QUOTE OF THE CAMPAIGN

2/1/12

This morning’s (i.e., Wednesday, 2/1/12’s, page A4) Wall Street Journal, in its coverage of the Florida primary, quotes Mr. Glen Witherbee, a Floridian barely into senior citizenship who contemplated voting for Newt Gingrich but, in the end. decided to opt for Mitt Romney, as expressing his feelings regarding Mr. Romney thusly

“I don’t love him, but I like him enough.”

Mr. Witherbee thus brilliantly succinctly sums up the general feeling of Republicans, and perhaps many Americans, regarding Mr. Romney. No one loves the guy, but he’ll do. This feeling should be enough to allow Mr. Romney to become the GOP presidential nominee. See, inter alia, today’s other post and my by now long seminal 7/19/11 post, MICHELE AND SARAH, MAKE ROOM FOR THE FAT LADY.

Will the good enough vibrations regarding Mr. Romney be sufficient to win the general election? Given that Mr. Romney’s chief attractions seems to be that he’s good enough, if, as is probable, he is the GOP nominee, the election will be even more than was, or is, anticipated a referendum on the presidency of Barack Obama. Mr. Romney, who generates little of either enthusiasm or derision, will not win the election unless Mr. Obama loses the election.

One other thing to note in assessing Mr. Romney’s chances in the general election is the huge money advantage he had in Florida, outspending Mr. Gingrich 5-1. Mr. Romney will have no such, if any, such financial advantage over President Obama. Another thing that Mr. Romney will not have is an opponent with the personal foibles of Mr. Gingrich. See my 12/11/11 post I DON’T SALUTE NEWT. Still, that voters like Mr. Romney enough may be enough…if they are dissatisfied enough with Mr. Obama.