicans should have Barack Obama on the ropes–turnout has been low and last night in Illinois the turnout was abysmal, coming in at less than 25%.
This is a year when Republicans should be most enthusiastic about their chances of unelecting Barack Obama, and this is the year when voters should be most excited about heading to the polls and yet we have not seen the enthusiasm from the voters which was expected. This should be deeply troubling to all the people who oppose Barack Obama’s policies and I think the reason is simple and can be summed up in two words–Mitt Romney.
Voters have been under the assumption that Mitt Romney is going to be the eventual nominee and conservative voters simply do not trust the man, therefore they are not excited about heading to the polls. As Mitt Romney edges closer to the nomination, and as conservative resistance appears to be more and more futile, I expect to see the turnout get worse and worse. Those who support Mitt Romney are still going to head to the polls, but those who support another candidate may simply sit home knowing that in the end he will be the nominee anyway.
Conservatives do not trust Mitt Romney and it is not without a good reason; his conservatism is directly proportional to the office for which he is running. While running against Ted Kennedy he ran to the left of the Liberal Lion, but while running for Governor of Massachusetts he took a more moderate position, and finally, now that he is running to be the Republican presidential nomination he has suddenly found his conservative credentials.
Mitt Romney’s longtime political adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, actually admitted what most conservatives fear about Mitt Romney when he was asked if he was worried that Mitt Romney’s attempt to win conservative support would alienate more moderate voters in the general election. Eric Fehrnstrom basically stated that he wasn’t concerned because when the general election started Mitt Romney would simply reinvent himself once again.
Here is what Eric Fehrnstrom had to say:
I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign, everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch-A-Sketch, you can kind of shake it up and we start all over again
That is a great way to describe Mitt Romney’s ever-evolving political positions; everything changes and when need be he can simply shake it up and start over with positions more geared to the audience he is trying to court. And this is why turnout is low in the Republican primaries, Mitt Romney is the Etch-a-Sketch candidate willing to say or do whatever it takes for him to gain what he thinks is rightfully his–the nomination of the Republican party.
Mitt Romney is trying to backtrack from this comment, promising that this time he really does believe the words which are coming out of his mouth, but this has to be very concerning to those who are more than a little leery about supporting him because it was one of Mitt Romney’s advisors who admitted what conservatives feared the most.
The lack of enthusiasm does not bode well for the Republicans in November, both at the presidential level and at the Congressional level, because if the Republicans do not nominate a candidate who will turn out the voters all Republicans running for office on the bottom of the ballot will suffer because of it.
When the Etch-a-Sketch is shaken after the Republican Convention can we really believe a conservative Mitt Romney will be drawn on the blank slate remaining? Ann Coulter once defended her Mitt Romney flip-flop by stating that Mitt Romney was brilliant because he tricked Massachusetts liberals into voting for him (I guess that means he tricked her as well), this time he is trying to trick conservatives into doing the same.
Everything changes, what will the Etch-a-Sketch draw next?
America's Watchtower 
Right. Ho-fucking-hum.
However, I am axiously awaiting the the ads that are going to start coming out against Obama. And you can believe they will be the most viscious anyone can imagine.
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Second only to the ads Obama will run against Romney.
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Mitt was not my choice with all the flipflops. But then every cloud has a silver lining and the one bright spot is that the Obama opposition research will find little if any dirt on Mitt. The balance of the primary season will be dull with low turn out as most voters have seen the handwriting on the wall. But I expect the general to be hard fought by both sides and hopefully Mitt will not act like McCain and be afraid to offend Barry. I still have great hopes for the fall campaign—heck, I have too.
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I wish I could share your optimism but I don’t think Romney has what it takes to go after Obama hard. And I also feel like the OWS movement was designed to set up Romney as a 1%er in the class warfare campaign Obama will run. Obama has been preparing for Romney for a long time and he will be ready.
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You could be right Steve. The base of each party will stick, but the mushy middle will ebb and flow with the prevailing tides and I think in the end events and not ideology will determine the outcome of the battle.
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I probably shouldn’t be so negative, I am probably trying to prepare myself now in case Obama wins so I won’t be too disappointed. If the economy doesn’t turn around and if gas prices remain high it has to hurt Obama quite a bit.
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You’re right. Obama wanted to run against Romney and the GOP gave him his wish. Romney and Obama can debate which is more to the left and that’s about it. Voters have had Romney shoved down our throats, we’ll vote for him as we hold our nose closed. But we’re not in love with Romney at all. Don’t expect him to garner much financiala support.
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You are right, Obama’c whole campaign has been built around going after ROmney as a 1%er and the GOP played right into his hands.
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My only hope is that Congress will take the controls of the Etch-A-Sketch. I hate politicians!
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I hear you there Jim, but if Romney doesn’t get out the vote we will lose the Congress also.
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I think everyone knows we have to take back the Senate and increase our hold on the House. After this election, I will be dropping out of the Republican Party because of their forcing us to have Romney as the nominee. I hope others do this too, its the only way to teach the old guard a lesson. We didn’t want the progressive McCain and were stuck with him, Palin saved his rear end. Now this. They just don’t learn.
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No they don’t learn, do they? It is so frustrating!
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To be fair, every political candidate is guilty of this. Usually the more they promise their views are un-wavering the less they are. Think Clinton’s first 2 years.
Romney is better than Obama but my main fear with him is he is going to cave on higher taxes or the expansion of Obamacare and not fight to the finish on some topics.
For that we’ll need to wait and see.
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They are all guilty of moving to the left or right in the primary and then back to the center in the general, but Romney’s problem is that he has taken different sides on the issues altogether at different times so this makes people even more leery of him.
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I wonder if by now even Romney has any idea what he believes. ONe has to give Obama credit. He said he was going to transform Anercia, and his minions told us he was going to start using Exedutive Orders to achieve his agenda without Congress. But we do not respond.
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While trying to distance himself from this remark Romney stated that he is running as a conservative. I found that interesting because he didn’t say he was a conservative, only that he was running as one. Hmmm…..
Obama is doing what he promised and nobody seems to be challenging him, when is the Congress going to step up?
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Don’t know what to think myself… I am hard pressed to find many differences between the two. The only big difference is the letter next to their names on the ballot and even then that does not mean much to me.
One silver lining for conservatives… if the trend continues with the one who wins the nod, it will be Santorum in 2016 (assuming an Obama victory).
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There really isn’t all that much difference between them to me either, but I think this was Santorum’s one and only chance because 2016 could bring out Rubio or West.
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As naive as this may appear, Obama’s 2012 victory may spell the end of presidential elections in this country. Obama has been nudging us for three years as he not so gingerly skirts the constitution with virtually no pushback. Those who protest have been pretty much marginalized as anti- poor, anti-woman, anti-freedom. Once the supreme court, with one justice who by law must but won’t recuse herself, rules in favor of Islamocare, the jig is up. Just for shits and giggles, I recommend a reread of Allen Drury’s “Advise and Consent”. Thanks to the republican machine for screwiing up this best and last chance to unseat this commie for whom you opened the door for in 2008. And lastly, thanks to those who will drive to the polls with $5 p/gal gas in November and vote for the guy who gave it to them.
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Obama has no regard for the constitution as it is, and I fear what he may do if he wins a second term and doesn’t have to worry about reelection.
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Robamney!!!!!!
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LOL!
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A couple of things to remember, It isn’t as much who sits in the Oval Office as who he surrounds himself with. Obama’s advisors and cabinet are all Chicago thugs or Keynesian theorists and we know how well that has worked so far. The main cause of gas prices right now is Quantitative easing one and two, or printing vast sums of money to pay the bills. The dollar is worth far less in the international market so fuel costs more. It used to be called inflation, but the fed says that isn’t happening so it must be something else.
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Yep, Obama is surrounded by radicals because that is who he is most comfortable with, and we are seeing the results.
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Agreed, but no matter how you slice it the guy at the top of the heap must lead and it is rather obvious where he is leading us. Just as Bush with his spending laid the foundation for this mess so is Obama piling on. And while both sides answer to the same money masters this guy’s idiology is what is going to sink the ship. .
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At this point there really isn’t anyone out there who is willing to do what it will really take, Obama will sink the ship but even if he is defeated I fear the ship has already taken on too much water.
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Cons need to understand that they’re struggling for control of a party that represents only about 40% of Americans; thus, they have little claim to the Presidency unless they can craft a message that appeals not only to the more moderate members of the GOP, but also to the additional 20% or so of independent voters, upon whose ballots this election will swing.
Romney seems to be trying to do that; unhappy with such compromise, anough voters are keeping alive the candidacies of people like Rick Santorum, who trumped his own anti-contraception message when he barked at Puerto Rico that if it ever expected statehood, it had better learn English, as well as Gingrich and Paul.
If I were an independent, I’d be nervous about voting for Romney in November because I’d be awfully worried not only about the future of Planned Parenthood, I’d also be concerned about whatever deals Romney made with Santorum.
Hang in there, guys. I’m travelling to NYC tomorrow to attend an engagement party for the elder heiress. Steve, I’m gonna make sure to get you a gift – although I dunno if you need a shaver or a lawnmower . . .
Take good care and may God bless us all!
TGY
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I understand that candidates always try to appeal to the base and then move toward the center, but the problem with Romney isn’t a slight shifting of positions but rather a complete change of positions over the years. He simply will not be trusted because he isn’t genuine.
Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials, you must be proud!
As for a gift, make sure it is heavy duty!
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I just have a bad feeling, right in the center of my gut, about all of this. Either Obama wins, and we’re finished, or Romney wins, and our doom is delayed by a few years. Either way, nothing will be done to restore the country,
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Matt, I feel exactly the same way. I don’t think there is anyone out there who is willing to risk his political future to do what is really needed to save the country.
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