So Crazy, It Just Might Work?

16Apr10

Mitt Romney produces a howler:

“If ever again somewhere down the road I would be debating [Obama], I would be happy to take credit for his [healthcare] accomplishment,” – Mitt Romney.

To my knowledge, Romney and Obama have never debated in the first place, but the two often took shots at each other in their respective primary debates.

I don’t know where Romney goes from here, as a Republican at least. The GOP has already pledged to run on the bill’s repeal, so I can’t imagine they’d accept a candidate that viewed HCR as an “accomplishment.” Romney already struggled with this issue in 2008, never really finding comfortable ground. His best defense was that Universal Health Care was going to happen in MA anyway, so he tried to make it happen the right way. Which, again, is the opposite of what the GOP did on the national health care bill–a strategy that was criticized by David Frum, who was promptly rewarded with a permanent vacation from the American Enterprise Institute, a top conservative think tank.

So about his potential opponents: Huckabee already beat him in Iowa, and will do well in the South, territory Romney would be weak on. Same with Palin, but worse. Ron Paul may run again, and he of course will bring with him his fierce supporters, who do not take kindly to the politics of Huckabee and Palin (for the most part). Romney would appear to be lost in the shuffle; he might have stood out in a race where he’d be competing against Mark Sanford or John Ensign, but clearly that won’t be happening now.

So I wonder if Romney may run as an independent; a sort of referee between the two warring parties in congress. Another change candidate, in a country that may still be facing high unemployment and congressional gridlock. I think there’s some conservative Dems that will buy this; I mean, the guy was governor of Massachusetts. However, I deeply doubt that it will be enough to overcome both Obama and Palin* (if it’s Palin). Romney will once again be forced to be spending millions of his own money, although the Citizens case may see him bring in more money, as Romney’s greatest strength are his business credentials. We’ll see.

*If it’s not Palin, then things look better for Romney. I doubt Huckabee will have enthusiastic support, and it’s hard to see the GOP being ok with Ron Paul.

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Tags: 2012, gop, health care, health care reform, mitt romney, Obama, Primary, romney, universal health care