Mitt vs. Hillary

Hearing Democratic strategists say then hope Mitt is the GOP nominee floors me. I hope they continue to ‘misunderestimate’ him, as a less articulate Republican once said. Could Mitt beat Hillary – or Barrack? I see no reason why not! He would line up much better against either one than John McCain would. I won’t even dignify setting up a Mike Huckabee vs. Clinton or Obama scenario.

First let’s look at baggage. Mitt has virtually none. He changed his position on abortion. He got a little Al Gorish for a brief moment, saying he had “seen” his dad marching with Martin Luther King. He took his delighted dog on vacations on top of the family station wagon. Anything else? That’s about all the skeletons I’ve seen after a year of being in the spotlight.

What about McCain? Of course the South Carolina garbage about consorting with the North Vietnamese is total nonsense. The man’s military record is outstanding. His courage is great. His personal judgment and willpower, though, seem to have had some chinks in their armor at times. There is the Keating Five scandal, the leaving the loyal wife after cheating on her scandal, the new wife’s drug use/stealing scandal – made into much more of a scandal by McCain firing the individual who threatened to blow the whistle on it.

We won’t even go into the Clinton baggage … and Obama’s closets have barely begun to be investigated.

Secondly, let’s examine likeability. If Hillary runs, some 40-45 percent of registered voters will vote for virtually anyone to vote against her. Sadly, if Obama runs, there will probably be a percentage (hopefully much, much lower than 40 percent) who vote against him because of his race. If Mitt is the GOP nominee, a percentage of people will vote against him because he is a Mormon (and some southerners, perhaps, because he is a Yankee).

Likeability is a key. It shouldn't be the No. 1 key, but it probably is. With his fellow Republicans no longer sniping at him, I think voters will see Mitt as a charming, honest, unflappable leader who makes a very attractive alternative to Hillary. I would be astounded if Hillary would beat Romney, despite what pre-primary polls may say. The Clintons would certainly run a dirty campaign. Yet, as I stated earlier, how much could they find on Mitt? Mitt and his people, meanwhile, have shown they can play hardball, too. And, my lands, the Clintons may not want to throw many rocks from their glass penthouse!

Obama would be a tougher foe for Mitt. Still, Mitt would have a real edge in experience – both political and real life. The prejudices (And, let’s not forget that some would probably not vote for Hillary due to her gender!) would more or less balance each other out. I hate to think of anyone not voting for a person because of either race OR religious, but there clearly would be some of each. (Wouldn’t Condi Rice or former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts be great running mates for Mitt?) All prejudices aside, in a protracted campaign, despite the media bias we would no doubt see, it would become clear that Mitt has much more substance than Obama.

In closing, I think a divided Republican party or some loopy third party candidate would be the only things that might keep Mitt from beating either Democratic nominee. Hopefully that won’t happen. If Huckabee, Thompson and perhaps even McCain join forcefully behind him, I don’t see how Mitt could lose in Novemeber.