Monday, November 7, 2011

An Interesting Analysis of Why DeMint Will Not Endorse

Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post makes an interesting case regarding why DeMint is not endorsing any Republicans this cycle.

1. There is no viable anti-Romney.
2. DeMint's supporters wouldn't follow him supporting Romney.

From the article:
Anyone who expected he might endorse Mitt Romney hasn’t been paying much attention to either the GOP race or DeMint’s role in the Tea Party movement. When DeMint did offer supportive words for Romney, he was beset by angry activists and soon backed off. DeMint is not about to sacrifice his role as a prominent Tea Party leader by endorsing the not-Tea Party candidate, Mitt Romney. DeMint and Romney most likely both know such an endorsement would be worthless in any event. DeMint’s followers wouldn’t follow his lead on this one; Romney supporters and potential supporters are not the type to be swayed by the hard-line DeMint.
The real news here is that DeMint couldn’t find anyone else to back. If he could champion a viable Tea Party type, he certainly wouldn’t hesitate to be kingmaker. But really, who’s he going to back? It’s evident the Herman Cain phenomenon is dissolving. (In his Lincoln-Douglas style debate with Newt Gingrich Saturday, Cain, in passing on the first question about Medicare, once again showed he’s not well-informed enough to be a credible blogger, let alone a presidential candidate.)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was supposed to be the credible Tea Party-friendly alternative to Romney. DeMint’s decision not to give him a hand highlights just how far Perry’s fortunes have fallen. One has to think back to the forum DeMint hosting over Labor Day. Perry had accepted, campaigned in South Carolina and then canceled at the last minute, citing the Texas wildfires, even though DeMint offered to flip the order of speakers and let Perry go first. From hindsight, after a series of dreadful debates, one can surmise that Perry wasn’t all that anxious anyway to be grilled on constitutional issues. But standing up DeMint probably didn’t endear him to the South Carolina senator.
I would have liked for Romney to receive DeMints endorsement, but Rubin's analysis makes sense. Every strong TEA party-supporter who is in Congress who has endorsed Romney has been accused of being a RINO, and DeMint doesn't want that to happen to him.

Rubin also makes another point:

If the Tea Party wants electable rock-ribbed conservatives they better find ones who can hack it in the national spotlight. No Sharron Angles. No Christine O’Donnells. The talk show hosts that defend these characters lead conservatives into a dead end.When they lose, the talk show hosts can be aggrieved and blame the media. But conservatives will have enabled Democrats to win.


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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

The only analysis we need is a picture of DeMint's face superimposed on a chicken.

Anonymous said...

Noelle, thanks for the post. It does make sense. But I'm with Dan, here. This election is so important, and DeMint takes a pass? That's not statesmanship. No one else in the field is worthy of support for various reasons. We have to go to war with the army we have. Romney is the best, IMO, but also by default.

DeMint is famous for being the guy who would rather have 30 pure Republican senators, than control with a few who are less than pure. I guess he's being consistent, but I also guess he would rather have the country fall into further disrepair? There's no excuse for that.

There's always the possibility that Bosman is still right, though. Either way, I couldn't care less about who DeMint endorses. Romney is going win this thing, while the anti-Romney idiots kick and scream. So be it.

-Martha

Ohio JOE said...

"If the Tea Party wants electable rock-ribbed conservatives they better find ones who can hack it in the national spotlight." Blah blah blah, the same old the Tea Party does not have any good candidates. It is funny how the anti-Tea Party crowd always brings up DE and Nevada when they themselves could not get a good candidate in those states. They also convienirntly forget that it was the Tea Party that won the House. The establishment came kicking and screaming over the finish line.

Ohio JOE said...

"No one else in the field is worthy of support for various reasons." That is the most hillarious thing I heard in weeks. Thanks for lightening up my day Martha.

Machtyn said...

Romney was TEA Party before the party got started. I mean, what part of didn't raise taxes to reduce a $3 billion deficit to a $2 billion surplus, reduce size of government and government waste is not in line with the Taxed Enough Already Party movement?

Oh sure, roll out the healthcare thing. If Romney didn't jump in front of that, he couldn't run for POTUS, because he would be a push-over and not a leader. And MA would not have been a $2 billion surplus state when Romney left, but a $6 billion deficit state (because the liberal dems would have enacted a gross hybrid of HillaryCare and ObamaCare in the state).

Right Wingnut said...

Rubin is a Romney cheerleader. Bosman could have just as easily written this.

Noelle said...

Machtyn, you are a smart guy. No wonder you married me!

hamaca said...

Yes, it appears that DeMint is lacking a spine here. However, I think there's some merit to the thinking that it wouldn't do either DeMint or Romney any significant good.

I'm thinking that DeMint could play a more important role in the general by influencing his people to get out and vote for Romney to not let Obama win. If he lost his Tea Party/SoCon cred now, he'd have no influence in the general when we're going to need as big a turnout to vote as possible.

Anonymous said...

Whoever in the Tea Party decided to demagogue Romney is now suffering the consequences.

They didn't bother to look at the source before jumping on Obama's bandwagon to blame Romney for Obamacare. And Romney should have understood better that they would stab him in the back, rather than stand up for him.

That accusation by Obama was the single most effective political smear of all time.

Obama is a skilled campaigner and he very nearly knocked Romney out from the beginning. And he enlisted the Tea Party to do it. It was really brillant.

People dumb enough to hate Obama but then to take his word for Romney's fitness for office, or conservativeness are just plain stupid.

Too bad Rush and Hannity didn't go to bat as strongly for Romney over Romneycare, as they do for Cain over his bimbo explosion.

Terrye said...

I read this post by Rubin and she is right..it is not enough to just demand that everyone vote the way you want them to...you have to come up with viable and electable candidates. I think a lot of people on the right in talk radio and on the blogs have actually done harm to the Tea Party brand by making a point of backing people that they know can not win..and then complaining when the inevitable happens.

Ohio JOE said...

"Too bad Rush and Hannity didn't go to bat as strongly for Romney over Romneycare, as they do for Cain over his bimbo explosion." Hello, Mr. Romney has been found guilty, Mr. Cain as of yet has not. Case closed.

Terrye said...

Ohio Joe...

Rubin is not anti Tea Party. The idea that somehow or other people have to mindlessly support every single candidate the Tea Party puts out there or they are anti Tea Party is just absurd...in fact Rubin's point is the opposite..if the Tea Party wants to win they have to be more pragmatic and take the long view.

Terrye said...

Right Wing nut..

I don't really think Rubin is just some Romney cheerleader, but so what if she is? The people who don't like Romney don't seem to their credibility or their objectivity should be questioned just because they hate the guy.

Anonymous said...

I'm a staunch conservative pro traditional values, pro strong defense, pro jobs/economic growth lowering the cost of doing business in the US, pro cutting government spending to within our means, pro border fence, ending all magnets for illegals coming here, and am an enthusiastic Romney supporter.

The reason? Romney governed as he campaigned in Massachusetts--his word matters. In 2007 and 2011 he's campaigning conservative on all issues. Based on his history, what he's campaigning on is what he'll do as president. A real man with integrity backs up what he says. That guy is Romney.....next Ronald Reagan.