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No To Mitt

The good times are here: anti-Romney ads and petitions seem to be everywhere these days.  The idea of selecting Romney as VP never made much sense to me, but then I was never exactly what you could call a big fan of the former governor.  When the speculation about selecting Romney first started, it seemed clear […]

The good times are here: anti-Romney ads and petitions seem to be everywhere these days.  The idea of selecting Romney as VP never made much sense to me, but then I was never exactly what you could call a big fan of the former governor.  When the speculation about selecting Romney first started, it seemed clear to me that Romney’s baggage would hinder McCain, who already had a reputation for neglecting social conservative concerns, so it made no sense to bring on someone who might alienate many pro-life, Christian conservatives.  Further, Romney would be a liability in a general election that will probably hinge on Rust Belt states.  Any possible benefit in Michigan from the Romney name would be offset by demoralised voters simply not turning out in other states, and in some swing states with large evangelical populations (e.g., Colorado, Missouri) it could end up costing McCain the election.  These advertisements and petitions are the first clear indications of just how big of a problem a Romney selection would create for McCain.  If the fundamental rule of VP selections is, “first, do no harm,” Romney would seem to be simply out of the question, and I don’t think you have to dislike Romney to recognise that millions of conservatives really do dislike him and some might sit out the election.  Ironically, because of his desire to appear independent, McCain may be instinctively driven to reject the demands of social conservative leaders and will select Romney for the sake of “party unity,” unwittingly fragmenting the party with this choice.  Then again, given how much he personally dislikes Romney, this protest against a Romney selection is probably a lot of agitation over nothing. 

As several people have been observing, Paul Weyrich’s opposition to Romney as VP is a rather remarkable switch from his previous endorsement.  Personally, I’m glad Mr. Weyrich changed his mind about Romney.  I didn’t think his endorsement made much sense at the time, and opponents of Romney are always glad to welcome converts.

Update: Here is the story behind the open letter.  Here is the relevant section:

The room—which had been taken over by argument and side-conversations—became suddenly quiet. Weyrich, a Romney supporter and one of those Farris had chastised for not supporting Huckabee, steered his wheelchair to the front of the room and slowly turned to face his compatriots. In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “Friends, before all of you and before almighty God, I want to say I was wrong.”

In a quiet, brief, but passionate speech, Weyrich essentially confessed that he and the other leaders should have backed Huckabee, a candidate who shared their values more fully than any other candidate in a generation. He agreed with Farris that many conservative leaders had blown it. By chasing other candidates with greater visibility, they failed to see what many of their supporters in the trenches saw clearly: Huckabee was their guy.

Maybe the Huckabee movement Dan was talking about is getting started a little sooner than we might have thought.

The folks at EFM are not happy.

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