Why conservative critics are now backing Mitt Romney
| Washington
Heading into Super Tuesday, perhaps the biggest thing Mitt Romney has going for him is this: Republicans seem ready for this thing to be over.聽
This was not the case going into previous primary contests. Indeed, more than any other factor, the driving force behind Rick Santorum鈥檚 wins in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, and Newt Gingrich鈥檚 win in South Carolina, seemed to be that voters wanted the process to go on. They weren鈥檛 enamored of Romney, they liked the idea of backing an underdog, and they wanted to shake up the race.
That could still happen, of course - but this time, we don鈥檛 think it will.聽
Remember Sarah Palin urging voters to 鈥渒eep this vetting process going, keep the debate going鈥� by voting for Newt? Well, it鈥檚 been a while since Palin 鈥� or any other high-profile GOP figure - has offered that message.
Instead, , more and more prominent elected officials, like House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R) of Virginia and Sen. Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma are now lining up behind Romney.
Perhaps even more notable, a growing consensus seems to be emerging among conservative opinion-shapers in the media 鈥� including many who have not been friendly toward Romney 鈥� that the party should essentially resign itself to his nomination and move forward. Several have done this even while writing that a Romney candidacy may be doomed to defeat.
To wit, conservative columnist George Will 鈥� one of Romney鈥檚 toughest critics on the right - drew attention last week that argued Republicans should turn their attention away from the presidential contest altogether, and focus instead on retaining the House and winning the Senate.
The Weekly Standard鈥檚 Bill Kristol - another Romney critic, who has repeatedly called for a new candidate to get into the race -聽 the White House was too important to just write off, and he indicated that his own reluctance to get behind Romney early on would not prevent him from backing the former Massachusetts governor in the future:
鈥淚f some of us have resisted Romney inevitability, or an early Romney coronation, it鈥檚 because we don鈥檛 think that Romney鈥檚 nomination鈥攐r at least his easy and early nomination鈥攚ould increase Republican chances of winning the presidency. Others differ on these questions. But whatever differences conservatives have in March about candidates, strategy and tactics should not affect our determination in the fall, when there is a Republican nominee, to turn our energies to defeating President Obama.鈥�
Likewise, in a piece aptly titled 鈥�,鈥� the New York Post鈥檚 John Podhoretz writes that Super Tuesday offers 鈥渢he possibility of something sublime at long last: escape.鈥�
The reason for all this coalescing: As MSNBC鈥檚 First Read , there鈥檚 growing evidence that the nomination fight is becoming seriously damaging to the Republican brand. According to a new NBC/ Wall Street Journal 辫辞濒濒:听
鈥淔our in 10 of all adults say the Republican nominating process has given them a less favorable impression of the GOP, versus just 12% with a more favorable opinion. Additionally, asked to describe the nominating battle in a word or phrase, 69% of respondents (including 63% of independents and even 56% of Republicans) answered with a negative comment.鈥澛�
Romney鈥檚 favorable/unfavorable ratings (28/39 percent) are now worse than every other recent candidate who has gone on to win their party鈥檚 nomination - including John McCain, John Kerry, George W. Bush, and Bob Dole. The sole exception is Bill Clinton, whose favorable/unfavorable ratings at this point in 1992 stood at 32/43 percent.
The sooner Romney can wrap the fight up and start repairing his image, Republicans seem to be thinking, the better. If he wins big tomorrow, he may be able to do just that.
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