The Daily Caller

The Daily Caller
Opinion

Mitt Romney’s primary hurdle

12:25 PM 06/07/2011
Ford O'Connell and Steve Pearson

Mitt Romney has decided to lose his necktie this time around. Unfortunately, shedding clothing hasn’t proven itself to be a winner for politicians lately. Romney will need to strip away more than just his formal presentation if he wants to win the trust of Republican primary voters. In terms of name recognition, campaign experience and fundraising, Romney leads the GOP field. Unfortunately for Team Romney, the foundation for this frontrunner status is built on a reputation that is out of sync with voters.

The GOP grassroots distrusts Romney because of his continuing defense of Romneycare and the conflict this creates with a central theme in the GOP’s pushback against the president and his strikingly similar Obamacare program. Ron Paul’s recent $1 million “money bomb” aimed at Romney and his signature state healthcare law reinforces that this is still a flashpoint.

Looking forward from the 2010 elections and the widespread dissatisfaction with politics as usual in Washington, voters seem to be looking for bolder, more authentic politicians. The Tea Party wing of the GOP distrusts Romney because of his reputation for flip-flopping. Neither the grassroots nor the GOP establishment feels comfortable with a candidate that has a reputation for being more technocrat tycoon than populist everyman. Republican presidential contender Herman Cain summed it up best when he told The Daily Caller, “We’ve got to beat Mitt Romney’s money, not Mitt Romney.”

So how does Romney plan to win the nomination? He continues to tap dance around Romneycare, drawing a distinction between a state-level law and an overly broad expansion of federal powers. He makes a strong showing in the New Hampshire, Nevada and Florida nominating contests to deny the other contenders the media coverage and momentum that would come with an early breakout. And he is unrelenting in positioning himself as a fiscal conservative who understands how to get the economy growing again — on Main Street as well as on Wall Street.

Much to the glee of the rest of the GOP presidential field, it does not appear that Romney actually understands the mood of 2012 GOP primary voters. Romney’s lack of understanding of the fiscal issues that face everyday Americans was recently on display when he reaffirmed his support for ethanol subsidies, a position that plays well in Iowa but misreads the widespread belief that government intervention is stacking the deck for the benefit of a few.

Americans want to rethink the scope and expense of the federal government. Clearly there is disagreement on the path forward, but the electorate is growing increasingly skeptical of candidates who build campaigns on unsustainable promises. If Mitt Romney can’t break out of the traditional ballot-box pandering politics, his 2012 campaign could be a replay of his 2008 campaign — with a different cover but the same ending.

Ford O’Connell and Steve Pearson are co-founders of CivicForumPAC and advisors to conservative candidates on Internet outreach, communications and campaign strategy.

Tags: Ford O'Connell, GOP Primary, Mitt Romney, Steve Pearson
  • PalinPatriot4ever

    Romney was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, but did not seek reelection in 2006. He signed into law the Massachusetts Health Care reform legislation, aka, RomneyCare, universal health insurance access, via subsidies and state-level mandates, which the State is now near Bankruptcy, because of it..
    -
    When is it a Constitutional Conservative Republican cause, to make Socialized Medicine, aka Universal Romneycare / Obamacare, a Law..

    It is NOT.!!!! And is in direct contradiction to Constitutional Conservative Republican Principles, and Values, and causes. And which is why Romney is NOT a Constitutional Conservative, let alone a Conservative at all..
    -
    Where does it say, anywhere in the US Constitution, that the Federal govt, can mandate by law, to compel and force, the American people, the mass populace called the Citizenry of America, to buy a product, like health Insurance, be it public, aka the govt’s plan, or a private plan, under penalty of Fine, and or Imprisonment.. No Where.. that’s where.. and that’s why it is illegal and Unconstitutional, period.!!

    Romney is nothing more than a Liberal Republican Party Establishment Elitist RINO, and we, America, and All Patriotic Constitutional Conservatives, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, etc., need a Liberal Republican RINO Obama look alike, like we need a hole in the head.. and is why he will never get the vote of any Constitutional Conservative Tea Party Patriotic People, and thus will never get the Republican Nomination for President.!!!

  • kingfish

    Romney is listed along with the Clinton/Bush criminal cabal, Obama & Biden, Greenspan, Geithner, and others as receiving billions in graft in accounts at the Vatican bank ($2 billion for Obama & $400 million for Romney). We already have ENOUGH criminals running the country without moving one of them to a more powerful position.

    See White Hat Reports #12 and #3
    http://tdarkcabal.blogspot.com/2011/02/white-hat-report-12-february-22-2011.html

  • emem

    Once a panderer, always a panderer. That’s what he’s done for living.
    Can’t hide from history and he’s got no traction with this fiscal conservative.

  • DANIEL CABRERA

    IN SIMPLE WORDS
    _______________
    It is so obvious the fear , if not terror, about Sarah Palin.

    On one side the Obama groups are trying the only thing they got to fight her,… continue and amplify their attacks on character , inuendos, everything they can get their hands on…to the point that even are promoting the idea that Romney is a good challenge and so they are – leting pass – that Mr Romney is higher in the polls over Mr Obama.

    On the other side (the republicans) are echoing that claim. Reality is that Mr Romney enunciated that he…”will try to get ‘OBAMACARE’ repealed…”

    Did anyone notice?…’he will – TRY – ….just that, TRY…because he is not really into that,… for he has a similar health plan there in Massachusset as bad as the OBAMACARE….very expensive, bad for the private sector and takes a lot of monetary power out from the people….A REAL MONEY OVER-DRAINER.

    So, in others words, Mr Romney is like let’s say,…a younger version of the GOP RINO-TYPE deal maker and compromising -oriented. So Romney fits well for the GOP , and the OBAMA TEAM feels very confident to roll over him (or anyother like him from the GOP) on 2012.

    Bottom line ;… Sarah Palin is a nightmare, THE REAL NIGHTMARE for democrats and the old GOP establishment.

    Everyone in Washington, left and right are aware that with her in presidency their little world of CORRUPTION WILL COME TO AN END.

    Input anyone? Opinions welcome.

    Daniel Cabrera
    Merrillville,Indiana

  • Alex 0_0

    Hilariously stoopid. Mitt is incapable of not pandering since he has no essence, no core, nothing but Mormon magic underwear and made for TV looks. When the vids of his flipflops go viral, he will be toast: pro-choice on day, anti-abortion the next; pro-gay one day, LDS homophobic doosh the next; Romneycare one day, against it the next; ‘no new taxes’ one day, $700MM in new taxes the next day. Etc etc etc.

    Never heard of the morons who wrote this piece, but then the Caller is a gathering spot for irrelevant mediocrities. What. A. Crock. Of.

  • writeblock

    This is Romney’s major problem as a candidate. He panders to whatever forces he encounters. As president, he’d be eager to compromise. A true country club Republican, another Democrat-lite parading as a “conservative.” Just like the Bushes, Dole, Ford, McCain.

    I much prefer Rudy, despite his supposedly moderate leanings. At least we know where he’s coming from. He’s not country club, he’s working class–like Christie. And by consistently affirming adherence to strict constructionism, in the manner of Scalia and Alito, he quiets whatever doubts social conservatives have about him regarding. That’s good enough for me.

    Oth, he’s got a much much stronger record than Romney on the fiscal issues. He performed a miracle in a city bigger than most states, with a much bigger budget and far more diversity and complexity. Yet he accomplished true reform, fighting unions, the media, the race-hustlers, putting the town in the black for the first time within memory.

    Romney’s got the family-guy image, I’ll give him that. But Rudy’s got a reputation as an achiever that’s well-known. And he’d be a magnate for the millions of Italian-American voters concentrated in key battleground states like PA and OH and FL.

    Either man would beat Obama. But Rudy would govern more as a conservative, imo, and Romney, more as a moderate. Rudy would put America on a solid course for the future by dint of strong leadership, Romney would defer to Congress and achieve less.

  • Sandy E

    Romney doesn’t need to stop pandering, he needs to save himself the money and time, and back out of the race. Between supporting ethanol subsidies, not backing down from Romneycare, and supporting man caused Global Warming, he is done. He will never get the nomination, and his wife needs to put a lock on the bank account, just as she did in the 08 election.