David Brooks doesn’t like Mitt Romney’s chances in the fall. He’s your father’s Republican, doing poorly with the younger, less affluent constituencies a winner would have to attract. Hugh Hewitt, who is the most pro-Romney blogger I know, is too busy attacking Huckabee to respond. Though not convinced of the Republican crack-up thesis, Jonah G. thinks the column is worth pondering. I agree.
Here’s a subtle attempt to account for the domestic differences between Clinton and Obama. She’s Al Gore in drag, reinventing government to promote liberal goals. He is less confident of our narrow rationality and hence favors a kind of soft paternalism, distrusting the efficacy of economic incentives. Pick your poison.
Thank you for writing that second line! That's it! Bingo! It says it all. For months, I've been trying to articulate what you said in one line with countless paragraphs. Embarrassing . . . and that's what I think a Romney show down in November would be too.
Julie, it's not his age. Reagan energized young people and he was far older than Romney.
Youth is idealistic and passionate. Romney is anything but idealistic and passionate. Youth identifies with authenticity. There's NOTHING authentic about Romney.
Youth, passion and fire sees through Romney. And what's more, scorns him. It doesn't have anything to do with age, and it doesn't have anything to do with "your father's Republican party." If you've focused on that, you've missed the salient issue. With Romney, it's all about an empty chasm where his soul should be. And young Americans today are better equipped than previous generations for identifying FRAUD. They're hip to spin.
Romney hasn't a prayer at "connecting" with the youth of America.
I'll buy all of the above, but first of all young people don't vote (ask Michael Moore & P. Diddy) and secondly, who wins an authenticity contest in a Hillary/Romney or Edwards/Romney match-up? I have to think Romney.
Obama seems more "authentic," I think, but once he's the nominee, I expect his utter lack of experience will begin to tell.
Did I say something about his age, Dan? I was talking about his appeal. He's stale.