Can Mitt Romney Close the Deal With Conservatives? >
Mitt Romney Is Simply Unelectable
Romney will never be able to close the deal with conservatives because he is a liberal
February 29, 2012
In a word, no.
Romney's credibility among conservatives is pretty much less than zero.
If you want to know why Romney cannot close the deal with conservatives, you have to know what conservatives want.
Conservatives want a candidate who will cut spending and taxes. Conservatives want a candidate who is actually going to repeal Obamacare. We want a candidate who has core values and beliefs and who is not simply saying what he believes the people want to hear. Finally, we want a candidate who can actually win.
Romney fails on all counts. Based on his record in Massachusetts, few if any conservatives believe he will cut spending or taxes. Since Romneycare is the spiritual godfather to Obamacare, few conservatives believe he will make any effort to repeal it. Norm Coleman, one of Romney's advisers, has come out and said there would be no attempt to repeal Obamacare.
Romney's flip-flops are legend. He has been all over the place on almost every issue there is. No one knows what he really believes.
[See a collection of political cartoons on Mitt Romney.]
Finally, Romney is simply unelectable. The only races Romney has been able to win have been where he has had a home field advantage (New Hampshire and Michigan) or where he has been able to outspend his opponents and beat them with negative advertising.
In fact, in the states where Romney has won, he has done so by depressing the turnout. Conservatives realize that is not a winning formula for the fall.
Romney offers no compelling reason for conservatives to vote for him, other than the myth that he can beat Obama.
Romney's track record in the primaries so far destroys the myth that he is the most electable candidate.
Romney will never be able to close the deal with conservatives because he is a liberal, not a conservative. No Republican candidate will win without the support of the conservative base and Romney will never have that support.
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- Other Arguments
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#110327
No — Romney ultimately may not ever win over conservatives
FORD O'CONNELL, Republican Strategist, Conservative Activist, and Political Analyst
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#2819
Yes — Mitt Romney can only close the deal with conservatives by pushing his electability
JAMIE CHANDLER, Professor at Hunter College
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#35616
Yes — Mitt Romney will gain conservative support once alternatives drop out of the race
DAVID CROCKETT, Author of 'Running Against the Grain: How Opposition Candidates Win Presidential Election'
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#44013
Yes — Mitt Romney is proving himself to conservatives, one primary win at a time
LARA BROWN, Professor at Villanova University
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#5178
Yes — Mitt Romney needs to be bold to win the general election
FERGUS CULLEN, Former Chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party
