Let's look at the actual quotes Richard A. Oppel Jr. strews before us:
“I talk to Romney more than the rest on a friendly basis,” Mr. Paul said. ”I throw Romney’s name out because he’s made a bigger attempt to do it. The others are sort of just real flat.”So Gingrich and Santorum are real flat... and Romney's a personable guy, one on one.
The candidates’ spouses, Ann Romney and Carol Paul, “know each other better than any of the other wives,” Mr. Paul said. He and Mr. Romney talk “all the time” and “we’ve met all their kids.” Once he telephoned Mr. Romney just as Mr. Romney was calling him. “Sometimes I’m never sure who issued a call,” he said.They just gossip on the phone for hours and hours! But seriously, there's something important here. Ron Paul is methodically gathering delegates, and he's got his people doing the kind of hard behind-the-scenes work with the caucuses and state-level conventions that made the difference in 2008 between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
... Mr. Paul has slowly been collecting delegates, and is now threatening Mr. Gingrich for third place on that front. And his supporters plan to pack state party conventions to grab more delegates in states like Iowa, Maine and Minnesota, which will probably give Mr. Paul more leverage as the nominating battle progresses.Implicit in the article is the suggestion that Ron Paul will have something important to give, and if Gingrich/Santorum hold on long enough to keep the convention open, Paul will be the kingmaker, and the king will be Romney.
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22 comments:
This is dangerous for Republicans who need to find a way to get a brokered convention to keep the nomination away from Romney, who, as Ann predicted, will lose to Obama.
How about a Paul VP choice for Mittens? Interesting......
At one level, that does make sense. Both Mitt and Ron have spent a lifetime as warriors for their respective outsider cults. They understand each other well on that level.
And likewise, the wives of such men would understand the other's pain from being married to a controller like their husband.
IMO the big mistake both Paul and Mitt made was going falsely negative against Gingrich in Iowa. Since then the proud Gingrich has used the same tactics on them and the heat has exposed their weaknesses.
Gingrich would have imploded anyway from the shear volume of his over the top ideas. They should not have kicked that yellow jacket nest. Gingrich can be a very difficult man.
And Saint-orum is picking up speed coasting down hill past the others wrecked campaigns.
Ron Paul is too nutso to be a heartbeat away.
Paul as VP?
Naah.
Think Treasury Secretary.
"Both Mitt and Ron have spent a lifetime as warriors for their respective outsider cults. They understand each other well on that level."
Very subtle insight, Trad.
IMHO, all three are trying to be kingmaker, since barring an extreme collapse, Romney will be the King anyway.
I think team Romney might have been playing the different second bananas against each other to ensure no one of them becomes too powerful and might either upset Rom or might get too much power and actually become a kingmaker. In this way, no one will place the crown on his head but himself, which is a much better position to be in.
Captain Tin Foil was probably the only one Milton thought couldn't give him a hard time.
Andy R. said...
This is dangerous for Republicans who need to find a way to get a brokered convention to keep the nomination away from Romney, who, as Ann predicted, will lose to Obama.
Hatman's been snorting puberty blockers, again.
PS WV in Arabic?
Paul and Romney both seem like good, decent men. They probably have decent, grounded wives. Maybe, after both campaigning in the last two elections, and seeing each other often, they and their wives just ... like each other.
I see R Paul in Treasury too, or at the Fed, auditing and dismantling. Or as an in-house type of, God save me, economic/monetary Czar.
There are some big similarities in both men's outlook.
1. They are 1st and foremost financial wonks, that like Tom Coburn look at budgets and have had a life in business of living within their business budgets. And in politics of saying "No!" - or at least trying to get reckless spendthifts in both Parties to acknowledge a painful reckoning is coming (in the case of Ron Paul).
2. Romney and Paul have lived their lives as fairly upstanding citizens, no real whiff of scandal. Mutual history of strong charitable giving, pro-bono work. Both very bright guys without the need to be seen as "the smartest person in the room". Career pols like Gingrich and Santorum seem like Lifetime power and money hungry DC aliens to the two.
3. Romney is sort of the person Paul sees as going to DC with a meat ax, cutting agencies, powers, regulations - sending them back to the States. Romney sees the strong libertarian following Paul has and the independents who admire Paul -as a strong backing force against attempts to characterize downsizing a Fed Gov't we can no longer afford as "being mean". Ron Paul offers what Gingrich and Santorum cannot - a committed bloc of swing voters, most not even in the Republican Party "Base".
4. Both are far apart on foreign policy. Romney is unfortunately too influenced by Bush's old Neocon crowd..and Ron Paul rejects foreign involvement even if it is to protect US vital interests to the point of Isolationist self-defeating extremism. Hopefully in their talks they could agree on each moving away from Neocon and isolationist extremes.
"Paul as VP? Naah. Think Treasury Secretary."
Only if he's given the power to summarily arrest and execute Turbo Tax Tim Geithner.
Hmph, at least Rob Paul is a real conservative, unlike you. Useless damned twat.
That's right I said it, and I am damned proud of it.
make that RON PAUL. Not Rob Paul.
and No, I'm not a Paul-bot. I just have no use for people like Outhouse here.
Don't call yourself a god damned Conservative, when you vote for liberals. Period.
Only if he's given the power to summarily arrest and execute Turbo Tax Tim Geithner.
Paul for Economic Hitman! President Romney could send Agent Graves to give Ron Paul a gun and attaché case with 100 untraceable bullets. ;)
Seriously though I don’t think it’s that odd that the two of them may have become friends of a sort. They’re both decent, honorable men who share a lot of the same worldview (like most Republicans) and have largely been running proposals to reduce the size, scope and cost of the federal government. Over the course of spending so much time together and their wives hitting it off, why not become friends?
Patrick Adkins -
Dare I say you look like a bigger dork than Hatman? Time for a new gravitar. You look like Homer Simpson without all the funny. Or a male version of a twat. Like a dumpy dick..
And BTW, aside from brainless ideologues enforcing Left or Right-wing "purity" ....most of us have voted for some candidates that were not "In Good Standing With The Base".
Yo Patrick,
I am a Paul supporter and don't use such filthy language. Althouse doesn't profess to be a conservative. I think she just regrets voting for Obama and is paying penance - but I'm not sure. I don't agree with most of her beliefs or political positions but it's an interesting crowd she’s collected. Communists – Fascist - Marxist - Socialist - Leftist - Liberal - Center - Conservative - Libertarian - Anarchist. You will know them by their lack of civility. Better than sitting around and listening to Ace of Spades wring his hands…
Why would Paul want to make Romney king? Romney's completely comfortable with America as a bloated empire that eats its own. Paul fights for a return to the modest republic which was once at least the American ideal, if never quite realized. How would a Romney presidency advance Paul's goal?
ricpic, MR has a history of not tolerating corruption (Salt Lake Olympics) and know how to cut fat out of fabby operations). 500 vetos, many overturned, in Mass. show his serious nature
A Romney candidacy that owes favors to the small-government Paul coalition is probably the best possible outcome for the country, for this election.
Why would Paul want to make Romney king?
The other two choices are worse.
I think they're a perfect pair to remake the Harold and Kumar franchise, like 'Mitt and Ron Go To White Castle', and 'Mitt and Ron Escape from Guantanamo Bay'.
How about a Paul VP choice for Mittens? Interesting......
Which one?
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