“Mr. Romney got his due on election night. He was the first political figure Mr. Brown thanked for helping ‘show us the way to victory.’ Romney allies had already been busy touting his role. ‘There’s no one who has done more behind the scenes and in front of the scenes than Mitt,’ Republican National Committee member Ron Kaufman told Politico—two days before the election…
“The state [health-care] plan has become a millstone for Mr. Romney, yet he has refused to disavow it. Had he campaigned with Mr. Brown he’d have undoubtedly been asked about it, and undoubtedly given an answer as unsatisfying as those to date…
“This isn’t going away for Mr. Romney either, which is why he’d do better by writing off his own plan as a mistake that Democrats have made worse, and replacing it with a proposal that deregulates and reforms the private market to lower insurance costs (thereby achieving greater coverage). If Mr. Romney hopes to capitalize on this week’s Senate race, he’ll first have to heed its health-care lessons.”
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“‘Scott Brown will be neither a presidential candidate nor a vice-presidential candidate in 2012,’ Erickson said in an email. ‘He is pro-choice and favors an expanded government role in health care. He could never make it out of a Republican primary as a presidential candidate and would never be acceptable to the base as a vice-presidential candidate. His acceptance by the base of the GOP is premised on him being a New England Republican who is a perfect fit for the Massachusetts Senate seat. Conservatives were happy to support him as he sought that position, but probably would not for a national campaign.’…
“On the other hand, Massachusetts Republicans who want to go national have changed their views on abortion before: Think Mitt Romney.”
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