Tweet
Romney’s liabilities become assets vs. Obama
I think Rubin gets it right.
I think Rubin gets it right.
In short, what was a handicap in a primary may become an advantage in the general election. Romney is a “technocrat” or a mere “manager,” his conservative critics have sneered. Many swing voters may say: “Sounds good to me!” He really doesn’t care about social issues, conservatives have bemoaned. Some upscale suburbanites and moderate independents may rejoice, finding those hot-button wedge issues to be a distraction. Well, he’s not in favor of radical change and elimination of the federal role in a bunch of areas, the supporters of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have complained. “So he just wants to fix entitlement programs? Sounds reasonable,” those coveted swing voters may conclude. He didn’t call President Obama a “socialist” or beat the media with a stick, many hard-core conservatives have fretted. “He doesn’t sound too partisan,” general election votes may agree. He doesn’t want to zero out capital gains taxes for the rich, fiscal conservatives have grumbled. “Well, at least he’s trying to do something for the middle class,” the independent voters may conclude.
In a real sense, the difficulty Romney has had is running a general-election campaign in a conservative-dominated primary. Once his race matches his agenda (center-right), it may be a relief for him and his campaign. Candidly, he’s never been a right-winger; he’s a middle-of-the-road Republican. That profile is an easier sell these days in a general election than in many states in the GOP primary.
Moreover, his temperament and style — somewhat restrained, avoiding conservative oratory, hopelessly square and fodder for his critics — really do work better when playing to the center and a larger, less ideologically-driven electorate.
In a real sense, the difficulty Romney has had is running a general-election campaign in a conservative-dominated primary. Once his race matches his agenda (center-right), it may be a relief for him and his campaign. Candidly, he’s never been a right-winger; he’s a middle-of-the-road Republican. That profile is an easier sell these days in a general election than in many states in the GOP primary.
Moreover, his temperament and style — somewhat restrained, avoiding conservative oratory, hopelessly square and fodder for his critics — really do work better when playing to the center and a larger, less ideologically-driven electorate.
Wow! Anti-Semite! Not cool, LAU. Not cool at all.
Comment