I think John Hawkins does a pretty good job of explaining why Mitt Romney’s electability is a myth. Yet, with one dubious exception, he doesn’t explain why any of the other candidates would be better suited to win a general election against the President of the United States. That lone exception is Hawkins’ assertion that Romney will underperform in the South in a way that Rick Perry or Newt Gingrich would not. He bases this on Romney’s performance in the primaries in 2008, and on his Mormon religion. I’d argue that the primary results are terrible indicators of general election outcomes. As for the Mormon religion, I don’t know how many evangelical Christians would be more concerned about giving it a giant boost in credibility than they are about Roe v. Wade or gay marriage. I suppose there are some people in that category, but there are a lot of factors that go into choosing a political team. If people are concerned about Romney’s religion, they’d also be concerned about Perry’s competence and Newt’s mental stability and temperament and history of infidelity and…on and on and on.
Mitt Romney’s greatest asset is that he doesn’t frighten anyone. He doesn’t breath fire. When he throws bombs, they sizzle and fizzle like wet firecrackers. He doesn’t have much of a temper. He’s trained to knock on your door and talk to you about the merits of the Book of Mormon. To do that effectively, you have to eliminate the slightest hint of danger from your persona, and Romney has succeeded. He’s a salesman, and he will adjust his pitch to his customer. In this sense, he’s almost an ideal candidate to throw up against the president. His happy, healthy face masks the sociopathic and irrational movement he seeks to lead. His lack of principles and willingness to turn with the wind make him hard to pin down. He’s slippery.
And, if he isn’t exactly a good retail politician, he at least has the basic competence to get himself on the ballot in all 50 states, which is something Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry cannot say.
I think Hawkins is correct when he says that most of Romney’s advantages in the primaries will disappear in the general election, but he’s still the most electable Republican. So, in that sense, Hawkins’ argument fails.
