OK, so Mitt Romney has won Florida. So I know that all of four states in the nation have voted in the GOP preliminary elections. (I shy away from the words "primary" and "caucus" here.) So one may think it's inappropriate to come out and declare a winner. Yet, after a South Carolina election won by Newt Gingrich, who wound up polling even with Romney soon thereafter, Romney pulled ahead. And at time of writing, appears to secure an approximately 15-percentage point victory. With more elections coming fast and furious in the coming weeks, while I think newt will win a few, this race is Romney's to lose. And he won't.
So what does this say of the 2012 general election? If you're a supporter of President Obama, a lot of good.
I am one who thought Obama actually vulnerable to a Newt nomination. If Newt could survive the infidelity story and his own ego, he would prove an especially dangerous candidate in the general election. As I believe I've written before, he served in a position of power when life in America was good! And that matters a lot.
But with Romney-- I'm getting vibes of 1996 here. Romney is the Next Man Up. He did well in 2008, but ran second to McCain, so now its his turn. Meanwhile, he'll be running against a flawed incumbent who possesses vulnerabilities great enough to topple him. But that won't happen, because the incumbent is a better campaigner, debater, and is more in touch with average Americans. Oh, and he pays more than 15% in taxes. That's important.
Of course, over the next nine months, who knows what could happen. But right now, I'm far from excited in what I see.
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