Romney’s the One →
Ramesh Ponnuru is pretty much where I am, regarding Mitt Romney and the Republican primaries. He's not my first choice but, of the choices we have, he may be the best.
Governor Romney has his weaknesses as a candidate, too. In the past only high-income voters have demonstrated a natural affinity for him. His flip-flops are well documented. He won’t be able to take full advantage of the unpopularity of Obamacare. A significant number of voters will hold his Mormonism against him, although Republican voters in recent surveys seem likely to look past this misgiving in the interest of retiring Obama and most Democrats who oppose Mormon candidates won’t be available to any Republican nominee. But he is also reasonable, articulate — phenomenally articulate, by the standards of recent Republican presidential candidates — and reassuring. Democrats will try to make him into a scary figure, but they will have less to work with than if Republicans nominated Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Perry, or Rick Santorum. He has improved as a campaigner, and now usually projects an air of command that eluded him in the last presidential race.
Honestly, given Governor Huntsman's record, I think he'd be a good candidate. But he and the Republican base apparently feel nothing but antipathy for each other. So, Romney's the one.
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