Why Romney Hasn’t Caught On

The New York Times and Washington Post both take a  look at Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and wonder why he hasn’t been able to excite Republican
primary voters.

First Read: “Yet here’s one reason both articles don’t really mention:
his past positions on issues… Only six years ago, he
supported abortion rights; in 1994, he sent a letter saying he’d be a
stronger advocate for gay rights than Ted Kennedy; according to a 2006
article, he supported a path to citizenship for law-abiding illegal
immigrants; he has said that his Massachusetts health-care law should be
a model for other states; and he said back in June that humans have
contributed to the world getting warmer — and that it’s important to
reduce emissions to combat that. All of those positions are anathema to
conservatives. A question: Does this Republican electorate want to ‘settle,’ gravitate behind the most electable? When they’ve ‘settled in
the past, many conservative leaders have regretted it (see McCain or
Dole or Bush 41).”