Mitt Romney & the GOP's Nationalist Rump

ndm

The GOP is not fomenting Nationalism so much as White Nationalism. This is a tragic end for Mitt Romney who was pretty highly regarded as a technocratic Governor of Massuchusetts (Matthew Yglesias confesses to having voted for him).

And sticking to flaming Scottish metaphors, the GOPs most fervent supporters are more into the fiery cross than "setting the heather alight."

MattF

Richard Nixon's overwhelming ambition provoked respect and fear, but Romney's provokes pity-- I'm not sure why. On a whim, I googled "poor Mitt" and got 11,000 links.

Vern

I can't actually tell if you've read the book from this or if you've based the entire blog on the title.

William

Yes,every one has their own opinion and has different ideas but the problems is no president ever attack,critic,against,blame, and apology for America people like Obama in the history of America.They love America and protect America,only Obama is the opposite side to America people.Obama said: The Bush administration was the dark and painful era in U.S history,the true is not dark and painful America people but dark and painful for the terrorist and America enemies,because they can't lift up their head and they are in the hide.look Obama forgot the 9/11/2001 why he wants to release the detainee,they are America enemies,they kill America people,they were war with America,why Obama wants to release them and will prosecute Bush administration? or Obama is at their side,because he link to Mr. Ayer. By law if Obama linked to Mr.Ayer,he did not qualify for the presidency. Bush love America and he was protect America people in U.S and around the world.Mitt's Book "No apology,for America greatness,ext" is an excellent Book why you are attacking him or what happen to you? because Mitt love America but Obama attack,against,critic,blame America,so he apologized to America when he knew his mistake,so sad,so sorry,America.All America 43 president have never attack,critic,and blame America like Obama did,why Mitt stand up to protect America,because he love America,he is true America leader,he has good vision for America,he is a strong leader,a smart leader,an experience leader,an export economy leader, he is the hope of America now, and he will come to save America,in his leadership,he will lead America to prosperity,so America will lead the world like Reagan did again.Mitt is the right man in the right job,the right person for the right place,and the right leader for the right country.

Eric

The fact that William calls the statement: "America isn't perfect", as an "attack,critic,against,blame, and apology for America" is a perfect illustration of the point that a good 20-30% of Americans will vote for the candidate who waves the flag and rattles the sabres the hardest, and demonize anyone else.

JohnMcC

Just a little linguistic comment, since I agree that the Repubs are a dwindling rump of the US electorate and that Romney is a robotic Yankee and thus certain not to light any fires. (On top of that whole Mormon thing which will seem strange, I guess, in the UK but is definitely a big deal down here in Dixie).

My comment: Wouldn't someone planning to "set the heather alight" be armed with PETROL? I think a TIN of PETROL? I can affirm that it would ring truly on my ear if someone armed with a "can of gasoline" were going to 'burn down the barn' or 'set a hayfield on fire'.

Or has British language usage become Americanized to the extent of a 'can' of 'gasoline'?

porkbelly

Obama's history of anti-Americanism is long and well-documented - Romney is hardly attacking a straw man here. Unfortunately for him he will have a difficult time criticizing Obama's catastrophe of a healthcare plan without bringing up his own disastrous attempt at socialized medicine in Massachusetts. And being a member of a religion as bizarre as Mormonism doesn't help either - most likely the next Republican standard-bearer will be someone below the radar today (he will have to be given the ongoing efforts of the MSM to destroy Obama's potential opponents).

cat

I adore the dog story. I can't look at Romney without thinking about how he treated his own animal. Poor dog! No vote for Mitt from me. I won't buy his book either.

ndm

William writes:

-- By law if Obama linked to Mr.Ayer,he did not qualify for the presidency.

Don't you just love these laws?

Verity

ndm is a well-known lefty Coffee House troll.

John McC - The main Coffee House writers, and Alex Massie, have all spent time in the US and think that showing an easy familiarity with American usage ("dumbing down", for example headlining a recent CH blog) somehow elevates them and makes them look more "in".

James Forsythe once wrote in one of his blogs something about Westminster Village, which he referred to as "inside the Beltway". Oooooooooh! So exciting!

I wish they would stop it. So far as I know, the only Britishism American journalists and bloggers have adopted are moonbat and wanker. As the Americans, and therefore James Forsythe and Alex Massie would say, "It figures".

Sideon Galanter

Mitt Romney. It's so cute. He's trying so hard to be liked and trusted, but the fact of the matter is that he is first and foremost Mormon, which means he pledged faith and fealty first to the LDS corporation, and second, he's flip flopped on positions more times than Cher changes costumes at her concert.

The pro-gay politician who backtracked and was reminded that Mormons hate gay people should really look in the mirror and examine what his values really are, since he only seems to figure it out based on where he lives based on what office he's running for.

Verity

Other GOP candidates "have shot themselves in the foot (Palin ...)".

2012 and President Palin with the First Dude by her side.

Shep

Verity --
"Gone missing" has seeped into American English as well. "Git" is starting to make an appearance as well.

Hal

Mitt Romney's father, George, was a moderate Republican governor of Michigan and a serious contender for the Republican nomination for president in 1968. His religion was barely mentioned back then. In the years since, as the GOP has become more theocratic and more Southern, Mormonism has become an almost crippling liability for Mitt Romney. Not that I like the man, but this is the wrong way to sift through a (rather thin) group of possible presidents.

We need a new opposition party.

Beefeater

Congratulations, Massie, on
sneering a course through the dangerous doldrums of post-election, pre-campaign American party politics. You can get off your rowing machine now, and take your dog walkies.

Jane Doe

A few have already mentioned Romney's Mormonism, and I wanted to add one of the reasons why this is a dealbreaker for him.

The Evangelical right consistently and vehemently teaches its various members that Mormonism is an evil, non-Christian cult. These same Evangelicals form a strong base of the Republican party. They may even agree with Romney's platform, but they are so entrenched in their religions, they will never vote a Mormon into office.

Additionally, as someone already said, Romney would be a Mormon first and a president second. He has already promised, via covenents, to give all he has to the Church. He repeats this covenant every time he goes to one of the Mormmon temples as it is part of the temple rites.

People who know little about Mormonism have no idea how binding these "covenants" are, and they should know Romney WILL follow the Mormon Church's prophet's counsel, regardless of whether he is president or not. He literally believes he has promised God to do so.

Katherine

It's, um, Sanford. No 't'.

Rhoda Klapp

Yet not a word about what the democrats are doing, alienating more and more of the American public with their profligacy and incompetence. Pelosi and Reid are going to do for Obama. Then the voters other than the democrat base will switch to the Republican ticket because there is no choice. Come the election the GOP will put up a platform to bring in those votes. Or talk the talk, anyway.

Let's see first how much damage the dems can do to themselves in 2010. Right now their leaders are saying ordinary people trying to express their views at town hall meeting are GOP plants. Or a mob. This is the beginnings of a paranoia that will mean they have even less contact with the folks than they do now.

As I've said before here in reponse to ludicrous GOP-examining by the owner, it doesn't matter what the GOP does right now. It's the ability of the dems to cock things up which will be the decider.

Parma Violets

The Democrats thought that they could win an election purely based on the Republicans' incompetence in 2004, Rhoda. So did the Tories in 2001 and 2005. It never, ever works. You need more than an incompetent opposition to win an election - you need a viable candidate.

Rhoda Klapp

Parma Violets, I agree with you. But the democrat failure is a pre-requisite. Given that, the republicans know what to do. Whether they can or will is another question. Obviously they have to field a good candidate, and that doesn't mean one selected to appeal to the base (whatever that really is) but one who can appease the base but with broader appeal. We cannot know who that will be right now, but I'd bet on someone not mentioned so far, most have too much baggage to enthuse a new bunch of supporters. Are there any hispanic women?

dearieme

Re Americanisms: "doubling down" is particularly grating, because to bet more is surely more naturally "doubling up".

MEG

"Which makes it interesting that tedious stuff to do with policy and the things that actually have an impact on "ordinary" people's lives is precisely what Romney is not "writing" about in this book."

Bottom line: you haven't read the book because it doesn't come out until next March. You are making assumptions on content based on the TITLE.

Also, I assume by "Stanford" you are referring to Mark Sanford?

Conservative Cabbie

Alex

"And since front-runners have won every Republican nomination since 1988 (McCain was unusual"

one in six is hardly an instructive ratio, too small a sample size.

I'm a little surprised that you left Mitch Daniels off your list of GOP hopefuls. A good bet with presumably long odds.

Have you actually read Romney's book? I'd imagine a review would be difficult without actually doing that.

And as for un-american, the only people using that phrase at the moment are the Democrats talikg about the protests of American citizens.

Bill

Who said anything about Obama? Certainly not Romney, or his publisher, in announcing the book. I'm thankful there are still political leaders like Romney willing to make "the case for American greatness." The fact you rush to defend Obama's inept foreign policy is amusing, and suggests the President has some vulnerabilities in this area.

rollzone

hello. the failure of the demoncrats is inevitable. our system is having issues within itself. politics have devolved into personal revenue source generation. bipartisan lobbies and special interests are demons.

Niemsters

I think it's funny when people TRY to make Mitt Romney look stupid. This is a guy who has been sucessfull at EVERYTHING he has done. Obama has proven himself to be dishonest and wreckless with tax payers money. Race has nothing to do with it. If you think differently you're the one tha'ts probably a racist.

Gus

:You greatly overestimate the intelligence of the American voter. People love being pandered to and told that their country is great and, in fact, can do no wrong. It makes them feel part of something important and virtuous. All the easier for the plutocracy to pick their pockets.

Ben Stevenson

"Romney must be considered the front-runner for the 2012 Republican nomination "

This ignores current opinion polls, which put Mike Huckabee in the lead.

"Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Republican voters nationwide say former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is their pick to represent the GOP in the 2012 Presidential campaign. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 24% prefer former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney while 18% would cast their vote for former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin." -- Rasmussen, October 16, 2009

"The poll finds that 71 percent of Republicans questioned say they would seriously consider voting for Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and 2008 GOP presidential candidate.
Sixty-five percent say they would seriously consider voting for Romney..." -- CNN, November 5, 2009

"A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Saturday and Sunday puts the preacher-turned-politician, who is also a host of a weekend talk show on Fox News Channel, at the top of a list of prospective GOP contenders." -- USA Today

Obviously there is a long way to go, and no-one is even officially standing for election yet.