Based On Ed Morrisey's View, Obama Wins

The main problem I have with Ed Morrisey's statement here is, there's no room for principle. Romney can't "out-slug" Newt, or Santorum, or even Ron Paul based upon principle, so he's resorted to destroying his opponents personally. He's even used his money to dishonestly claim the Reagan mantle, while stripping it from Gingrich, who, faults and all, has a far more significant conservative legacy.

As far as “carpet-bombing” his opponents, it’s hard to see Gingrich’s point. The purpose of a primary is in part to see which candidate would do the best in a general election. The fact that Romney can out-slug Gingrich doesn’t make a case for supporting Gingrich, especially when Gingrich and his allies have conducted the same kind of attacks on Romney vis-a-vis Bain Capital.

Unfortunately, as Mark Levin pointed out, that advantage will go away if Romney makes the General Election. So, based upon Ed's view, when Obama uses more resources, combined with the power of incumbency to destroy Mitt Romney with everything from being an out-of-touch rich guy, to a cult member because of his religion, hey, no big deal. That's just politics. That's a shame but I guess it'll be okay with Ed.

My great fear is, however, that he is the weakest candidate who can face Obama and will go into the general election with a fractured base, thanks to his own character flaws, which are now on display, and his tactics of personal destruction. Moreover, while Romney can swamp his Republican opponents by 3 to 1 or more in every state with his spending advantage, Barack Obama will be raising more and spending more to beat him in the general election, meaning Romney's financial advantage will be non-existent.

What the Reagan era and victories demonstrated was that conservatism can win based upon ideas and principles. I don't believe that's changed in America, even if we currently lack top notch genuinely conservative political leadership. But it's sad to see so many would be conservatives either abandon principle to support Romney, or perhaps to not understand what conservative principles even are.

If nothing else, at least this primary is sorting out the weak and weak-minded conservatives who don't place much emphasis on said principles, or are all too willing to simply surrender them to the GOP, or are really little more than Republicans who brand themselves as conservatives out of convenience, or self-interest.

Comments

[Lisa Graas]

Hey, I know! Vote for the conservative guy instead! Santorum.

Gallup poll and NBC/Marist poll both show Santorum polling better against Obama than Newt does. Newt is $6 million in debt. Santorum is raising money and not in debt. Santorum has beaten Newt twice already.

Remember when we all knew the only conservative candidates were Santorum, Bachmann and Gingrich? Well...we only have Santorum left.....and it is GAME ON, BABY!

[Lisa Graas]

Darnit! Why can't I edit? That's supposed to say Santorum, Bachmann and Perry.

[swarovski uk]

na you neng zen me ban ne ,wo le ge qu

[jann]

They're liberals too.

[Mr X]

Lisa . Are you lost ? Why are you here?

That "Game on ' is a steal from Palin Madison 2011where she faced down hostile crowds. Exactly where was Santorum ?

Santorum is not a sportsperson .He looks stupid saying it .

[gary gulrud]

James Carville paraphrase: "The Cap'n has lost, he's the only one who doesn't know it."

[KLSmith]

Polls show that for a majority of Republicans (and even higher for Tea Party supporters) defeating Obama is more important than sharing their principles. That's a lot of people to paint with the "weak minded" brush.
It is a fundamental disagreement in how we see the situation. People can detest what the GOP has become, they can detest Mitt Romney. But they fear the thought of 4 more years of Obama more than they detest the other.
I think conservatives, in regards to the GOP, are in a lose-lose situation right now. They will be blamed if the base stays home and Romney loses; they will be taken for granted if Romney wins. If you really think the GOP will learn the right lesson by a Presidential vote boycott then I think you're giving them way too much credit. If they learn anything at all it might be that they need to work harder to crush the Tea Party.

[Reaganite Republican]

Hey RNC, get this through your big fat skulls:
I will never, ever vote for Mitt Romney... never

Linked:

http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/2012/01/this-is-war-if-they-succeed-in-forcing.html

[Ragspierre]

"The fact that Romney can out-slug Gingrich doesn’t make a case for supporting Gingrich, especially when Gingrich and his allies have conducted the same kind of attacks on Romney vis-a-vis Bain Capital."

As pretty much everyone knows, I thought Newt was WRONG on the Bain attacks (and he recalibrated to be more specific and less anti-capital), and said so.

But those are MATERAILLY different than simply re-writing history to remove the record of a man as a Reagan supporting Conservative...

because (as we know of Romney) you have a record that runs COUNTER to Newt's.

[Trista]

The problem is that Newt labelled himself as the guy who could out slug Romney and ultimately Obama in any debate. It was Newt's supposed strength. Well, that all came crashing down with the last debate.

Romney CAN attack Newt over substantial issues like policy, but it's so much easier to attack his personal life, which most people find revolting. Character does matter, and conservatives do care about a president's private life, so these issues should not be off limits.

Additionally, Newt brought the Reagan mess on himself by claiming to be Reagan's standard bearer. If he makes the assertion, it's accuracy is fair game.

[Ragspierre]

It isn't "fair game" to launch a concerted campaign of out-right lies, Trista.

But you have long ago proven you are too partisan to be remotely truthful.

[Kaye]

Trista Newt has been outspent and has held up to the attacks. Mitt has not really had to endure an attack machine. He has so much more money than anyone in this race. If he is the nominee the Obama attack machine will get into high gear and it will be ugly, Forget about Nancy pelosi there are things in Mitt's past that will completely turn the race in Obama's favor.

[Trista]

Oh, give it up Rags. I might be partisan (pro-Romney), but I don't have my head stuck in the sand.

Gingrich tells his own lies - one of which was called out by Rubio another of which was called out by Limbaugh and Levin. Newt's not so innocent in this fight, but he sure is a big whiner.

[Ragspierre]

Trisha, you'll have to elaborate on what you're talking about...

[Trista]

Kaye, what is there about Romney that you think hasn't been vetted?

His religion has been drug through the mud.
All the fired Bain workers have been hauled out on parade.
His taxes have been examined.
We've watched the videos of his "liberal" times in MA.
We've talked about Romneycare, abortion, guns, TARP.
We've even talked about the dog on the car.

We haven't talked nearly enough about his BRILLIANT work at Bain, or how he worked a miracle with the Olympics, how he has been a good husband and father and leader in his community and church, or how he was elected to and governed a ridiculously liberal state as a conservative.

I'm amazed that people say on the one hand that Romney has been running for President his entire life, but on the other that he still hasn't been vetted. What more is there to talk about?

[rewms]

This will probably be attacked as politically incorrect, but I don't care. Romney is to Obama what the briar patch was to Brer Rabbit. Look it up.

[Trista]

Rags, it's Trista.

From Rubio:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/erikajohnsen/2012/01/25/rubio_admonishes_gingrichs_romney_is_antiimmigrant_ad

From Limbaugh:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/01/11/gingrich_and_perry_blew_it_on_bain_attack_update_newt_admits_he_made_a_mistake

The best I could find from Levin indicated he was ready to get behind Santorum due to Newt's and Perry's attacks on captialism, but then Newt apologized and Levin forgave him.

But the MOST FUN of all is an article by Fact Check detailing all the lies in Newt's Romney attack ads in Florida.

http://www.factcheck.org/2012/01/the-gingrich-counterattack-in-florida/

[Ragspierre]

So, Trista, you are depicting differences of opinion as "lies".

I was one who jumped both Perry and Gingrich for the VERY wrong-head generalized Bain attacks.

But it is BY NO MEANS a "lie" to question Romney on his Bain claims. I also have pointed out that it is essentially impossible to claim...truthfully...that you "created" X number of NET jobs.

[Zelsdorf Ragshaft III]

Gingrich did not write the Bain attacks. Did you know Bain has supported more Donks than GoPers? Can you name a business Bain started? Can you name a business Bain closed? Can you name a business Bain lost money on? A complete investigation of Bain will show the dark side of Capitalism. The money side absent the humanity. Many capitalists enterprises have made America a rich and prosperous nation. Bain made a few rich and they do not care about America.