Mitt Romney‘s back is up against the wall. His agility to win is being questioned by some of his most ardent supporters and conservatives are still looking for another candidate to carry their banner into the 2012 Presidential election.
They believed Donald Trump was going to be their poster-boy when he toyed with their emotions about running, but soon realized that Trump was just trying to boost viewership of his Apprentice television show. And they hauled their hopes and prayers on the back of Michelle Bachmann, but soon realized that she was too much of a right winged nut-job for their nut-job liking.
Rick Perry was their god and their savior, until he opened his mouth and tried to talk. He was packed up and shipped back to Texas just as fast as he was welcomed and urged into the nomination process. And then there was Herman Cain, who actually managed to carry the conservative mantle for about a month, but after everyone and their mother began accusing him of sexual misconduct, Cain too was shipped back to the pizza joint he crawled out of.
Newt Gingrich will be Newt Gingrich. Conservatives gave him a win in South Carolina then watched as Gingrich self-destruct. Unable to contain the euphoria of his win, Newt crowned himself the man, tooting his own horn, then losing miserably in Florida.
Throughout all this Mitt Romney fumbled, flipped and flopped his way through the debates. He even agreed in one debate that Newt Gingrich was more of a conservative than he was.
Then there was this little nugget when Romney admitted to being an independent.
I was an Independent through Reagan/Bush. I’m not trying to return to Reagan/Bush.
Throughout the years, Mitt Romney’s been an Independent, accused of being a moderate, he’s been “a businessman and not a politician,” and he’s even been accused of being a liberal because of his views of many social issues. But at no time in his business or political life has anyone ever accused Mr Romney of being a Conservative… until now. With the last three caucus and primary wins by the self-proclaimed Conservative Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney is now, suddenly, “severely conservative.”
“I fought against long odds in a deep blue state, but I was a severely conservative Republican governor,” Romney said, trying to convince the group at this week’s CPAC meeting.
“I did things conservatism is designed for – I started new businesses and turned around broken ones. And I am not ashamed to say that I was very successful at it. I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism.”
This guy really wants to be president, but pandering to a particular group telling them what you think they want to hear is not the pathway to the White House. Mitt Romney is still living in the old days where candidates spoke to certain groups without fear of their words going viral. He must somehow learn to pattern a message for the country, instead of the group he is talking to at that moment.
But sticking to one message that would appeal to the nation would require some level of honesty, and honesty is something flip floppers lack.
