Thursday, November 03, 2011

Romney: Hold a rally or hold your nose

I'm not gonna lie to ya. Regardless of which GOP candidate emerges as the nominee for President, I will vote for said candidate. Period. End of story.

But here's the issue facing many grassroots activists: Will you work to elect the nominee, regardless of who it is? I understand that many people who are right-of-center politically would cast the proverbial "hold their nose" vote for Mitt Romney if indeed he is the Republican candidate for President in 2012. But there just doesn't seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for a Romney candidacy should that come to pass (which seems more likely these days).

We must not take for granted that President Barack Obama, despite his low approval ratings as well as presiding over a porous economy, is a sure loser come Election Day 2012. It's going to take some effort to ensure his defeat but, as opposed to 2008 when he was a veritable Pied Piper, it is very doable. Conventional wisdom is that the support of party establishment alone is not enough to get a candidate elected. There must be political machines behind that person, machines which will tout a candidate's strengths and what he'll bring to the Oval Office. If the prevailing sentiment surrounding Romney is "He's not Obama", that isn't nearly enough to increase voter turnout, which is another key factor in ousting an incumbent President.

Now I'm not suggesting we need a "rock star" type candidate who will be a cult of personality like we witnessed with Bill Clinton in 1992 and Obama in 2008. But at the very least, the Republicans need to nominate a candidate who provides a stark contrast (and major upgrade) over a scuffling President. From what I can tell, Romney may not be that candidate, especially when you consider the health care bill he singed into law as Governor of Massachusetts in many ways resembles Obamacare. Speaking of which, Romney, when pressed, has said he will indeed sign a repeal of the Obamacare law if he is President. If that's true, then something else needs to happen in 2012: The Republicans need to flip the Senate.

So if you're a conservative and a President Mitt Romney doesn't exactly fire you up, plan to vote for him anyways if he's the GOP candidate. But in the mean time, pour all your grassroots activist energy into electing a Republican Senator in your state. With the GOP likely to maintain (if not increase) their solid majority in the House, attaining a majority in the Senate would go a long way to passing a repeal of Obamacare. From there, a President Romney need not be reminded of his campaign promise. However, the Republican-controlled Congress, as well as the American people, will likely present him with not-so-subtle reminders.

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6 comments:

Gino said...

i get all excited at the prospect of a full GOP majorities this time to start more wars, spend more money and bail out more 1%ers.

Brad Carlson said...

I think you're confusing that scenario with the current lot in Washington.

Gino said...

no, just the previous cronies who ran the place under the GOP label.

Brad Carlson said...

True enough, Gino, and they deservedly got fired. Unfortunately they were replaced by Democrats who for two solid years (2008-2010) had carte blanch, which led to Obamacare, multiple "stimulus" packages and two more wars where there are ZERO American interests.

Gino said...

just dont drink the kool-aid.

you cant say the dems are worse because they spent money and bailed out cronies and started wars that they like. this is what they do, and what they SAY they will do if elected.

the GOP always does the opposite of what it claims it will do.

its not the same.
not even close.
i dont know if the GOP tribalists are hypocrits or fantascists, and when given the two choices, does it really matter which is what?

if you think a GOPer will be better than the current buffonery then act accordingly, but have a logical defensable reason, not just kool-aid drinker platitudes that the party likes to serve up to its cultists.

not that i'm calling you a cultist. i'm just advising you not to start behaving like one.
keep your guard up.

Brad Carlson said...

just dont drink the kool-aid.

This coming from a Ron Paul supporter. Ironic, eh? :-D

Seriously, don't worry about me, Gino. I'm an astute listener and observer in addition to honing worldview. I'll be fine.

Peace out, bruh!