Numbers are numbers. Rick Santorum has done an incredible job running for this nomination. Incredible. With 10% of the money and maybe 1% of the organization of Mitt Romney, yet still he has been competitive or more in state race after state race. But numbers are numbers. Romney has the organization and the money to go all the way to the nomination and the numbers are stacked against Rick.
So Romney may be thinking that the nomination is all his and maybe he is right. But the fact that a candidate like the honorable Rick Santorum continues to make such a race out of this even while being outspent tenfold and with an organization deficit of the same magnitude should be a wake up call for Romney.
Romney is winning right now on the strength of his fundraising and the strength of his organization. This is not to be denigrated. Romney did the hard work of fundraising and putting together a national and well organized campaign. He worked hard and earned every vote. Yet, he is barely squeaking by in primary after primary.
People will understandably say “a win is a win” and this is true, to a point. But with the financial and organization advantage he has, Romney should have walked on cake. But he didn’t.
So, assuming the pattern holds an Romney gets enough votes to make in Tampa, then what?
Does he turn leftward and try to court the fictional middle? Or doe she try to get right with the unconvinced? I am still unconvinced. Romney still needs to win me and looking at the Republican electorate at large, I am far from alone.
Even if Romney looks assured of the nomination, winning the general is a whole ‘nother thing. If he wants me and my ilk, he has a lot of convincing still to do and frankly I liked him a lot better at the beginning of this process than I do now.
Winning delegates is not necessarily winning votes.
Convince me.
March 7, 2012 at 5:52 pm
I have a heck of a time thinking the best we can do is the guy that made national radio news because college kids wanting to "help" the Republicans choose "the least bad" person went in to vote for him. (There's a difference between trying to get Democrats to support you and college activists deciding, on their own, that you're the best of the bunch.)
Add in that the would-never-vote-republican folks my age that I've spoken to think Romney is OK and I REALLY need selling….
March 7, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Read William McGurn's piece in yesterday's WSJ for some interesting historical perspective. The field of GOPers was remarkably similar, with similar glee from the left about the poor prospects for any of them. Jimmy Carter beat all of them in polling during primary season… not that Mitt Romney is Reagan, but the parallels are there.
March 8, 2012 at 1:09 am
Calling Ron Paul an isolationist is an a shameless lie. He is non-interventionist, wanting to TRADE and Talk with other nations instead of attacking them. That is NOT isolationist. Neocons have been using that baseless smear for years…but maybe you don't understand the difference between isolationism and nonintervetionism (as recommended by G. Washington). Ron Paul is losing because he has been cheated, votes thrown out, caucuses cancelled, the media blacking him out while giving those with much less support millions in free positive publicity. Who owns the corporate media and why do they hate Ron Paul? Maybe because he represents the PEOPLE and not corporations or bankers?? If Christ himself returned tomorrow you people would complain about "Christbots" and call him extreme. You have your chance, a once in a lifetime chance to support a truly honest man, a man who is a true prophet and model of decency and all the values you SUPPOSEDLY have and you are choosing Barabbas….those of you who aren't Israeli/CIA trolls.
March 8, 2012 at 2:01 am
"Romney Still Needs To Win Me"
Yeah, right. Forgive me if I find this statement a bit disingenuous. I don't believe that Romney needs to do anything to get your vote aside from winning the GOP nomination. Once that happens (and it will), he can take your vote to the bank right along with all of those from the vast majority of Republicans.
Your statement is a bit questionable given that CMR stepped right up to support and encourage votes for McCain once he had the nomination in '08. The GOP establishment continues to ram big-government, establishment, status quo neocons down our throats and they know they can get away with it because all but a few will "obey" and vote for their nominees come election time.
Romney doesn't need to do anything at all. He'll have your vote and you probably already know this.
March 8, 2012 at 2:25 am
The statements above from folks like Paul and Jay are right on the mark about voting third-party. The statement from Ray about anyone with a "semblance of decency" caving and voting for Romney is pathetic. So apparently, according to Ray, lemmings and sheeple who always eat the garbage that they are served by the GOP establishment have a "semblance of decency," but the folks who stand up to this and vote for an actual good, principled candidate do not. Great attitude. I didn't realize that "decency" equated to surrendering your vote.
March 9, 2012 at 12:03 am
What good is a vote when there is no difference between the options? Voting for lesser evil is still voting for evil, compromising with proven liars and flip floppers and then acting surprised when they lie and flip flop after "elected".
March 10, 2012 at 2:49 am
I am so disappointed at the bashing of Gov. Romney on this site. Mary Ann Glendon supports him and that says a lot. Additionally, imho, Santorum has no business running at this time. Unlike Romney who raised a virtuous family while working in the private sector and then looked around to see how best he could give back to society, Santorum's ego is making him believe that he is the best person to lead our country during this period of having young children at home, including one whose life hangs in the balance.
March 15, 2012 at 1:01 am
Patrick,
Yesterday you confirmed my point about finding your statement a bit disingenuous, and about how I don't believe that Romney needs to do anything to get your vote aside from winning the GOP nomination. And you also completely blew your credibility. After you posted this above article about how Romney supposedly "Still Needs To Win" you, yesterday you came out with this "gem":
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/pat-archbold/my-just-voter-theory
In that post, you admit that you will vote for Romney if he gets the nomination (and he will), you attempt to defend that decision, and you also go so far as to criticize folks who won't vote for Romney. So at first, it's "Romney Still Needs to Win Me," which I rightfully called you out on because I had an idea of what the truth really was, and now that truth comes out about how you will vote for Romney and how you apparently believe that any other choice is a bad one. This is pretty embarrassing for you. Your credibility took a bad hit on this one.