Chaos on the Right! Does Romney Stand a Chance?

 

 

Without a doubt, the last few months have been absolutely chaotic for the Republican presidential hopefuls.  Although Mitt Romney has proven himself, at least as far as numbers go, to be the front runner of the party, there still seems to be widespread discontent among Republicans as to whether or not he is actually the right guy for the job. South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham said on ABC's This Week, "Mathematically, this thing is about over, but emotionally it's not."

Even in the face of a possible Brokered Convention, I would agree with Sen. Graham in that Romney is the probable victor for the nominee, however, gaining support to the likes of which is necessary for a victory against Obama will prove difficult. Winning a presidential election is directly related to the amount of moderates a candidate can sway to their side; this will be largest obstacle for the Republican Nominee, be it Romney or anyone else.  

Assuming Romney is in fact going to be the face of the Republican Party in the coming election, it will certainly be difficult for him to rally necessary support from both Republicans AND moderates when even the most diehard on the right are currently nervous and weary of him.  I would suggest, if only the Party were able to speak publically under one single voice, that they would say something along the lines of:

“We DEFFINITLY do not want to see Obama elected for a second term. We DEFFINITLY need a Republican in the Presidency, but we don’t really want Newt or Ron or Rick (excl. Alabama and Mississippi) … Hell, we don’t even want Mitt! But I guess someone will have to do… So… LETS GO MITT! Because he’s not Obama!"

This is, however, not surprising, as politics in the United States seems to be a game of choosing the “lesser of two evils” nearly every election year.  While Romney seems most likely to stand a chance against Obama (given the Republican alternatives), the chance that he will indeed win seems slim.  Combine all this Republican disorganization and possible Brokered Convention with Obama’s sustained “likeability” that he maintains at much higher levels than Romney, even in the face of a somewhat rocky, past four years, and it is not unreasonable to assume that America will experience, for better or for worse, another four years of Obama.  Unless Romney can rally widespread Republican support similar to that achieved by President Nixon, who despite never being able to shed the nickname “Tricky Dick,” still managed to get himself elected, Republicans will have to wait another four years for a shot at the presidency. 


Sources:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-17/news/bal-romneys-electable-but-is-he-likeable-20120113_1_romney-mitt-likeable