RNC

Good luck this week, Republicans, staying high and dry in Tampa. You should really stop picking gulf state venues.

From Jay Lake, there's this link to The Top Ten Pieces of Bad News for Romney on the Eve of the Convention.

What I find interesting about this piece is that it doesn't forget, like so many people have, that Romney is only heir apparent at this point, and he can still get stabbed in the ankles by little nitpicky things.

Two of these things are of some internal concern. The other two are image problems.

1. Ron Paul: He's hot, he's now, he's got the support of the young. And so he dents Mitt's potential mass appeal by putting himself out there as an alternative. Well, guys, you should have seen this one coming. Paul is not exactly a team player.

2. Turn coat Republicans: Come on, guys! Don't support the other guy! And then run your Op-Ed piece in the paper of the city that's hosting the convention. So not cool! Come to think of it, why does Charlie Crist have no party affiliation anymore? Looks like he's not the Republican flavor anymore. Crist is flexible-ripple. Most Republicans these days seem to consider themselves neo-choco-conservative, at least those we get the most in the media.

3. Women: Let alone what Mitt says about Planned Parenthood, his fellow Republicans have engaged in an all out campaign against women and their sexuality, most recently Paul Akin not stepping away from his "legitimate rape" interview. Lest Akin seem unusual, don't forget the Republican who suggested this year that women should practice birth control by holding a quarter between their knees. Yup. In tune with our modern needs.

4. The Little Guy: Romney doesn't seem to understand that many young people can't "borrow money from their parents" or that most people can't "bet a thousand dollars." He's also not "worried about the poor," and while I understand that he was praising our social safety net, many people will not take the time to use this quote in context.

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So...you know, Romney might need to think about a couple of things. How is he going to unify his party while not projecting an image of total out-of-touchness with voters that don't have as much of a political alignment? Other issues touched upon in the list of 10 are that voters seem to be okay with federal services, and seem to want some of the things that this candidate's party doesn't. That's naturally going to be an issue for any candidate.

I sometimes wonder if the Republican party is having the trouble it is because it's trying to pull together too many disparate elements: social conservatives, fiscal conservatives, the rich who aren't altruistic, working class persons who want theirs, and so on and so on. That's a lot of balls to juggle. This is before we even get to the run off of ideology versus ideology, or of convincing people who aren't sure that you have the plan.

I'd wish you good luck, Republicans, in the whole spirit of competition thing, but you know, number 3.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.