On January 21, 2012, South Carolina’s GOP voters will have a chance to draw a line in the sand. They can make a decisive statement by soundly repudiating Willard Romney. And they might want to do just that.
SIDE NOTE: A scary thought just occurred to me. It’s entirely possible that South Carolina’s evangelical Christians might assume the role of Devil’s Advocate. They might decide to vote for Romney even though they suspect he could very well be the Anti-Christ. Their reasoning? The sooner the Anti-Christ makes the scene, the sooner Jesus will appear to make things right. I know this sounds like a stretch, but I’m hard put to otherwise explain Romney’s high poll numbers in that state. [See my post Mitt Romney, Anti-Christ? at http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2011/11/mitt-romney-anti-christ.html ]
With the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary behind us, we have one week before South Carolina weighs in. A lot of pundits are claiming that a Romney win there would virtually seal the deal. Hard to believe, isn’t it – that Willard’s coronation would be a foregone conclusion after only three contests? And yet, there is a certain logic at work here: If Willard’s foes haven’t been able to stop him by now, by what magic could they do so as the primary season grinds on?
What SC’s GOP rank-and-file should be thinking
In 25 words or less: Make Romney sweat a little bit. Local opinion shapers in South Carolina should urge the rank-and-file to vote against Romney with the sole purpose of denying him an outright victory. And, if this could be managed, prevent Romney from coming even close. My suggestion is: vote for Rick Santorum. That would send three messages:
· We don’t want to make it so easy for Willard to steamroll his way to the nomination.
· “Willard, keep open the possibility of nominating a true conservative as your running mate. That would be the price of our support.” [NOTE: There’s no rule that says Willard can’t name his VP right now.]
· We want to make it known that we want a true conservative to step up to the plate.
About that last point, it’s not too late for a new face to present itself – for instance, Marco Rubio or even Jeb Bush:
· Even though Rubio is new to the national political scene, he could be seen as a fresh-face alternative to the truly mediocre GOP field presently vying for the nomination. As for “what’s in it for him?” If he wins, no comment necessary. He’ll be well poised for another attempt in 2016 if he runs a competent and vigorous campaign against Obama now.
· Jeb Bush could give Barack Obama a real run for his money. I’m not saying the public’s memory is short, but Jeb could very well say to Obama: “You did a good job of bringing to conclusion the efforts of my brother in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, you did such a good job, you might as well have been George W. Bush himself! As for the economy, your leadership has been a disaster.”
It would really help if a Draft Jeb or Draft Rubio groundswell of grassroots support could be generated. But time is running out for that to be a practical option. However, a resounding refusal by South Carolina’s voters to rubberstamp Romney could help buy that time. Indeed, if Romney were to lose badly in SC, the speculation from the chattering classes would rise to a deafening roar.
Why should we make Romney sweat?
Romney’s had it too easy for too long. He’s had the advantage of the experience gained from having run in 2008. He’s got lots of money – of his own and from others. He hasn’t stumbled on the debate platform as badly as have some of the others. But…Willard is only human. He’s already made a couple of statements I’m sure he wishes he could rephrase:
· “Corporations are people, my friend.”
· “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”
· “You know, I think it’s about envy. I think it’s about class warfare.” That was in response to a question asked by Matt Lauer: “Did you suggest that…anyone who has questions about the distribution of wealth and power in this country, is envious? Is it about jealousy, or fairness?”
We should make Romney sweat because if he does, if he comes to feel that the wheels are coming off his bandwagon, he might do or say something desperate. And desperate men make mistakes. Mistakes that a newcomer (or even a current rival) could take advantage of.
And why shouldn’t we subject him to this kind of test? Surely Obama’s team (official and, in the guise of the Super PACs, unofficial) are going to do their best to make him sweat. And, though this is very obvious, the office of the presidency is enough to make anybody sweat. So a word to the wise: “Willard, get used to sweating. Hope you can handle it.”
Actually, I think Willard Romney will cave and show us the shallow man that he really is. If he’s made of stern stuff than that, the only way we’ll find out is if we can see how he responds under pressure. I hope Willard says to that: “Bring it on!” [NOTE: That “bring it on” stuff is easy to say, but it’s oh so hard to respond to.]
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Steven Searle for US President in 2012
Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party
“After all is said and done, I hope people walk away from the 2012 election concluding, ‘It’s too bad so much has to depend on one man – that is, which one man ends up being president’” – Steve.
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
Mitt Romney, South Carolina primary, Marco Rubio, GOP conservative, Jeb Bush
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