In a previous post, I hooked my very preliminary wagon to Mitt Romney for 2008. James Taranto has a new very thoughtful and thorough piece on Romney here.
Mitt’s candidacy will basically depend on whether the Republicans decide they are a conservative party or not. If not, they will go with a Giuliani or a McCain, but both of them will have trouble with the base, IMHO. I don’t think they will bring out the big bucks.
Some have speculated that Romney’s Mormonism will be a problem for his candidacy, but I don’t think so. On the left, religion-hating bigots wouldn’t vote for a Republican in any case. On the Christian right, while some may not entirely approve of Mormonism in general, I think Romney’s values will align quite well with theirs. He is quite open about his faith, but only mentions it when asked.
For the mainstream Republicans (which include free-marketeers like yours truly and family-values proponents), he will be extremely attractive.
He has shown an impressive ability to govern as a conservative in an overwhelmingly liberal state. He comes from a business background, with a great emphasis on analytics and outcomes. And, as far as I can tell, he does not triangulate, like a certain presumed Democratic candidate.
Update: The Dems are concerned. That’s a good sign. Perhaps I will place an early bet.
Update 2: Professor Bainbridge jokingly worries that Mitt’s biggest shortcoming is an absence of pleasurable vices... :)
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