Willard "Mitt" Romney 2016 megathread

[Fuzzy Bear]

I go back and forth about how good or bad Mitt Romney was as a candidate in 2012.  He struck me as patronizing, phony, and stiff, and his 47% comments did him in.  The persona stuff hasn't always done in candidates, and Romney could have embraced his 47% strategy by focusing the discussion on "makers vs. takers" (a theme that may well have resonated).

The main problem in 2012, however, was not Romney, but the GOP's nutty base and Romney's ill-advised pandering to them.  Romney could have won the nomination without boxing himself in on a number of issues (including immigration, which killed him with Hispanics).  He allowed the GOP's nutty base to cause him to run away from his signature achievement in Massachusetts (his Romneycare health plan); had he ran on it, voters in the middle might have viewed him as the person who might have been qualified to actually reform Obamacare as needed.

The other problem Romney had was his ill-advised decision to run as a "job creator".  Had he run as a top businessman whose job was to help salvage companies in trouble and force people to live within their means, he might have had another theme that would resonate with voters.  It would have blunted the attacks on his role with Bain Capital if he had focused on his REAL role there, and not pose as a "job creator" when he was a "wealth creator".

Could he do better in 2016 against Hillary Clinton?  I think so.   I view Hillary as a shallow proxy for Bill Clinton whose vulnerabilities will be more obvious as the start of the campaign draws closer.  She's no more likeable than Mitt, truth be told.

[Fuzzy Bear]

It wouldn't make sense for Romney to wait until 2020. It's a few months before the 2016 primary is officially underway, and Romney's considered such a strong contender because of a series of lucky breaks unlikely to repeat in a different environment.

I don't think he wants to be Governor again.

He could be a strong Veep. The public and media know him, he's unlikely to get caught in a major scandal, and he could balance tickets for several top Republicans. His connections could be useful in a presidential administration, and his talents are suited for a Veep with a portfolio (IE- put in charge of several major task forces).

I don't believe Mitt Romney wants to be VP.  Being openly on McCain's short list in 2008 was one thing; it was a way to advance his standing for the future.  Now, however, he's a guy who's been a nominee, and a losing one who's taken a lot of criticism.  Being a VP candidate at this stage of the game is something that will ensure that Romney will NEVER be President.

Being second fiddle to any of the lame crowd of Republicans running could never benefit Romney.  And he's not the kind of guy that would be a good VP.  He's not a "hatchet man" and how would it look when Mitt Romney, who has stood on his own in business at an EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL level is reduced to being chairman of the Competitiveness Council or some lame task force?  It would look like a highly successful man lowered himself for limelight.