Could Romney have pulled off a "mainstream" strategy?

[brooklynite]

I continue to wonder: if Romney had decided up front that he could never convincingly appeal to the Tea Party, had pointedly ignored all the social conservative bluster, and campaigned as a cold-hearted but ruthlessly efficient business guy who was going to whip the US into shape, could have won nomination by allowing the seven dwarves to tear each other apart in the Primaries, and then run against President Obama without all the baggage he as to carry now?

[WCGreen]

1. That would have been something, that would have been a bold man willing to

put it all on the line for something he truly believed in and because it was Romney, the man who pretends he is bold as he pushes vulnerable people to their limit with tactics found on every school yard in this country, it was NOT gonna happen...

Romney has never shown resolve when faced with any push back. He is a paper tiger, a man blowing in the wind...

[tama]

2. I know how GOP could have got easy win

but I'm not telling.

[LiberalFighter]

3. If he used that strategy prior to the nomination... NO

He needed the votes of the paint sniffers to win enough convention delegates.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. He couldn't get through the whackadoodle nutjob primaries.

They did attempt to renounce "all that" with the 'etch-a-sketch' gambit, but they actually couldn't follow through. Too much to undo, too many whackadoodle nutjobs to piss off.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

5. And even if he had....

If Romney had tacked right toward the center after the primaries, can you imagine the blood-bath that would have ensured at the RNC. The Ron Paul/Teabagger wing of the Republican Party would have burned the convention center to the ground.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. so that is the good news...

the bad news is that approximately 25 - 35% of the voting public can be classified as "whackadoodle nutjob". That is a really scary fact. It is possible that these people can get into power and enact their entire whackadoodle nutjob agenda.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

7. The better news...

is that you don't win many elections with 25-35% of the vote. Only if you can con 15-25% of the voters to go along.

In this case, with their agenda exposed to the light of day, they're not getting very far.

There was a good Kos post that illustrated that 39% is almost the absolute "floor" that a major party candidate can receive in a presidential election (barring a significant third party). The article pointed out the Herbert Hoover STILL got 39.7% of the vote in 1932.

So if you're looking at a candidate like Mitt who is polling at 44%, it means he's betting the 39% that's almost inevitable and then only about 5% of the presuadables. Pretty grim, if you're a Republcian.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. 25-35% whackadoodle nutjob + 20 -30% muddled middle idiots = recipe for outright fascism. nt.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

10. Sure does...

That's why we're pressing so hard to get the middle. Although I must say that I know several independents who are neither muddled nor idiots. They want to see results, and they are suspecious of both parties. I can respect that.

[Cha]

8. HaHa... this was so

predictible. His giant Etch A Sketch not working.