The superb Mitt Romney
Romney had his faults, and I have spilled my share of ink on those faults — both in the 2008 campaign and in the 2012 campaign. For instance, I think his approach in the second and third debates with Obama was tragic.
But, oh, the virtues! Romney is one of the brightest, most capable, most admirable men ever to run for president. He would have been an excellent and pivotal president, I believe — the “turnaround artist” we needed. But, in a democracy, the people get what they deserve. They now have what they deserve, or at least a majority does.
“Hang on, Nordlinger, are you saying that Romney was better than the country?” Yeah, I guess I am. Not being a politician, I have the luxury of not having to flatter The People. He was also better than most of us who sit, scribble, and crab.
At the moment, conservatives seem to be in love with Bobby Jindal, Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio, and a few others. Don’t worry. Let one of them be nominated, and his name will be mud. He won’t be able to do anything right. And if he loses the general — worse than mud.
Blowback
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Between this and Tina Brown’s Hilary piece I’m just about ready to throw up. These people are politicians for the love of Pete. What is with all the worship?
Rocks on January 2, 2013 at 2:04 PM
…and so E!L!E!C!T!A!B!L!E!, to boot! Severely, even!
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 2:05 PM
Yup.
SAZMD on January 2, 2013 at 2:05 PM
LMFAO!
HondaV65 on January 2, 2013 at 2:06 PM
I got lost in his dreamboat eyes…
*retch*
Fallon on January 2, 2013 at 2:08 PM
Who is this Mitt Romney character? Didn’t he run for president a few times and lost every time?
Our god king leader has set the bar. Now all politicians must be worshiped as is their right. They are no longer just men and woman. They are better and wiser than any mere human.
Dr. Frank Enstine on January 2, 2013 at 2:09 PM
Sounds like Frank Sinatra in The Manchurian Candidate.
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:09 PM
I ended up liking Romney a lot (after starting out thinking he was the worst possible nominee). His problem is that he didn’t know how to cheat, or simply didn’t want to.
The Rogue Tomato on January 2, 2013 at 2:10 PM
The main thing I liked about Romney was that he took on large organizations that were fubar and actually fixed some of them.
But we got the guy who can fake “empathy” instead.
Oh well, we had a pretty good run.
forest on January 2, 2013 at 2:10 PM
Seriously. Even Rubin and Coulter, during their most jaw-droppingly insane Wife Number Two online fantasizing, never embarrassed themselves as mightily, or as memorably.
Good. Grief.
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 2:11 PM
Looked it up. “Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.” LOL
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:11 PM
LOL
Sorry NRO, but you made this crap sandwich happen with your endless pumping of Romney for years. Enjoy the fruits if your labor.
Norwegian on January 2, 2013 at 2:12 PM
Cue the TrueCons to skewer Romney yet again.
If he had won, I have no doubt Mitt would have hit the ground running, worked his butt off, and done his level best to get the country back on strong economic footing.
Because, unlike Obama, he actually cares about the US and the future that’s in store for children and grandchildren–and mine and yours.
Yet somehow the Republican rightwingers believe he’s no different from Obama.
Idiots, and no need to name them. Everyone at HA knows who they are, and they are as responsible for the sorry state of the nation going forward as Obama himself.
Meredith on January 2, 2013 at 2:12 PM
Whew. Now I know who Basilsbest really is.
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:14 PM
Fixed it more to my thinking… (Tadd, Bug, Chip? I don’t know.) One of his kids said he didn’t really want to be president.
Fallon on January 2, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Rombot personality-cultist.
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:16 PM
“My child was lame, until He did lay hands upon his brow; and now my child can SEE again — !!!”
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 2:16 PM
Delusional.
portlandon on January 2, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Talk about cringe-worthy. Embarrassing.
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Agree, I came to admire and like him quite a bit
Unfortunately actual competence, achievement, and intelligence don’t matter any more
It’s now a glorified American Idol contest.
I am fully convinced Kim Kardashian or George Clooney could win an election in a landslide at this point
It’s pathetic that “Idiocracy” has been spot on with every single prediction so far
thurman on January 2, 2013 at 2:23 PM
Once again, to get past the filter:
Whew. Talk about cringe-inducing. Embarrassing.
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:23 PM
Translation: it’s the fault of everybody except St. Mittenz and his cultists that he lost.
Walter Sobchak on January 2, 2013 at 2:24 PM
Hm, this guy thinks that British conservatism and Britain in general(seriously the same UK of Londinistan and Cameron, LOL!) are less rotten than the US. Just the type of intellectual elite who should write for the leading American conservative magazine.
sauldalinsky on January 2, 2013 at 2:24 PM
A commenter there nails it:
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Aren’t you the lead cheerleader for Team Romney???
portlandon on January 2, 2013 at 2:29 PM
At this point, Nordlinger’s fetish-y, Tiger Beat-eque mash notes to Mittens have crossed the verbal Rubicon from wince-inducing all the way over into hitherto unexplored skin-crawling territories.
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 2:29 PM
Meredith on January 2, 2013 at 2:12 PM
Yup. Love my HotAir people, but many of them are dead wrong on this.
They’ll scream “Dem-Lite!!!” all day, but Romney couldn’t have been more different than Obama.
blatantblue on January 2, 2013 at 2:30 PM
Romney Supporter Excuse Chart
1.This is all out of context
2.Romney was only giving the people what they wanted.
3.This was only to used at the State Level
4.Mitt never said that.
5.That is not what he meant to say
6.Sarah Palin is a quitter
7.You are all bigots
8.You hate Successful people
9.You are just jealous of his success
10.Romney can’t be held responsible for his Campaign Aides
11. That was __ years ago–he’s reconsidered his position.
12. Electable.
13. Inevitable.
portlandon on January 2, 2013 at 2:31 PM
If that were so, we’d be getting ready for the Romney inauguration.
ddrintn on January 2, 2013 at 2:32 PM
That was superb — thanks for sharing.
Hey Jay, if Romney would have attacked Obama like he did his fellow Republicans during the Primaries — he might have had a fighting chance (pun intended) and actually won …
ShainS on January 2, 2013 at 2:35 PM
Too bad Romney had to run against one of ones who was brighter, more capable and more admirable than he.
Dusty on January 2, 2013 at 2:38 PM
I’ve said it, and I’ll keep saying it: to hear the way Team CINO continually whinnies and lectures on the topic of who/what is genuinely “electable” and what isn’t… you’d think we were either in the second term of a McCain administration, or busily making plans for Mittens’ first one.
That never, ever fails to amuse AND depress me, simultaneously.
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 2:39 PM
I mocked Romney at every opportunity before he won the nomination. I too came to admire him greatly as a man. But he lost. End of story.
Ted Torgerson on January 2, 2013 at 2:41 PM
Romney had his chance. He failed. The candidates only responsibility is to win and he didn’t.
Greg Toombs on January 2, 2013 at 2:44 PM
Romney is far from perfect – BUT, America would be in a MUCH BETTER place today had he won. America’s future is more in question than ever – there is little hope for our nation.
Pork-Chop on January 2, 2013 at 2:45 PM
Yep. It’s baffling how people can find pleasure out of this fact.
They must believe that Obama is going to be a better leader for the country than Romney would have been.
kim roy on January 2, 2013 at 2:52 PM
..man! There is a lot of pain and anguish here. Let it go, folks! Let. It. Go.
The War Planner on January 2, 2013 at 2:54 PM
14. Didn’t want him in the first place, but since my realistic choice is either him or Obama….
And people wonder why quality candidates don’t run for office and run screaming in the opposite direction.
Yes, this article is idiotic, but geez we’re now stuck with Obama for another four years.
kim roy on January 2, 2013 at 2:55 PM
… which is all most (if not all) of us are saying. So: problem solved, then.
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 3:16 PM
The entire litter of Republican Presidential candidates sucked in 2012. How did that happen?
Deafdog on January 2, 2013 at 3:27 PM
Agreed. At least, under Romney, a “fiscal cliff deal” would have had some spending cuts other than just to defense.
UltimateBob on January 2, 2013 at 3:29 PM
Obama won, Romney lost, Big Bird is laughing all the way to the bank.
moo on January 2, 2013 at 3:43 PM
He would have been a fine president. But, you know how it goes, Heinz-Kerry inherits ketchup fortune and that’s just swell, but if Mitt actually earns his fortune, he’s a moron who is out of touch.
John the Libertarian on January 2, 2013 at 3:54 PM
That was my story too. He’s intelligent, competent and extremely altruistic. I wished he had a more conservative record, but he would’ve been a much better president than the Chicago creep, who I still cant believe won reelection. But he did. That’s that.
juliesa on January 2, 2013 at 3:56 PM
Interesting misspelling of “subpar.”
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 4:34 PM
I’ve always been a fan of Jay Nordlinger’s “Impromptus” columns. And I’m with him on the argument that Romney is being dumped on unfairly sometimes because he lost.
But let’s not get carried away. Romney lost because he was not a good candidate. He had an enviable record of success in business, but there is absolutely no reason to believe he would have been an exceptional or even commendable president. He stood for very little more than getting elected. He did a great job of describing how bad the economy was under Obama, but was completely unable to articulate WHY, and his only statement about how to fix things was to say, “I know how to fix it. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again.”
The further we get from Reagan, the more we need to appreciate that Reagan was able to propose and defend conservative positions and plans of action, because it looks like no one else has been able to do it since. The media was just as bad in Reagan’s day, but he was able to articulate what was wrong with the government as it was, and what should be done to correct it.
Of course, it helps to run an actual conservative. And no matter how much you try to defend Romney, and no matter how much better he would have been than Obama, let’s not lie to ourselves and pretend he was really conservative.
tom on January 2, 2013 at 4:42 PM
Romney is a great man and would have been an exceptional president. Imagine the optimism we’d have for a brighter future now if he and not the petulant Manchild were in office. Instead we’re looking at what could be the end of our Republic as we know it. He just didn’t run a very good campaign.
Riiiight. Because Romney was the Manchurian Candidate. Just pathetic.
Buy Danish on January 2, 2013 at 6:20 PM
“I’m telling you, Bob would have made for the finest damned astronaut in the history of manned space flight! He just kept throwing up into his own space suit whenever lifted more than eight inches off the ground, is all!”
More right than you’ll ever know… for reasons which will forever elude you.
Kent18 on January 2, 2013 at 6:24 PM