Here’s a thought to ponder: In a presidential race that is shaping up to be a “base” election, is Mitt Romney the wrong messenger? This may be the real problem.
The problem seems to be two-fold. First of all, Romney is not a “base” guy to begin with and he’s trying to turn out the base. He’ll get far with the anti-Obama crowd but can he get over the top? He’s not a flame-thrower and a crowd pleaser and that’s exactly what is needed to grow the base of conservative voters that Romney needs.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Romney doesn’t seem well positioned to make the redistribution argument against President Obama. Fighting against the idea of redistribution of wealth calls for a candidate that isn’t filthy rich because you essentially need to argue in defense of upper income people. That reinforces the stereotype of Romney that the Obama campaign has been trying to make stick; that he doesn’t care about the “average Joe” out there. A rich guy arguing FOR wealth redistribution actually has more potential to attract votes.
To be clear, The Brody File is not making the case that bringing up the redistribution of wealth theme isn’t a good one for any conservative candidate. It is worthy of debate. What I’m saying is that Romney may not be the best guy to deliver that message.
Mike Huckabee, who comes across as a regular guy would be better at it ( not to mention be better able to communicate it). Ronald Reagan’s “aw shucks” demeanor would play well in this situation. Romney may just not be able to pull it off despite the merits of the argument.