Surveying the Field

Jonah Goldberg's latest article is in praise of a field of electable Republicans, people like Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney and Mitch Daniels. Both Romney and Gingrich have shown that they can reach the middle ground (Romney with his Romneycare defense, Gingrich with his mockery of Ryans Medicare phase-out).

For those paying attention, these should be fascinating developments given the perennial claims that the GOP base is too right wing, extremist and closed-minded to tolerate such philosophical diversity. (And with the exception of Gingrich and Paul, there are no Southerner candidates in a party allegedly captured by the South.)

. . . It also suggests that the front-runners -- a group that includes former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- might be ahead of the rank and file of the GOP.

Now that's an interesting tack to take; suggesting these moderate candidates are more intelligent than the base. Of course Gingrich did have to walk back his comments on phasing out Medicare (and has also stated that anybody who replays clips of that appearance is lying), and Romneys defense of Romneycare was in the middle of an attack on Obamacare. So maybe the base still has a few cards. And let's see what the base has to say.

Would anyone in their right mind vote for Ron Paul?! He's odd, weird, and did I mention odd? Strange choice.

Romney has flipped flopped more than my beach sandles. Newt does a commercial with Pelosi on climate change and wants health care mandates?

NO WAY is Romney electable! We all ready know that. I heard him described yesterday as a cardboard person. Very descript.

Bomb thrower Newt needs to get out also...he might just be trying to sell books.

Michele Bachman is another limited appeal bomb thrower.

Still there are some things that unite them.

EVEN IF YOU THINK THE CHOICE ISN'T CLEAR , ..IT IS !!!!!!!...... YOU CAN VOTE FOR A COMMUNIST,SOCIALIST,MARXIST,MUSLIM OR .....AN AMERICAN, ITS VERY SIMPLE AND ANY RED BLOODED AMERICAN SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM MAKING THIS DECISION..................
BHO = AMERICAS PUBLIC ENEMY MUSLIM TERRORIST NUMBER ONE

So I'm sure they'll pull it together when the election actually comes around. Or not.