A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
Troy Senik, Ed. ·
Jan 27 at 1:47pm
From First Read:
The primary has done damage to Romney. He cannot afford a long primary. If this thing goes to June, that would be very problematic. He’s already in a bad position. George W. Bush, John McCain, and Bob Dole were all in primary fights and ALL were a net-POSITIVE at this time in the election cycle. In the past 20 years in the poll, no one who went on to be the major party nominee of either party with a net-negative at this point – except John Kerry, and we all know how that turned out. Clearly, Romney is looking like he’s getting his momentum back, but he has fundamental problems for the general.
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May '11
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
Hugh Hewitt "thinks" this because it consolidates his pro-Romney stance. He has begun massaging facts to support his opinion. I have been listening for close to a decade, and I was an early adopter when he went behind the pay wall at the Hughniverse. Been there all along, and I can no longer trust Hugh.
May '11
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
Pshaw. John Kerry (WSIVN) would never have made a $10,000 bet on stage to try to prove his bonafides.
Apr '11
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
A huge chunk of Newt's message has been about how he'd work the general election debates to partisan value. For example, he'd somehow persuade Obama to get a cheering audience in, so Obama would lose (not clear on Obama's incentive, there). Likewise, the argument presented for the endless hours of "Lincoln-Douglas" debates, in which Newt would be the southerner arguing against the Illinois senator with black support (I know who Lincoln and Douglas were but, nonetheless, the optics are not in our favor with that metaphor), is that Newt would win, not that America doesn't understand some issue or other.
In that environment, I don't see a new debate format being organized. If it's Santorum and Romney, though, both National Review endorsed candidates, I can easily see a National Review debate, a Weekly Standard debate, and a Pajamas Media debate. In future cycles, I'd then be disappointed if there was no Ricochet debate.
Nov '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
Perhaps the biggest difference between Romney and Kerry (and most other Republicans in the field), and a fact we should hope primary voters realize, is that Romney has actually run things and run them well. He's an excutive who knows how to run an organization, how to cultivate a vision, compartmentalize the tenets of that vision, hire the right people to execute, seek new information to adjust tactics to new realities, engage advisors to help him identify and plan for possible contingencies, and integrate new information. Gingrich is a bull, Paul an analyst (he might find himself more out of his depth than even President Obama in the Presidency), and Santorum.. well we just don't know, but there is little evidence to demonstrate his executive capabilities. It is Mr. Romney's executive ability coupled with disciplining majorities in Congress that may, at this point, be our best hope to turn the ship of state. One man's opinion, I suppose. I'd be interested to hear Professor Rahe's opinion on the importance or irrelevance of Mr. Romney's executive ability, even considering the apt description of him as a managerial progressive. Professor?
Dec '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
Disagree - the only valid comparison is that they are both wealthy. Beyond that it is a loony analogy.
Sep '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
The Great Adventure!
Disagree - the only valid comparison is that they are both wealthy. Beyond that it is a loony analogy. · 1 minute ago
The loonie is the official Canadian dollar coin. And here's something to add to the loonie. We have a two dollar coin called a toonie.
Jul '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
The Great Adventure!
Disagree - the only valid comparison is that they are both wealthy. Beyond that it is a loony analogy. · 3 hours ago
I don't think Troy's point is that Romney and Kerry are similar people.
I think that he's suggesting their primary campaigns have a common premise:the "electable" candidate.
As to that, how would Howie Dean have done?
Dec '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
Palaeologus
I don't think Troy's point is that Romney and Kerry are similar people.
I think that he's suggesting their primary campaigns have a common premise:the "electable" candidate.
As to that, how would Howie Dean have done? · 15 minutes ago
Troy's original post (last week) was doing exactly that - equating Romney to Kerry. I'm just as frustrated as everyone else by the pathetic crop of choices that we're being given this year, but this comparison is specious and frankly quite nasty. Romney never engaged in the activities that brought us Swift Boat. Romney doesn't buy yachts in RI to try and skirt taxes in MA. Romney started off wealthy, sure, but has also constructively built on his wealth through business - Kerry has developed his wealth through marriage. I suppose I hold the "contributors" (as opposed to us schmuck members) to a higher standard.
Edited on Jan 28 at 9:27amJul '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
The Great Adventure!
Palaeologus
I don't think Troy's point is that Romney and Kerry are similar people.
I think that he's suggesting their primary campaigns have a common premise:the "electable" candidate.
As to that, how would Howie Dean have done? · 15 minutes ago
Troy's original post (last week) was doing exactly that - equating Romney to Kerry. I'm just as frustrated as everyone else by the pathetic crop of choices that we're being given this year, but this comparison is specious and frankly quite nasty. Romney never engaged in the activities that brought us Swift Boat. Romney doesn't buy yachts in RI to try and skirt taxes in MA. Romney started off wealthy, sure, but has also constructively built on his wealth through business - Kerry has developed his wealth through marriage. I suppose I hold the "contributors" (as opposed to us schmuck members) to a higher standard. · 1 hour ago
I stand corrected.
I'll have to check out that post.
Gotta say, it doesn't seem too plausible a theory to me at first blush.
Jul '10
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
After reading Troy's piece at CFIF, I stand by my comments in #27.
Hyperbolic (and amusing) title aside, it's equating their candidacies and electoral circumstances, not them.
Dec '11
Re: A Data Point to Support my Romney-as-Kerry Thesis
So are you saying that having a long hotly contested republican primary has hurt his electability?
Are you saying that now maybe he won't be able to beat Obama?
The general election will also go on for a while and I don't think it is good to have a candidate with a glass jaw.
I tire of the electability question as I believe that if any of the current candidates(even Ron Paul) win the republican primary they stand a good chance of beating Obama. I care less about that because I want a candidate who will continue to almost viciously pursue Conservative values in the white house. I don't want to elect someone just to stop the damage being done. I want someone who will reverse it. When(not if) the democrats win back the government after this election they will continue to push forward. So any "progress" from just stopping the current damage that has already been done is only really a delay. I say that if you're not going to do something worth doing why bother at all.
Maybe this is off on a tangent, but I guess it was on my mind.