Mitt Romney is a lot of things: a highly successfull businessman, a faithful family man and the smooth operator who singlehandedly saved the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics from being an international embarrassment. However, to his everlasting shame, Romney is not President of the United States and no matter how many times he tries he will never be Commander in Chief — but don’t tell him that. Romney seems to be under the impression that the old adage of “third time’s the charm” will prove true in his case, as he considers another presidential run.
According to The New York Times, Romney spoke recently at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in San Diego and indicated that he was “giving some serious consideration to the future,” and since then has continued to give signals that he is intending to make another run for president. He outlined a campaign strategy that would focus on lifting people out of poverty, providing economic opportunities for all Americans and making the world a safer place. Romney also made it a point to suggest he would be a different candidate, which — thanks to his rather prolific flip-flopping history — is the one thing we can certainly count on.
The problem with Romney is that he has an extremely short memory and seems to think that the American public suffers from the same affliction. However most Americans do share one common bond with the Republican Party. They — like the elephants who serve as the GOP’s symbol — never forget. This quality of the American public will ultimately prove to be Romney’s undoing should he decide to throw his well worn hat into the ring of fire for a third time.
Romney would like to reinvent himself as a man of the people who is sensitive to the plight of the poor. But the problem is everyone will remember his infamous comment that 47 percent of the country is dependent on the government. The truly damaging thing about his comment was not only that it alienated at least 47 percent of potential voters, but also that it was recorded on video for future generations.
If he does decide to run on the poverty platform, his ill-advised comment will continue to haunt him. On top of that debacle, he also said during his 2012 campaign that he was “not concerned about the very poor” because of our nation’s welfare system. Romney may have been able talk his way out of his on and off again support for abortion during his previous run, but convincing the public that he is suddenly an advocate for the poor may very well be an impossible task.
Of course the whole poverty platform is a non-issue if he doesn’t win the Republican nomination, and the odds may be even further stacked against him this time around than the last. In 2012 Romney pulled off a near miracle by convincing a predominantly Evangelical Republican voting base to look past the fact that he is Mormon and grudgingly elect him as the nominee despite the fact that many Evangelicals don’t consider Mormons to be Christians. But his victory was mostly due to the fact he was running against the likes of the former Domino’s pizza magnate Herman Cain, whose 9-9-9 tax plan likely came off the back of a pizza box, and the tongue twisted Texan Rick Perry — just to name a few. This time around, Romney would stand to face stiffer competition including former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush whose last name practically makes him Republican royalty.
Perhaps the worst part of Romney running again is the damage he will inflict on the Republican nomination process by creating a divide when Republicans should be focused on coalescing around one candidate. Early indications have Romney’s previous donors and supporters split on whether they would support him for a third time. The Republican Party is in serious danger of losing the White House for a third consecutive time, and the last thing they need is another vicious and divisive nomination process. If Romney manages to convince himself that he can reinvent his image and channel his inner Ronald Reagan, the likelihood is it will only result in being a third straight charm for Democrats.