Romney Can't Dance
The choreography for the Romney Presidential Campaign couldn’t possibly have been any simpler:
During the primary, two steps to the right. During the general election, two steps to the left.
God, it was so easy for Romney. Two steps to the right, and then two steps to the left. That’s all that America wanted from Romney: just show a little bit of rhythm. As that esteemed news analyst Huey Lewis once noted:
When they play their music, ooh that modern music,
They like it with a lot of style.
But it’s still that same old back-beat rhythm,
That really, really drives them wild.
- Huey Lewis and the News, “The Heart of Rock and Roll” (1984).
To be fair, Romney got the first steps right. He used to be pro-choice; during the Republican primary, he became anti-choice. He used to be in favor of equal rights; during the Republican primary, he became an opponent of equal rights. In his own words, he became “severely” conservative. Right step, right step, pause.
And after the Republican primary, it wouldn’t have been so hard for Romney to take those next steps to the left. Look, Romney has a record. Nothing really terrible happened when he was Governor of Massachusetts. The trains ran on time, and all that. Sure, Romney was awful at creating jobs when he was Governor, but that’s only because he enjoys it so much when he fires people. The “worst” thing that you can say about Romney’s time as Governor – and he was attacked mercilessly and viciously about this during the Republican primary – is that everyone in Massachusetts got to see a doctor when they were sick. Oh, well – nobody’s perfect.
So Romney easily could have completed that little right-left jig. But he didn’t. After he locked down the Republican nomination, Romney picked Paul Ryan as his VP candidate. Paul Ryan is so far to the right that even Republicans voted against the Ryan Budget when it was introduced during the 111th Congress. What, exactly, is Paul Ryan’s appeal? That he can cut your Social Security and your Medicare with a smile on his face?
And then came the Republican Convention, which the Romney Campaign orchestrated. My goodness – why didn’t they just unfurl a giant banner above the stage that shouted “WE DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU!!” Unless you’re a billionaire, or a fetus.
And here is the result. According to our campaign’s internal polling, in our district in Battleground Central Florida, during the past 10 weeks, President Obama’s share of the Republican vote has almost tripled. It has gone from 10% to 28%.
At this point, Republican voters are having a lot of trouble relating to Daddy Borebucks. They just don’t seem to like the idea that they pay higher taxes than Romney does. And that Romney thinks that he needs a tax break more than they do.
By moving so far to the right, Romney hasn’t consolidated his base, he has fractured it. Because instead of right-right-left-left, Romney has gone right-right-right-right-fall-off-the-edge-of-the-earth.
Poor Mitt. I understand why he can’t dunk. But I thought that he could dance.
= new reply since forum marked as read
