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A Call to Draft Mitt Romney

A Call to Draft Mitt Romney

As more and more Republicans become concerned with leading GOP candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson, a call has gone out to recruit Mitt Romney – the Republican favorite who lost the 2012 election to Barrack Obama. Many suspect, however, that this rumor is none other than a liberal scheme to undermine GOP candidates. Considering the fact that the story originated with the Washington Post, I’m inclined to agree.

“Party leaders and donors fear that nominating either man would have negative ramifications for the GOP ticket up and down the ballot, virtually ensuring a Hillary Rodham Clinton presidency and increasing the odds that the Senate falls into Democratic hands,” reads the Washington Post article. 

Despite talk of panic and rumors of a late entry into the race, Mitt Romney has shown zero interest in launching a last-minute presidential campaign.

The Post suggests there is a growing “anxiety bordering on panic among Republican elites about the dominance and durability of Donald Trump and Ben Carson and widespread bewilderment over how to defeat them.” 

With less than 3 months until the Iowa caucuses, the chances of someone dislodging Carson or Trump is slim. Consider the most recent GOP debate, in which no candidate was successful in landing a blow against either frontrunner. 

“The rest of the field is still wishing upon a star that Trump and Carson are going to self-destruct,” says Eric Fehrnstrom, former Romney advisor. “They have to be made to self-destruct…Nothing has happened at this point to dislodge Trump or Carson. 

Fehrnstrom warns that we are about to step into “the holiday time accelerator. You have Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, then Iowa and a week later, New Hampshire, and it’s going to be over in the blink of an eye.”

Thomas Kean, former Governor of New Jersey, doesn’t know what to think. “People usually start off in the same way…They assure me that Trump and Carson will eventually fade. Then we’ll talk some more, and I give them a reality check. I’ll say, ‘The guy in the grocery store likes Trump. So does the guy who cuts my hair. They’re probably going to stick with him. Who knows if this ends?'”

Nikki Haley, Governor of South Carolina, explains that the public is frustrated with Congress for not accomplishing much during recent years. They now look to an outsider candidate, someone “who hasn’t been elected.” However, according to longtime presidential candidate advisor Charlie Black, the election “will eventually fall into the normal pattern of one outsider and one insider, and historically the insider always wins.” 

Big investors continue to withhold their money, fearful of choosing the wrong candidate in this volatile race. “Some of them are in, but too many are still saying, ‘I’ll wait to see how this all breaks,’” says mega-donor Kenneth Langone, a supporter of Chris Christie and one of the founders of Home Depot. “People don’t want to write checks unless they think the candidate has a chance of winning.” 

Florida doctor Peter Wish has so far remained out of the race. Wish, who was a member of Romney’s National Finance Committee in 2012, says, “I’m very worried that the Republican-base voter is more motivated by anger, distrust of DC, and politicians and will throw away the opportunity to nominate a candidate with proven experience that can win.” 

“We’re potentially careening down this road of nominating somebody who frankly isn’t fit to be president in terms of the basic ability and temperament to do the job,” says a Republican strategist quoted in the Post. “It’s not just that it could be somebody Hillary could destroy electorally, but what if Hillary hits a banana peel and this person becomes president?” 

Trump’s popularity took a blow last week after he explained his opposition to raising the minimum wage. He has also received criticism for the statement that he would create a “deportation force” to find and remove all illegal immigrants from the country.  

Jeb Bush advisor Austin Barbour worries that without the right nominee, the Republican party could lose the Senate and “face losses in the House.” He does have a point, but anyone paying attention to the candidates shouldn’t be surprised that Trump and Carson are still in the lead. So despite the concerns of a few establishment Republicans, it’s obvious that the idea of drafting Mitt Romney is not a serious effort by anyone in the Republican Party. 

 

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