Romney's point, Part Three
Earlier this month, the liberal Concord Monitor implored its readers to “stop” Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency. In the context of the current New Hampshire primary, this was a tantamount to an endorsement of John McCain. Yesterday, as Scott noted, the Monitor made its endorsement official. It joins other liberal papers in the region such as the Boston Globe and the Valley News.
It’s extraordinary that these left-leaning organs might actually play a role in the selection of the Republican nominee. But that’s the natural consequence of (a) New Hampshire’s status as the first primary state and (b) the fact that non-Republicans can vote in that primary.
John McCain has exploited these quirks, camping out in the state for months in order to stay afloat and now riding the crest of endorsements by liberals (notably, the aforementioned newspapers and Joe Lieberman) to draw even, apparently, with Mitt Romney. You can’t blame McCain. For one thing, he had no other option if he wanted to remain in the race. And it’s hardly unfair of McCain to seek the benefits of his status as a political free agent, the same status that put him on the ropes in the first place.
Nonetheless, if McCain wins in New Hampshire, Republicans (and especially conservatives) should view the victory for what it almost surely will be – the verdict of non-Republicans and non-conservatives. And unless Romney is routed, Republicans should not view the result as a repudiation of the former Massachusetts governor by “those who know him well.” New Hampshire voters don’t know Romney any better now than they did a month or two ago when he had a double digit lead in the polls. The main thing that’s changed is that the predominantly liberal local media establishment has piled on him, and (partially as a result) non-Republicans have rallied for McCain.
This story – non-Republicans trying to nominate a less than fully conservative Republican candidate for president – isn’t new. But this year it has a new twist because the candidate being pushed by non-Republicans is almost certainly the most electable Republican option. Despite his independence, McCain would hold the Republican base because he has reversed himself (at least nominally) on immigration reform, the only issue that might have been a deal-breaker for more than a few conservatives. And given his genuine independence, McCain’s candidacy would be competitive, at a minimum, with independent voters.
So at least the Concord Monitor and liberal outlets of its ilk can’t be accused of bad faith this year. The bad-faith liberals are the ones saying nice things about Mike Huckabee.
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