Romney Poses Bigger Threat to Obama than McCain

The burning question is who close-to-presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama will pick as his running mate. The question is better asked of his GOP foe John McCain. His vice presidential pick is far more crucial than who Obama picks. Obama is pretty much a solo act on the campaign circuit. He's firmed up his rock solid core of black voters, students, and college educated businesspersons and professionals, with his rock star allure, fresh face, soaring rhetoric, inspiring and catchy message of hope and change.

If he can convince a reasonable number of blue collar white Democrats that are racially doubtful about him that he can do more to soothe their economic woes, this could trump the racial doubts of many about him. That and the Bush albatross of the war and the economic meltdown around him is a tough one for McCain to get around, especially since he has none of the charisma, the message of Obama, a wobbly base among Christian fundamentalists and social conservatives, and the persistent whispers and doubts about his age and health. He'll need a vice president who can help right the tottering GOP ship. He has no choice but to implore Mitt Romney to sign on to the ticket.

The reasons for Romney go beyond McCain's image problem and party doubts. Romney was the first GOP presidential candidate to publicly warn back in January that Obama would be the likely GOP opponent, and then say that he could beat him. This was not mere political braggadocio. He like Obama sold himself as the change guy who can go to Washington cut the cronyism, bureaucratic and congressional inertia, and restore public confidence. McCain is the walking embodiment of the much loathed Washington insider establishment.

Obama is a cash cow and will have a king's ransom campaign war chest. In fact, he's the first Democratic presidential candidate in a while who can go toe to toe with Republicans in the presidential money rink. This presidential race will be the costliest in American history, with some estimates putting the price of winning the White House at one billion plus dollars. Romney is every bit the corporate cash cow as Obama. He pumped tens of millions into and virtually self-bankrolled his campaign. He can do what McCain has struggled to do and that's open the GOP's corporate money spigot.

Romney is a social conservative, but he's also one that social conservatives like, have confidence in, and have gotten behind with passion. McCain isn't. Though he's done reasonably well in some primaries getting Christian fundamentalist and ultra conservative votes, there's little passion and enthusiasm among them for him. If they stay home in droves on Election Day, McCain's candidacy is DOA.

In nearly all polls, affordable health care worries ranks close behind the economy as a major concern of millions. Obama will tell what he will do if elected to provide affordable care for millions. Romney can tell what he actually did to provide it. Though since leaving office he sounded a warning about the costs, he can still wave the much admired, and successful health care plan that he helped craft and implement as Massachusetts governor as a model for the states and the nation.

McCain will have to spend time and money building name identification for any VP pick other than Romney. Romney has that name identification, and more importantly, name identification that is not saddled with a trunk load of negatives.

Romney is a decade younger than McCain. Age, as race with Obama is a great X Factor, for McCain. He will be the oldest president ever on inauguration day. This, and health questions, is a big concern of many voters.

The most successful presidents have been governors (with one very current exception). They bring the administrative and management skills crucial to the office. Romney would put the minds of many voters at ease that if McCain succumbed to health problems, he could immediately step in and ably run the affairs of state.

He's a team player. When he shut down his campaign in February he immediately met with and smoothed over the ruffled feathers with McCain, and urged his delegates to support him. He then went to a couple of states to pitch him. One of them was Michigan which is very much in play for the GOP given the large number of social conservatives there and his strong roots there during his father, George Romney's, years as governor.

McCain bets the political bank that his strengths on national security, the war against terrorism, and strangely, even winning the war in Iraq on his terms, will resonate with millions of voters. He'll need more than that to offset voter and party doubts, divisions, and the X Factor of age and health. Romney gives him added insurance to help offset these potentially deal breaking liabilities for him. Romney poses a bigger threat to Obama than McCain.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House (Middle Passage Press, February 2008). He is the National Political Affairs Writer for New America Media.

Comments

[rabrophy]

Very insightful!
Romney would be a real "Game Breaker" in Utah. A must win state for both McCain and Obama!
And as everyone knows "As Utah goes, so goes Northwestern New Mexico!

[bigbingtheory]

1. The Republican party is full of bigots. Bigots shun anything they don't understand. They don't understand Mormonism.
2.Choosing Romney would be a disaster for the GOP. I hope they do.
3.If Obama pairs up with someone like Webb, can you imagine the debates? Can you imagine how hollow and ridiculous Romney would look next to Webb?
4.Please Republicans choose the real empty suit, "Mitt" Romney.

[dadumdee]

With all this apocolyptic news to report, war, food shortages, earthquakes, typhoons, oil prices, tornadoes, global warming, etc., this guy writes another player hating email about another imaginary situation. Dude, you can write about real news. You don't have to make up sh*t. Romney is not McCain's running mate.

[speakyourmind]

That's actually a very good point that I hadn't yet noticed about this blogger. But now that you mention it, you're right.

[EngineerBill]

Romney will not be a problem. It will be great that a flip-flopping politician from Massachusetts will be on the Republican ticket this year.

[LeeScho]

If the Republicans wanted Romney on the ticket, then why did they not vote for him when they had the chance? Or are you saying that Democrats will vote in droves for a social conservative over Obama?

Where is the logic, the rationale, the analysis, the historic reference for this postulation by Hutchinson? I have yet to read anything by him that shows some fact-based, analytical skill. What we routinely get are wild suppositions that at first appear interesting on the surface, only to prove that surface is all there is. I keep promising myself that I will not read him and so not have a reason to respond. But then I promise myself not to rubberneck highway accidents, too.

[MyNameIsJames]

Dear Hutchinson,

If Obama had to deal with his Rev. Wright problem imagine what Mitt Romney has to explain. He was a member of a Mormon church during his adult life the believed that Blacks were inferior and were not allowed to fully participate in his church. Wounldn't this be fair game during the general election?

[jimmyjones22]

Good old hutch. I bet it sucks to have to swallow all that Obama hating you were dishing out just a few months ago. Nice to see you're back and...giving advice to republicans...

[befair228]

I was correct in guessing that over 95% of the comments to a decent article such as this (a rare thing on a web site like this) would be extremely bigoted towards Romney. The people who make most of the comments on this Huffington site have proven themselves to be narrow-minded bigots who come across as vindictive, mean, and just plain nasty.
Don't bother replying to this comment as I don't intend to return to this hateful web site. It epitomizes all the nastiness and bigotry of the far left. I really hope that most of the people who frequent this web site aren't this vindictive and mean. I hope it is just and angry and hostile rantings of just a few of the most vocal and obnoxious readers. It's also true that there are those on the far right who can be just as bigoted and nasty, and there are far right websites just as mean and nasty as this one. Polar opposites yet much in common: both tend to be anti-Romney and anti-Mormon to boot.

[Forsetti]

Please, please, please let McCain select Romney as his running mate! Then the Republicans will have probably the two greatest "flip floppers" in the past twenty years constantly backtracking on their policies, statements and beliefs; I'm pro-gay marriage-now I'm not; I'm pro-choice-now I'm not; It's okay to talk to Hamas-now it is not; Ad nauseum... I would enjoy watching Obama campaign against two people who sold their moral compasses to run for the presidency.

[Sumocat]

Great points, but how about explaining why Romney is a better fit than Huckabee? If Romney was great at fundraising, he wouldn't have had to bankroll himself, which is a moot point since Bush and the party will be rolling out the dough for McCain's run. Huckabee is a better draw for the social conservative voters and also a former governor. Also, Huckabee is still getting primary votes, so he's got more active support than Romney. (And Tim Russert decided yesterday on Meet The Press that Huckabee will be the pick.) I agree with your points, but to me, they point to Huck not Rom.

[Marlyn]

Huckabee is dead, ever since that "joke".

[HowietheScreamer]

ROOODIE all the way... he'll pull the Crossdressing wing of the Repubics to the ticket.

[jungpatawan]

My, Earl! What a wonderfully BALANCED ticket: The guy who wears magic Mormon underwear teamed with the guy who wear Depends.

Don't throw me in that there briar patch, Br'er Ofay!

JP

[HollywoodBill]

The Revival Tent Republicans have already proven that they will not vote for Mormons. McCain should do something to really shake this election up like make Carly Fiorina his VeeP choice, but that is unlikely. The most probable selection is Minnesota's Pawlenty. If he really wanted to let the ChristoFascists know that their hot line to the White House is being disconnected on January 20, 2009, he would put Florida's Crist on the ticket. With McCain, there really is no reading the tea leaves in advance.

[Marlyn]

I think McCane's best choice for VP would be a WOMAN, in order to get the disgruntled Hillary vote. Dianne Feinstein, blue dog Democrat, would be prefect.

[Doofus]

Casting, get me Condoleezza Rice!

[Bertha40869]

The only way McCain has a chance in the general election is if he has a geriatric nurse or a psychotherapist as a running mate. Huckabee is a former pastor-would that count?

[DennyCrane]

Is Mr. Hutchinson really a political analyst when he gets so much so wrong?

Romney has as much of an image problem as McCain. He's the Hillary Clinton of the Republican party, someone who's seen as a flip-flopper who'll say and do anything to win. Voters resoundingly rejected his phoniness cause what they want is authenticity, which is why Obama beat Hillary and why Huckabee did as well as he did. Second, Romney can't raise money the way Obama does. He didn't have grassroots support. Instead, he had to use his own wealth to keep his campaign going. As for Romney being a social conservative that other social conservatives can get excited about, wrong again. Maybe in comparison to McCain, but most conservatives prefer Huckabee. Romney has name recognition, but so does Rudy Guiliani, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thomson, and Condoleeza Rice. You act like no one's ever heard of these other people. And if you think Romney doesn't come saddled with negatives, you've been living in a cave. Republicans see him as unlikable, they resent his wealth and his flip-flopping on the issues. This is the guy who as governor was pro-choice and then flipped when he started to run for President. Also, the other names I listed are younger and at least one has been a governor. So you're argument for Romney is weak.

Your pro-Hillary bias is showing since your thoughts are more towards how McCain can beat Obama.

[SatanicPanic]

Did you forget he's a Mormon?