The Romney Campaign reminds me of McGovern in 1972

[Tom Rinaldo]

I better explain what I mean. First off, I loved George McGovern then and I still do now. I think he would have made an excellent President. Second, no I do not believe that Mitt Romney will lose this election as badly McGovern as lost in 1972 either. That isn't the point.

The similarity that strikes me is this: Romney has been playing catch up in this race from day one; from before then actually if you set day one as his acceptance speech at the RNC. Romney got off on the wrong foot and he has never regained his stride, if he ever had one. That is what happened to George McGovern with the Eagleton fiasco. The problems with McGovern's campaign became the focus of the ccoverage he received.

When that happens it's like a ship loosing power and floating dead in the water in an area uinfested by pirates. The seige is certain to follow and a death spiral commences. Lots of other things may have changed, but in that key way this is feeling like 1972 agan.

[leveymg]

1. That's a pretty good comparison, IMHO. '96 is another.

Dole like Romney, is a moderate (by GOP standards) Republican challenger running without any great grass-roots enthusiasm against a centrist Democrat who didn't have major vulnerabilities (of his own making) going into the election. Clinton ran a strong campaign without any big stumbles, while Dole just couldn't get any momentum.

This part bothers me: Clinton moved further right after being reelected.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. Yes, Dole is another good example of a candidate who never gained any traction

But in his case, if my memory serves me, it was due less to self inflicted wounds Neither McGovern nor Romney were well served by their National Conventions.

I think it is a safe assumption that Obama will lean right if he win re-election, at least compared to how he has campaigned this time around. This electon has played out more along the line of dueling bases rather than movement toward the political center. I think Obama's instincts will lead him back toward the center once in office, the only real question is how much? Obama can swing slightly right from his camnpaign rhetoric once elected but still govern slightly left of where he mostly stood during his first term in office. It (hopefully) remains to be seen.

[leveymg]

4. How far Right? After Nov. I think he'll go for Catfood Commission-lite and wars with Syria and Iran.

In other words, to the Right across the board. I hope I'm proven wrong.

[leveymg]

5. Nixon was elected 4 years after Goldwater's debacle because Johnson escalated the Vietnam War.

Hope that Barack doesn't make the same mistake in Syria and Iran.

That's another parallel to keep in mind.

[graham4anything]

2. It's also Goldwater/Miller redux from 1964

with the conservatives thinking they were wanted and Ryan added like Miller was.

and they got whalloped in the biggest landslide loss.

And I loved George McGovern, however much we dreamed, I knew he wasn't going to win
and he wouldn't have won even if the Eagleton mess didn't happen.

1972 is though similiar in that the real heavyweights did not run for the Democrats feeling Nixon was unbeatable.

The sad thing is, 1972 would have been Teddy's perfect opportunity