Next to Gingrich’s petulant posturing, Romney looked like a grown-up…In losing in the most undignified manner possible, Gingrich made Romney shine. And for that, Romney owes Gingrich his gratitude.The Atlantic’s Molly Ball • Arguing that Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum’s prolonged candidacies did, in one sense, benefit Mitt Romney. “By behaving childishly and running totally amateurish campaigns, they made Romney look good,” she writes. There is something to be said for this; however, whether the “I’m not as bad as the other guys!” effect will stick with Romney through the general election seems like an iffy proposition. If anything, their campaigns made Romney look good coming out of the primary, but we’re doubtful that effect will last too long once President Obama’s campaign, which will likely be top-notch, becomes the object of comparison. source (via • follow)
Let’s just be honest…I’ve yet to meet a single person in the Republican establishment that thinks Mitt Romney is going to win the general election this year. They won’t say it on TV because they’ve got to go on TV and they don’t want people writing them nasty emails. I obviously don’t care.Joe Scarborough • This particularly smarts, as Scarborough is a former Republican congressman himself. source (via • follow)
» The rub: This is, largely, good news for Romney, as a net +21% of his base feels positively about him as their candidate. The catch is this: Only 11% of those polled said they’re excited by a Romney candidacy. Enthusiasm is a huge component in turning out voters; the difference in propensity to vote between a voter who’s “excited” and one whose merely “satisfied” with their candidate can be the difference between winning and losing.
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