Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru endorses Mitt Romney today. (Despite my use of the 2008 NR cover, this is just Ponnuru endorsing, not the magazine.) He points out that Romney will likely win the Republican primaries and nominations before saying that's how it should be:
We all know the knocks on Romney. His health-care plan in Massachusetts was Obamacare in one state. He’s a flip-flopper. Inauthentic. His conservative detractors say he’s the establishment/moderate candidate — or worse. (Actual Thanksgiving conversation in the Ponnuru home: Conservative brother-in-law: “So, which of these characters are you supporting?” Me: “I think Romney’s the best of the bunch.” Him: “I didn’t know you were a Democrat.”)
It’s true that Romney took a sharp right turn when he moved from state to national politics. But it’s also true that in 2008 he was the candidate behind whom Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin, among other conservative notables, said that the conservative movement should rally in order to stop John McCain from getting the nomination. He has not moved left since that time. His positions on policy questions are almost all the same as they were then. On a few issues he has moved right: He now favors a market-oriented reform to Medicare, for example.
If Romney was to McCain’s right then, he is still. He’s to George W. Bush’s right, too. Bush never came out for the Medicare reform Romney has endorsed. Bush never said that Roe v. Wade should be overturned, either. Romney has. Romney’s long list of policy advisers includes people who are, within their fields, roughly in sync with the politics of the Bush administration or to its right; almost nobody is significantly to its left.
If Mitt Romney becomes president, he will almost certainly be dealing with John Boehner as speaker of the House and Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader. While they, too, have their conservative detractors, they are the most conservative congressional leaders Republicans have had in modern times, and they will exert a rightward influence on the Romney administration. If they send him legislation to repeal Obamacare, cut taxes, or reform entitlements, he will sign it where Obama would veto it. If at some other point in his presidency a liberal-run Congress sends him tax increases, he will veto them where Obama would sign. Compared with President Obama, a President Romney would do more to protect the defense budget.
As far as endorsements go, it's not terribly enthusiastic. But you get the idea. Ponnuru goes on to point out other areas where Romney would be better than Obama (e.g. judicial appointees). And yes, Ponnuru realizes that's not a high bar. But an important one, still. He ends:
So far the Republican primaries have been a testament to the common sense of the party rank-and-file. As candidates and near-candidates have enjoyed their bursts of publicity, Republican voters have greeted them one by one with an open mind and high hopes, only to reject them as their flaws became apparent. Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Bachmann, Perry, and Cain have all gone through this process. In reacting this way, Republican voters have disproven the caricatures that liberals and too many conservatives have indulged: that they care only about attitude and volume, not knowledge or judgment.
The right thing for Republican voters to do now is to make Romney undergo the rigors of a competitive primary and then grant him the nomination. My bet is that’s exactly what they’re going to do.
Probably a safe bet. Of course, Republicans are also the party that nominated Bob Dole and John McCain. Republicans are quite good at nominating whoever is next in line. Will it be sufficient for victory over Obama? And what will that victory look like? ]]
- Comment (29)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Aug '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
While Romney may not be perfect, I think Ramesh realizes that nominating Newt is like playing Russian roulette with half the chambers loaded...
Sep '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Is the fact that a journalist form NR indorses Romney a reason to support him or not to support him? Did Ponnuru write this in hopes of enhancing his career or Romney’s? He might want to consider that the Republican Party is now trying to portray itself as considerably more conservative than in 2008. While I think establishment Republicans are just posturing, nominating Romney would do little to further the narrative. If however this is more than fiction, it does negate most of Ponnuru’s argument. At best Romney can be described as slightly less liberal than McCain, which is a long way from being a constitutional conservative.
May '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Anyone but Newt! Please! Not Newt!
Jun '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
<<Did Ponnuru write this in hopes of enhancing his career or Romney’s?>>
My guess is neither. It strikes me that he wrote the column because it is what he believes. He looked at the field and made what he thinks is the best choice. Romney is far from perfect, but I think he is the best among the available field. Newt will give in to his Newtness soon enough and fall away like the rest.
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Richard O'Shea: <<Did Ponnuru write this in hopes of enhancing his career or Romney’s?>>
My guess is neither. It strikes me that he wrote the column because it is what he believes. He looked at the field and made what he thinks is the best choice. Romney is far from perfect, but I think he is the best among the available field. Newt will give in to his Newtness soon enough and fall away like the rest. · Dec 2 at 6:33am
Exactly. Feel free to disagree with Ponnuru, but there's nothing in his endorsement that should make people question his motives. It's restrained and fair and sensible. I'm not sold, but I enjoyed reading his argument.
Jan '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
From Ponnuru's piece
This sums up my own thinking perfectly.
Among the current candidates with executive experience, Johnson, Hunstman, and Perry all have better, more conservative records than Romney. Unfortunately, the first two have almost no chance of winning the Republican nomination and Perry is equally unlikely to win the presidency.
It's a shame, really, but I think Romney is the best we can do right now.
Edited on Dec 2, 2011 at 7:00amJun '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Ponnuru makes about the best Apologia pro Romney possible. Two comments:
May '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Fricosis Guy: Ponnuru makes about the best Apologia pro Romney possible. Two comments:
Two words: Nine, Eleven.
May '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Kofola
Two words: Nine, Eleven. · Dec 2 at 7:10am
Bush also had a pretty strongly committed base amongst social conservatives.
May '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Double post error.
Edited on Dec 2, 2011 at 8:03amJan '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Kofola
Fricosis Guy: Ponnuru makes about the best Apologia pro Romney possible. Two comments:
Two words: Nine, Eleven. · Dec 2 at 7:10am
Two words arguing the other way: "Barack Obama."
Sep '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Well, shoot. Ramesh Ponnuru said that? Consider me flipped. Or flopped. Or whatever.
The problem with all of these bloggy things out there on the Interweb Tubes is that you find that writers with political opinions are a dime a dozen.
May '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Tom Meyer
Two words arguing the other way: "Barack Obama." · Dec 2 at 7:23a
I'm not sure what your point is here. Republicans circled the wagons for Bush, largely because he was a wartime President. If you're suggesting that was a mistake ultimately leading to Obama's election, well, I suspect some may agree with you.
If you're suggesting that conservatives should support whomever is the nominee in order to get rid of Obama, I suspect that won't be issue. I suspect most conservatives will begrudgingly support Romney if he's elected, just like I suspect most Romney supporters will support Gingrich or someone else if they're nominated. However, rallying for someone simply because they're the lesser evil doesn't carry as much weight as rallying to someone out of support for what they've achieved in office.
Edited on Dec 2, 2011 at 7:59amApr '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Romney is not a conservative. How do these RINOs get so much money from the Republican establishment?
Jun '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
9/11/2001 works for Bush v. Kerry, but not Bush v. Gore.
I grant the social conservative following, but I worry that intensity was driven by SoCon attraction to the accidents of Bush's conservatism rather than its essence.
Kofola
Bush also had a pretty strongly committed base amongst social conservatives. · Dec 2 at 7:14am
May '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Fricosis Guy: 9/11/2001 works for Bush v. Kerry, but not Bush v. Gore.
I grant the social conservative following, but I worry that intensity was driven by SoCon attraction to the accidents of Bush's conservatism rather than its essence.
Kofola
Bush also had a pretty strongly committed base amongst social conservatives. · Dec 2 at 7:14am
Dec 2 at 7:58am
Well, Bush wasn't exactly the most popular figure until 9/11. I agree, however, that many people did misinterpret his conservatism. I think this is exactly why so many feel disinclined to do so for Romney. Same goes for Perry, really, only with the additional reminders of Bush's inarticulateness.
Sep '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
These endless establishment endorsements for Mitt cause me to despair of the professional political class. It shows they haven't thought through the mechanics of the presidency at all. Sure, the positions are important and you weigh one with another, but they're ignoring a huge part of the presidency.
The president has to be able to influence public opinion.
Say there's a big bill before congress and it's in jeopardy. It's a key part of President Romney's agenda and time is running out. He has to be able to convince us to influence our legislators to pass the thing.
And you think he's going to be able to do this? Are you kidding me?
Romney can't get 75% of his own party to do anything despite years of campaigning, tens of millions of dollars in advertising, endorsements from every cigar-chewing Republican politico out there and drooling praise from the likes of Hugh Hewitt on the radio. He wins only if Newt starts gibbering in Urdu on stage and Santorum is caught in bed with a rhesus monkey.
Being president is more than positions and these guys ought to know that.
Jun '11
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
The best way to get this done is to influence the lawmakers directly, and I think Romney may indeed have this ability. Newt has demonstrated he does not have this ability when he was ushered out as speaker of the house. If it is Romney or Gingrich, I think the former will work better with congress.
Dec '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
Before Newt lost his position as Speaker of the House, he earned the position of Speaker of the House. So I kind of think he can figure out how to herd the cats of Congress pretty well. By contrast, I keep hearing that RomneyCare is in part a result of Romney's inability as Governor to stand up to the State Legislature.
Jul '10
Re: Ponnuru: Romney's Still The One
K T Cat: These endless establishment endorsements for Mitt cause me to despair of the professional political class... they haven't thought through the mechanics of the presidency at all...but they're ignoring a huge part of the presidency.
The president has to be able to influence public opinion.
Say there's a big bill before congress and it's in jeopardy...He has to be able to convince us to influence our legislators to pass the thing.
And you think he's going to be able to do this? Are you kidding me?
Romney can't get 75% of his own party to do anything despite years of campaigning, tens of millions of dollars in advertising, endorsements from every cigar-chewing Republican politico out there and drooling praise from the likes of Hugh Hewitt on the radio. He wins only if Newt starts gibbering in Urdu on stage and Santorum is caught in bed with a rhesus monkey.
Being president is more than positions and these guys ought to know that.
I nominate this as "Post Of The Month" and it's only December 2nd.