Let's say it's Romney who is the GOP nominee...

[Drunken Irishman]

How does he successfully attack Pres. Obama on his healthcare plan? Is his sole argument based around the fact you can't force people to buy into the insurance? I know he reconciles his doing this in Massachusetts as it being the state enforcing this and not the federal government. However, what if the courts rule that it's perfectly legal?

How can he justifiably attack the healthcare plan or will he disown his own plan in Massachusetts?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. I think Romney will put voters to sleep with boredom so he would be an excellent candidate

[customerserviceguy]

2. Your question tells us

one of the three top reasons Romney will not be the Rethug nominee. The other two are: 1) He's a flip flopper, who will say anything to get elected. 2) He's a Mormon, and the fundies don't want to give even one more talking point to the young LDS missionaries trying to poach their flocks.

[Ter]

5. Mike Lee is a mormon

They would vote for him in a second. Romney not so much however.

[customerserviceguy]

8. Well, Lee only has one strike against him

But he'd still never get the fundie vote. They'd rather see Obama re-elected than to have a Mormon in the White House.

[Ter]

9. You're right about the only one strike against him

I think the fundies would overlook it and vote for him since his views are 100% Tea. He's a carbon copy of Rand Paul, except much quieter and stealthier.

[customerserviceguy]

14. You don't understand how the fundie mind 'works'

Right now, there are LDS missionaries crisscrossing the USA, trying to poach the flock from the fundies. They've gotten as much mileage as they can out of minor famous Mormons, like 49er's quarterback Steve Young and the Osmond family. Having a Presidential nominee (or worse yet, President) as a Mormon would be the clincher for a lot of people as to this nutty-ass religion's legitimacy.

The fundies cannot possibly allow such a thing to ever happen. They're still deeply disappointed that Mitt is an also-ran in 2008, who won a few states. The fundies like tea, but they love their narrow views of Jaysus even more.

[polmaven]

22. Really?

They'd rather have a Muslin than a Moreman?

[customerserviceguy]

24. When's the last time the imam

sent guys in white shirts and ties to your door to recruit jihadists? That's why they despise Mormons.

I've encountered a lot of folks here who have no idea what animosity exists among the Christian right for the LDS church. They just see them all as religious whack jobs, and while that's true, it's the same thing as saying that since the Crips and the Bloods are both street gangs, that they like each other.

Do a Google search for "truth about Mormonism" and you'll see what I'm talking about. It ranges from the scholarly to the grossly insulting.

[bluestateguy]

3. He will tie himself up in several Kerry-like tortured, hairsplitting explanations

For Kerry it was his 14 dimensional complexity on the Iraq War that read like a graduate dissertation, rather than a cogent issue position that would soundbite well on the news.

"I actually did vote for the 87 billion, before I voted against it"

This statement was technically true and if you gave me 20 minutes and a Power Point I could defend it too.

Bush always kept it simple, which is what you would expect from a simple man with a simple intellect. People identify with that a lot more than a complexifier like Kerry.

So this is what is likely to happen to Romney too. His carefully nuanced explanations of how his Massachusetts plan is different than Obama's plan will get lost in the noise of the campaign.

[Clio the Leo]

4. why does he need to talk about the health care plan?

he'll just go "why does Obama hate America!?" ....... Obama will say, "we modeled our health care plan after your very moderate plan in Massatoosets" ('cause he DOES say it that way) and Romey will say, "why do you hate America!?"

[mackerel]

6. I'd be surprised to see a Mormon make it to the top of

the GOP ticket. There's a whole lot of people who see Mormon's as
a cult and not Christian's.

[Brother Buzz]

10. Perhaps Glen Beck will be tasked to morph the meme and deliver the crazy block

That's the only valid reason I see why Beck is still hanging in there. :shrug:

[davidpdx]

28. I'm one of those people

[impik]

7. Doesn't matter who it's going to be

He will not have to work very hard. The so-called "progressives" will help him.

[Badfish]

11. Huckabee/Romney

Romney "Daddy my hat blew off"

Huckabee "I hope your god damn head was in it"

2012 , total landslide

[Badfish]

12. Ah fuck I crack myself up.

[ROFF]

13. OMG, that was great.

n/t

[Safetykitten]

15. We will again play the "underestimate the republicans" game and lose.

[JI7]

16. republicans tend to come up with a few short phrases they just repeat over and over again

regardless of whether it makes sense.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

17. He does what the other hypocritical Repukes and Teabaggers do...

they argue that when Romney did it, it was at the *STATE* level, and so "states rights" means that it's "constitutional." Because "Obamacare" is taking place at the *FEDERAL* level, it's SOCIALISM, FASCISM, NAZIism, COMMUNIST, STALINIST... etc..... :puke::puke::puke:

[Drunken Irishman]

19. Right. But what happens when the courts rule it is constitutional?

Which I think they inevitably will.

[treestar]

26. Now there you have something

Righties love them some states' rights!

[liskddksil]

18. He will be hence forth proclaimed "Mandate Mitt"

I give everyone permission to use that one :)

[davidpdx]

29. That's great

We should give you a campaign job. :)

[calimary]

20. Then I'd want a bumper sticker or button that says "my dog won't let me vote for romney."

[polichick]

21. Republicans aren't rational - the state vs fed will be enough for him. nt

[BlueIris]

23. If it's Romney, backed by a neocon stooge, healthcare won't be The Issue...Iran will.

Iran and all other foreign policy nightmares the neocons still want to create.

Oh, and if it's Romney, we're screwed, IMO. Slightly more if it's Romney/Bloomberg, slightly less if it's Romney/Rice. But still completely screwed.

[treestar]

25. There won't be much he can do

If it's Mittens, the Republicans will need another issue.

All Obama will need is some pics of him frolicking with Bo. (Is Mittens the one who tied the dog to the top of the car?)

[Tesha]

27. Why do you think an argument has to be honest?

The Republicans will simply lie about this.
And their puppets in the media won't call them
on those lies.

Tesha

[midnight armadillo]

30. It won't be Romney

end of story.

[Arkana]

31. We still win, but it's not a blowout.

Romney has handicaps--they're just different handicaps than his fellow Republicans. The far right doesn't like or trust him because he comes off as a greasy career politician who would sell his own mother to get elected (there's also that health care and abortion flip flop, as well as the Mormon thing). He's a complete lightweight on foreign affairs and would get wrecked by Obama in a debate on the subject--hell, he'd get wrecked by his fellow Republicans in a debate on the subject.

Does he make states like NH, NV, and others closer than they should be? Yeah, probably. But he depresses turnout among teabaggers and foot soldiers.