1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough

George Will: Mitt Romney’s Problem Is His ‘Romneyness’

video
» 32 comments

One week ago, Mitt Romney was the inevitable GOP nominee, the impossible-to-defeat frontrunner who was going to take three states in a row and end the primary season earlier. As George Stephanopoulos put it, what a difference a week makes. Now Newt Gingrich is back in the spotlight, and many analysts are wondering where Romney could have gone wrong. George Will‘s take? Romney just has too much… Romney in him.

RELATED: George Will On Romney: The Republicans Have Found Their Michael Dukakis

Will explained that in the past five elections, it was always Candidate A winning Iowa, Candidate B winning New Hampshire, and either A or B winning South Carolina and claiming the nomination. He argued that the only “trump card” Romney had to play was electability, despite his staggering lose-to-win ratio since 1994. But getting to the precise reason Romney wasn’t doing so well, Will had a profoundly unique answer.

“We all thought going in that the big problem for Romney might be his Mormonism, it might be the Massachusetts health care plan. That’s not it. Mitt Romney’s problem is somehow his Romneyness. That is, the fact that people are just not connecting with him. Not just that he’s the first candidate we’ve ever had from the financial sector, which turns out to be a problem because finance is a, mysterious, and b, disliked, but there’s something about him that is not connecting.”

Matthew Dowd explained Romney came in the race with the clearest way forward of any candidate, and yet so much damage has been done so far. He attributed Romney’s problems not to Romney’s Romneyness, but to his “Mittness,” because of his inability to sell himself as the ideal candidate to face Obama in the general election.

RELATED: ABC’s Matthew Dowd On This Week: Mitt Romney Has Bigger Problems Than His Mormon Faith

Watch the video below, courtesy of ABC:

Follow us on Twitter.

Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.

Email Twitter Facebook Digg Reddit Stumble Upon Yahoo Buzz LinkedIn Tumblr Delicious
  • Anonymous

    Poor old Mitt Romney…

    …He just can’t get the love of the Hard Right!

    They prefer Gingrich, with all of his personal baggage!

  • Anonymous

    Mainstream Republican talking head George Will hates all of the current candidates. The GOP is fractured. 

  • Gloves Lloyd Donahue

    Wrong, George.

    Pontificate all you want for 9 more months. Most of America gave Obama a chance, and he blew it. The most liberal, partisan guy in the Senate did not change and become President of everyone. Instead, he rewarded his supporters with billions of the taxpayer’s  money and decided corruption would be his path. He does not deserve to stay and do more damage.

    Romney is a breath of fresh air next to Barry, and he’ll do just fine.

  • Hout Bosques

    What a debate!  
    “The problem is his Romney-ness.” “No, no – the problem is his Mitt-ness.” It’s like those old Certs commercials:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8zwnXjIjPM Stop! You’re BOTH right: the problem is his Mitt-ness AND his Romney-ness! Yes, Willard Romney is two (smack) two (smack) two Mitts in one. 

  • Anonymous

    That and Rush Limbaugh. Rush got his first success to an operation chaos he sponsored.. ironically a self-inflicted one this time

  • Duke Chesnut

    Romney is Obama Lite. That’s why conservatives don’t like him and the media is pushing for this match-up. RINO’s & DINO’s & the Media have conspired and corrupted the politico playbook, now the primary voters are pushing back, and the media is shocked. The DNC Spokejerks are throwing down the tattered race card 100 times too many,  and only the liberals hear that dog whistle, to the rest of us, its elevator music.

  • Anonymous

    Romney’s business experience does not necessarily translate into the ability to LEAD the country. Romney is a MANAGER, not a leader. To my knowledge, Romney has not “run a business” other than Bain- and that’s a business that’s based on raising money to invest, finding a start-up in which to invest or finding a company that they can leverage. That is NOT “running a business.” He didn’t “run” Staples or Sports Authority- he invested in it- big difference. 

    The only candidate with real business experience was Herman Cain; he actually RAN a business and had to contend with employment issues, governmental regulation issues, etc., but he was cut off at the knees by “anonymous” sources. He certainly had more in common with Gingrich than with Romney.

    To govern this country, you need a person who inspires people, one who is a Reagan Republican, not a Rockefeller Republican. Romney and the Bushes are Rockefeller Republicans. Newt is a Reagan Republican.

    The next meme will be “Newt’s unpredictable” and “the country hates him.” Take a look at the groups of people Newt won in SC and you will see the fallacy of these arguments.

  • Anonymous

    If you’re going to continue to be Romney’s lapdog, you’d better be warned that he likes to take his pets on vacation with him — and it’s not pretty.

  • Anonymous

    Thats all you got big boy?

  • Anonymous

    The real is answer is they think he’s a phony. 

  • Charles Ulysses Feney

    I can’t get the image of Donahue pooh dripping down the station wagon rear window out of my mind!

  • Hout Bosques

    O noes! Juice becows hees tooken too er pluhs sighds o avry ishew? Hau unphare!

  • Anonymous

    That WAS funny!

  • Anonymous

    Very funny indeed! Best laugh I’ve had today. Nice touch including the link.

  • Anonymous

    Yup.. the NEW GOP just cant find it in their bones to support phony. They prefer to hate big government, but dont mess with their medicare, enjoy the “black guy” Herman Cain, but pretty much detest the Muslim Barack Obama, care about family values, yet support a wonderful Newt. Nah, no phony in the leader position, just in the ranks.

  • http://PalinsDirtyLittleSecret.blogspot.com/ 2008CoupExposedClickHere4Proof

    Osama Obama Biden (Bi)n La(den)
    One coincidence? Two coincidences?
    NO COINCIDENCE, Do the math the odds are in the billions

    Unelected officials have taken over Washington and are orchestrating the daily news. 90% of the comments and replies you’re reading online come from an NSA software program spamming the internet. COMMENTS ARE CREATED BEFORE THE STORY IS REPORTED. They are designed to generate a response and will engage people in real time.

    The oldest, first, highest, best, and most popular rated comments are all propaganda. They are conducting Psy-ops (psychological operations) for domestic spying. They have 1000′s of handles and are determined to bury the truth or attack anyone leaking it.

    Our next election is shaping up to be as big of a sham as the last. Do you know why Sarah Palin’s bus tour was really canceled? Do you know why she stayed 30 miles away from the second debate and chose the death of Steve Jobs to announce that she’s not running? Know what leaked out? Sarah Palin and Cain aren’t in the race for the same reason, the truth leaked out. The biggest cover up is exposed at the link in my name.

  • Anonymous

    http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2012/01/romneys-ugly-politics-now-surfacing-in-surrogates.html

    “Romney’s Ugly Politics Now Surfacing In Surrogates”

    “One of the things fellow Republicans and political observers have never liked about Mitt Romney is the wholesome piety he exhibits on the stump, while his hacks and PACs engage in some of the ugliest politics around.”

    “He can flash that plastic smile and pretend all he wants, but people know the cold fish doesn’t shy away from the politics of personal destruction.”

    “If anything, his campaigns embrace it more than most, while feigning ignorance and pretending otherwise himself.”

    “This is why so many people in the GOP have come to dislike Mitt Romney.Mitt Romney backer and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s comments this morning that Newt Gingrich “embarrassed” the Republican Party has the formerr House Speaker’s Florida campaign co-chairman, Alan Levine, fuming.

    “Far be it from me to tell the governor of New Jersey to focus on his own state, but this isn’t a way to begin a campaign in Florida. It’s disappointing,” said Levine, a former healthcare chief under Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal who is new a private-sector hospital executive.”

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/William-Hard-Core/100002570210758 William Hard Core

    Does it occur to anyone that the problem with all these politicians is that they are politicians?

    http://angryamericanman.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-do-you-trust.html 

  • Anonymous

    Ugh, Romney is evil spawn, like all Republicans – the proof is plain to see. All you Republicans kill yourselves on these boards trying to prove otherwise, but you are all just bad, bad people, sadly destined to burn in eternal damnation, and everyone knows it! Repent and come to the true Christian side before its too late.

  • Anonymous

    Romneyness?  That’s a polite way of saying that Mitt can’t connect with people.  He seems totally insincere.

  • Anonymous

    Please meet me here the morning of November 7, 2012 and I will serve you your crow.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_45S32GWGDRUJIL6E2U4HOZW4BM Bob

    If Mitt has Romneyness, what does Newt have? Gingricity?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_45S32GWGDRUJIL6E2U4HOZW4BM Bob

    I see you’ve created yet another user ID to promote that hilarious, tinfoil blog post of yours (how many accounts are you to now – four? five?)  - and why do you feel so compelled to share your mental illness with others?

  • Anonymous

    …Not bad!

    We shall find out a descriptive term for him over the coming months…

    …the scrutiny will start in earnest once again. He won’t find Florida as Far Right as he would like…

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Gloves, glad I could always count on your support.

  • Anonymous

    Newt has high cholesterol.

  • expatpatriot

    I think people are smart enough to realize that Romney doesn’t really believe in anything except that Mitt Romney being president would make Mitt Romney very happy.

    That sort of narcissism is both very dangerous and very unappealing in a politician. Unfortunately for the Republicans — and fortunately for America — Romney’s organization and appearance of infinite money dissuaded other, more electable candidates (don’t make me try to name them, because I can’t) from running.

    And now they’re left with (shudder) Newt Gingrich or some White Night who steps in at the last moment. Or Ron Paul, if he finesses things just right. Or Rick Santorum, if God his own self materializes next to the Lincoln Memorial and demands “thou shalt vote for Santorum!!!”

    Which means they’ve handed the election to Obama. Now the question is: how big will his coattails be?

  • expatpatriot

    He must be getting a quarter of a cent a click from people who accidentally blunder to that site.

  • expatpatriot

    You really need to work on your dialect skills.

    Or maybe it’s just typing.

  • expatpatriot

    Actually, that’s pretty funny.

    How about you? Have you ever been funny? Got a few examples?

  • expatpatriot

    I’d have said “two schmucks in one,” but otherwise, you’ve nailed it.

  • Anonymous

    Wow, Alan Levine said that!  Wow! Well if Alan Levine said it, it must be!  Heaven forbid anyone should make a comment about a national political election.  By the way, have the people in Florida learned to count yet, or does it still take 5 tries to get it right!!

© 2012 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Self-Serve Advertising | Newsletter | Jobs | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | RSS RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | Power Grid by Sound Strategies | Hosting by Datagram