COMMENTARY | The "Anybody but Romney" camp is capitulating because the alternatives just aren't acceptable. Mitt Romney is pulling ahead relentlessly in the polls, according to the Los Angeles Times. Newt Gingrich has had his surge, as the other GOP candidates did. Rise, surge, fall, exit.
Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are trailing. Both have taken some bold positions that likely appear risky to voters such as potentially sending troops back into Iraq or abolishing the Federal Reserve. The only serious challenger is Gingrich, and he's just too scary.
Unfortunately for Gingrich, his decision to change his strategy some weeks ago and engage in heated attacks has worked against him. Romney's relentless attack strategy has highlighted Gingrich's past beyond recovery. On ABC News' "spinners and winners," Romney's ads are evaluated for the facts. While not everything on Romney's Florida ads are true, enough of it is that Gingrich's electability is seriously debatable.
The Miami Herald makes a strong case in "Romney versus Gingrich" that Romney is the only electable candidate. His business acumen is likely not a deterrent to GOP voters, and while Gingrich is confident and charismatic at times, he is erratic. His ethics are even more erratic than he is, something the Romney campaign is making full use of.
What is perhaps more telling is the people who know him the best are not supporting him. In the words of the Miami Herald editorial, "Consider that those who served under his leadership, such as former U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, are backing Mr. Romney."
Gingrich's performance in the polls have also been erratic. He seems unable to sustain any momentum he gains, perhaps due to the uneasy relationship voters have between what they believe his can do and who he is. For all his skill, charisma, and reputed smarts, his only consistency is his inconsistency. He's a wild card. Watching his behavior over the course of this campaign has been almost comedic, from his ideas about putting poor kids to work in their schools to making tactless statements that offend potential voters. According to Christina Wilkie of the Huffington Post, his latest stance is that " Latinos, Blacks Don't Understand 'Key To Future Wealth,' But Asians Do". Really.
It is highly doubtful that voters will be willing to overlook his history and his errors if he faces Barack Obama in November. For GOP voters, a vote for Gingrich is a vote for Obama. Former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole has predicted that if Gingrich faces Obama, the result could be a landslide, according to the L.A. Times.
Romney is the only electable GOP candidate, and it's just a matter of time before it's decided. It will be interesting to see if he can generate the passion and enthusiasm from the GOP that it will take to seriously challenge the president.
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