2012 Essays

Another Missed Opportunity for Mitt Romney

Mitchell, Lincoln A.

One of the reasons Mitt Romney has had such a difficult time nailing down the Republican nomination, in addition to his ample weaknesses as a candidate, is that rather than running against one or two other candidates seeking to represent their party on the November ballot and become president in 2013, Romney has been forced to campaign against a seemingly endless stream of candidates who are not serious about trying to become president. Romney's task is more difficult because his opponents, whom he has had to vanquish in almost serial fashion, have much less to lose by taking extremist positions which do not help them win votes. This has made it harder for Romney to pursue a campaign strategy that can get him elected in November, as he has let himself react to the right wing assertions and statements made by his opponents who have no chance of ever becoming president. In this respect, Romney has made the mistake of letting the far right of the party drive the Republican primary season even more than usual.