I appreciate that Mitt Romney was never a favorite of D.C.’s Green Room crowd or, frankly, of many politicians. That’s why, a year ago, so few of those people thought he would win the nomination.

But that was indicative not of any failing of Mitt Romney’s but of how out of touch so many were in Washington and in the professional politician class. Nobody liked Romney except voters.

What began in a small field in New Hampshire grew into a national movement.

It wasn’t our campaign, it was Mitt Romney. He bested the competition in debates, and though he was behind almost every candidate in the primary at one time or the other, he won the nomination and came very close to winning the presidency.

In doing so, he raised more money for the Republican Party than the Republican Party did.

He trounced Barack Obama in debate.

He defended the free-enterprise system and, more than any figure in recent history, drew attention to the moral case for free enterprise and conservative economics.

When much of what passes for a political intelligentsia these days predicted that the selection of Rep. Paul Ryan meant certain death on the third rail of Medicare and Social Security, Mitt Romney brought the fight to the Democrats and made the rational, persuasive case for entitlement reform that conservatives have so desperately needed.

The nation listened, thought about it — and on Election Day, Mitt Romney carried seniors by a wide margin.

On Nov. 6, Mitt Romney carried the majority of every economic group except those with less than $50,000 a year in household income. That means he carried the majority of middle-class voters.

While John McCain lost white voters under 30 by 10 points, Romney won those voters by seven points, a 17-point shift.

Obama received 4 1/2 million fewer voters in 2012 than 2008, and Romney got more votes than McCain.

[...] In the debates and in sweeping rallies across the country, Mitt Romney captured the imagination of millions of Americans

He spoke for those who felt disconnected from the Obama vision of America. He handled the unequaled pressures of a campaign with a natural grace and good humor that contrasted sharply with the angry bitterness of his critics.

No one ever doubted Romney would win the nomination. Well, except me, perhaps. I really thought one of the wingnuts could pull through. But the safe bet was always Romney.Romney was the least liked Republican presidential candidate since ... ever Not it didn't. Romney may have gotten more votes than John McCain, barely, but he won't get as many as George W. Bush did in 2004, eight years ago.That's what tens of millions in negative Super PAC attack dollars can do in a primary field—the systematic destruction of every single one of your primary challengers. I mean, he lost South Carolina toUm, the leader of the Republican Party is part of the Republican Party.Singular. Because yeah, Romney got trounced in the other two.Yup, he did! And lost big, thus proving that this is a centercountry. Thanks!New rule: If you lose, your case wasn't so persuasive. Actually, that's an old rule.seniors. They weren't voting on Medicare—an issue Obama won 52-44.And lost.And lost. Meanwhile, while whites under the age of 30 were 31 percent of the electorate in 2008, they were just 29 percent this year. Meanwhile, Latinos under 30 went from six percent in 2008 to seven percent this year. That's a net shift of 3.9 million votes. And that trend is only accelerating.And less votes than George W. Bushyears ago. And the fact that Obama got fewer votes is irrelevant if Romney couldn't get more.Ha ha ha ha! No he didn't!Oh yeah, hehilarious! Remember the joke about his dad laying off people in Ohio? That one was funny. Or the one about spending big bucks on their ponchos? How about saying the cute lady's cookies looked like they came from 7-Eleven? That one cracked me up. Then there was the joke about being unemployed, which was hilarious, or the one about how he worried about getting a pink slip.

He should do standup.



There was a time not so long ago when the problems of the Democratic Party revolved around being too liberal and too dependent on minorities. Obama turned those problems into advantages and rode that strategy to victory. But he was a charismatic African American president with a billion dollars, no primary and a media that often felt morally conflicted about being critical. How easy is that to replicate?

Damn black people have all the advantages! Meanwhile, the Obama campaign and its allies spent $947.7 million. The Romney campaign and its allies spent $1.054 BILLION—more than $100 million more than Democrats. So per Stu's logic, Republicans can compete if they run against a white guy they can outspend by even greater margins?

Good luck with that one!



Yes, the Republican Party has problems, but as we go forward, let’s remember that any party that captures the majority of the middle class must be doing something right. When Mitt Romney stood on stage with Barack Obama, it wasn’t about television ads or whiz- bang turnout technologies, it was about fundamental Republican ideas versus fundamental Democratic ideas. It was about lower taxes or higher taxes, less government or more government, more freedom or less freedom. And Republican ideals — Mitt Romney — carried the day.

On Nov. 6, that wasn’t enough to win. But it was enough to make us proud and to build on for the future.

Ha ha, that first debate is really all they have!No one doubts that Republicans will win the national white vote for the foreseeable future, particularly withwhites giving the GOP 80-90 percent of their vote. But the country is changing, and changing quickly. They can brag about winning 30-year-old white guys, but this country will have fewer and fewer of those. And if this was the best Romney could do despite dramatic economic upheaval, the GOP is in worse shape than it will ever publicly admit.