In a previous post, I said with tongue planted only slightly firmly in cheek that the 2012 presidential election campaign would start in December, as in this December. I was wrong. It started on Feb. 7 with Mitt Romney's withdrawal speech before a gathering of conservative political activists.
This speech was Mitt Romney at his best. He hit all the right points and was correct on the issues. About two-thirds of the way through a speech of about 20 minutes, I was thinking that the former Massachusetts governor was Ronald Reagan circa 1976. He had just lost a primary campaign to a more established politician but had exited strongly.
This speech was also Mitt Romney at his worst. He's much too calculating. Too clever for his own good. As he offered his concession before a crowd of cheering supporters, he said he made the decision to exit the campaign because the United States is a nation at war, and he thought it would be best to step aside for the good of the country so John McCain could begin his general election campaign -- thereby saving us from Democrats Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
Puh-leeze!
Romney pulled out of the race because he had no good options. He finished second or third in the states that count, discovered that middle class southerners don't like him and had less than half the delegates that McCain had accumulated. He was financing a large portion of his campaign with the family largess, and with no hope of winning, it was time to pull out.
If he just says that, fine. We understand. But to sacrifice himself on the alter of a nation at war is really going over the top.
Romney -- I may have written this previously -- throughout the campaign when I heard him give a speech or be interviewed, always made lots of sense but almost always said something to piss me off. It left me remembering what made me mad more than what I had agreed with. I bet a lot of you had the same reaction. It's why I didn't become a Romney honk early in the campaign like a lot of pundits did. It's also why he didn't earn this blog's endorsement until two candidates I preferred had dropped out of the race.
So here I am remembering -- and ranting -- about the annoying last five minutes of Romney's withdrawal speech. That's the way politics works. I have to remind myself that the first 15 minutes of the talk were utterly brilliant, and the reason why Romney will probably remain not far from the Republican consciousness over the next few years, and why he will be considered a party favorite in 2012 to either replace an aging McCain or to unseat Clinton or Obama.
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John McCain is getting all kinds of advice this week on how to unify the GOP and take on the Democrats this fall. Here's my two cents worth.
1. Recognize that only the delegate count is dominant. The number of states won and total popular votes does not show a great victory over Romney or Mike Huckabee. I doubt McCain would offer the vice-presidency to a man he conspired against along with Huckabee in the West Virginia caucuses, but he does admit economics is not his strong point. While Romney probably would not accept a lowly cabinet position, it would be great for him to take on an informal advisory role in this area. Huckabee probably would accept an appointment and should be given one. If Obama wins the Democrat nomination, McCain will probably have to give Huckabee the vice-presidency. The point is to announce, within the next couple weeks as Republicans re-evaluate a McCain candidacy, the inclusion of those two men in his administration.
2. Recognize that the non-Republicans who voted for McCain in the primaries will probably not be voting for him in November. The exit polls show the McCain independents are socially liberal anti-war activists who enjoy how he's tweaked President Bush. When those people come to learn that McCain is pro-life, the leading cheerleader of the war in Iraq and will govern much the same way as Bush, they will scamper to the Democratic candidate. McCain will, however, have considerable appeal to the so-called "Reagan Democrats" who see him as a buffer for Clinton's or Obama's liberalism.
McCain got off to a good start in party unification with his speech to the same conservative activists to whom Romney spoke. His talk was excellent, humble and conciliatory, and included a note that he and Romney would soon have a sit-down to discuss the issues.
Current polling shows McCain beating both Democrats, but those results have only come from polls when the senator has been riding high. Later in the campaign, it could change. McCain can probably handle Clinton. Obama's passion and attraction to youth and women (yeah, he's losing women to Clinton, but she'd get even more of the female vote without him) could prove troublesome.
