Can Romney's Rivals Force Him Into a Brokered Convention? >
Conservatives Must Force an Open Convention
Mitt Romney, the human Etch A Sketch, is a liberal who must be stopped
March 21, 2012
Can Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich force Mitt Romney into a brokered convention?
I hope so.
We are starting to see the real Mitt Romney. First he is a candidate who cannot win unless he can outspend his opposition 5 to 1. Second, he is a liberal. Santorum and Gingrich are wrong when they call him a "Massachusetts Moderate."
He is not a moderate. He is a liberal. Period.
[Check out political cartoons about Mitt Romney.]
This is his history. When he was governor of Massachusetts, he was a liberal governor. This was not because he was forced to. This was because he was a liberal. Before switching to the Republican Party out of convenience, he was a liberal Democrat. Even as late as 2002, he was proudly announcing he was a "progressive."
If Santorum and Gingrich truly support conservatism, they must unite to deny Romney the nomination. Gingrich wants this. Santorum apparently does not.
As of right now, Romney has 563 delegates. He is just under half of what he needs. There are 1,273 delegates remaining of which Romney needs 600 or so. The math is not good but it is still doable.
[See pictures of Mitt Romney on the campaign trail.]
For conservatives, we desperately need Santorum and Gingrich to unite to stop Romney. Romney's campaign is already hinting that he is going to move significantly to the left as soon as the nomination is sewn up. His communications director, Eric Fehrnstorm said on CNN, Romney's positions could change "like an Etch A Sketch."
We conservatives need to demand that Gingrich and Santorum unite to make certain Romney does not win the nomination and we force an open convention. The results of an open convention may not be great but they are better than having Romney as a nominee. We conservatives need to demand the GOP pick someone else. We need to pressure delegates to vote for anyone but Romney.
Can Santorum and Gingrich force an open convention? Perhaps the better question is will they?
- Join the debate on Facebook.
- Follow U.S. News Debate Club on Twitter.
- Check out U.S. News Weekly: an insider's guide to politics and policy.
- Other Arguments
-
#16515
No — April primaries offer Mitt Romney a chance to end the talk for good
FORD O'CONNELL, Republican Strategist, Conservative Activist, and Political Analyst
-
#22410
No — A brokered convention is unlikely, but Santorum will still have a say
JAMIE CHANDLER, Professor at Hunter College
-
#32210
No — A brokered convention just won't happen--unless the GOP decides it wants to give President Obama a second term
LARA BROWN, Author of 'Jockeying for the American Presidency: The Political Opportunism of Aspirants'
-
#51110
No — Delegate math and financial advantages should help Romney take the nomination
KRYSTAL BALL, MSNBC Contributor and Former Democratic Nominee for Congress
-
#6815
No — Even in states where he might not win, Mitt Romney will take a share of the delegates
RON BONJEAN, Former Chief of Staff for the Senate Republican Conference
