I have wondered this for a while now. Romney is basically a democrat when you look at his record. He practically mirrors Obama, yet somehow, the least conservative republican is the republican front runner. How does this make sense? The following explains it perfectly: ------------------------------------------- Wouldn't it be great if a Republican presidential candidate could just buy the support of just about every major conservative talk show host in America? Well, it may not be as far-fetched as you may think. Clear Channel owns more radio stations (850) than anyone else in the United States. They also own Premiere Radio Networks, the company that syndicates the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck, among others. Needless to say, Clear Channel basically owns conservative talk radio in the United States. So who owns Clear Channel? Well, it turns out that Bain Capital is one of the primary owners of Clear Channel. Yes, you read that correctly. The company that Mitt Romney ran for so long is one of the "big bosses" over virtually all conservative talk radio in America. Of course Mitt Romney is not running Bain Capital anymore. He is a "retired partner", but he still has a huge financial stake in Bain Capital. We're talking about millions upon millions of dollars. If you doubt this, just check out page 34 of this public financial disclosure report. So if you have been wondering why so many conservative talk show hosts are being so incredibly kind to Mitt Romney, this just might be the answer. In the media world, there is a clear understanding that you simply do not bite the hand that feeds you. Some of the most prominent conservative talk radio hosts are earning tens of millions of dollars a year. If you were making tens of millions of dollars a year, wouldn't you be very careful to avoid offending your boss? http://endoftheamericandream.com/ar...gh-sean-hannity-glenn-beck-michael-savage-etc
Mittens is the "safe" choice. He will do or say whatever the latest polling numbers suggest would win him the nomination. The guy will outspend any other candidate, and as many have suggested, try to purchase the Presidency. Since the guy would lean towards the "center" on many issues, the political backers still seem to think that this works years after Clinton had some success with it. I disagree, as do many others. The reason there is so much political angst and record disapproval of Congress is that people are sick and tired of this centrist crap. Whether people lean left or lean right, the complete paralysis of government can be attributed to this notion that if they don't "do or say anything that can be held against them" that somehow they will just be re-elected. Even worse, these guys engage in endless demagoguery and grandstanding to try and appease their voting blocs, but when push comes to shove they will always vote in the interest of those special interests that got them elected.
The lack of a credible alternative to Romney is a far more likely explanation. The only other candidate with the experience and resume to be credible was Perry, and he performed poorly. The other candidates were either Representatives and hence lacking both state-wide appeal and executive experience, a Senator who was defeated by double digits in a reelection bid, a guy who had never held office and a couple of obscure governors who never got traction. And of course Gingrich, who is now going out of his way to confirm that he is a sleazy dirtbag with terrible judgment.
Nice? They ripped this guy to pieces in 2008. And for most of the primary they hated him. It's only been since he did well in Iowa that they are now accepting him as the nominee. Just like in sports, people want to root for a winner, not a loser.
There is/was a very credible alternative to Romney. Then again I'm pretty certain you fall into the same category as Trader666 and 377Ohms.
Ripped to pieces? I'd say more like controlled opposition. I can't speak for the 2008 time frame because I was pretty much just concentrating on getting to know my candidate (+ Romney wasn't much of a factor once the nomination process got going). I know Rush has been pretty critical of him at times but what I've seen is an almost universal getting behind the Mitt by Hannity, Rush, et al. I've seen Conservatives circle the wagon around Mitt and defend him against attacks deemed inappropriate and they simply are not doing that for anyone else. This may simply be a case of my perception coloring my reality but my perception is Romney has all these guys in his pocket, has taken some measured heat from them, but when the chips went down (this time, being he really has a shot), they got on board the Mittens Express because he owns them in a very real sense.
You may not have paid attention in 2008 but I did. They blew the Mormon thing all over the place. I thought it was pretty pathetic how much they attacked him over his religion. And again, nobody was being nice to this guy till he won. I have not missed a single debate and I read all the press and blogs. Even now after being the first conservative in almost 100 years to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, they still have a rather lukewarm reception to him. What they are doing is defending him against these bullshit Bain Capital attacks from Newt and Perry. Even Ron Paul is defending him. So yes, if that is what you meant, they are defending him because quite frankly, it's embarrassing that these guys would attack the free market like they are.