PREDICTION: Karl Rove will stop Mitt Romney in 2007

[FerrisBueller86]

Rove wants Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to win re-election in 2006.  But he does NOT want him to run for president in 2008.  Romney can't bash Massachusetts on the campaign trail, because he'd be admitting that he was an ineffective governor.  But Romney can't talk up Massachusetts either, because  that would be admitting that the Republican party was lying about Massachusetts in order to slime Kerry and Dukakis.

Karl Rove must have thought about this conundrum and has a secret plan for stopping Romney in 2007.  He doesn't want to stop him now, because he wants the Massachusetts governor's seat in Republican hands, especially since the state is symbolic as a Democratic stronghold.  The scenarios:
1.  Rove cuts a secret deal with Romney: Romney is offered a cabinet post, a private sector job, or some other gift if he doesn't run.  Romney accepts and drops out of the race.  Or if Rove and Romney want to be sneaky, Romney intentionally runs a lackluster campaign or finds a way to put everyone in the audience to sleep.  Romney becomes an asterisk from the get go and drops out.
2.  Romney has a skeleton in the closet, and Rove lets it out.  Rove and the Republican party can continue to talk about how awful Massachusetts is.  It's even better for Rove and the Republicans if the skeleton is sexual in nature.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Romney can say that the MA of today is a far different state than that of the Dukakis/Kerry days.  He can claim that under his leadership, and that of former Gov Weld, that MA is a state on the rebound.

 One thing is for certain, Romney will run against his state legislature and his state's Supreme Court in any White House bid.

[FerrisBueller86]

Romney can say that the MA of today is a far different state than that of the Dukakis/Kerry days.  He can claim that under his leadership, and that of former Gov Weld, that MA is a state on the rebound.

 One thing is for certain, Romney will run against his state legislature and his state's Supreme Court in any White House bid.

Dukakis has been out of office for a number of years, but Kerry is still in office today and ran for president only last year.  If Kerry hadn't been the nominee, things would be easier for Romney.  Romney has already been in office for a few years.  Like I said before, Romney is caught between a rock and a hard place.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Kerry didn't run on his record as Lt Gov for Dukakis, he ran on his record as  US senator from the state of MA.  Okay, he really didn't run on his Senatoral record either, but you know what I mean.   

Romney can claim that he and his other GOP predecessors' fiscal policies have returned Massachussets from the brink of Taxachussets.  At the same time, he can still run against the liberal social agenda of his home state, while claiming that he needs Southerners to put him in the White House so that he can undue the wild-eyed social agenda of the left--not only in MA, but throughout the nation. 

Anyway, that's the theory.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Kerry didn't run on his record as Lt Gov for Dukakis, he ran on his record as  US senator from the state of MA.  Okay, he really didn't run on his Senatoral record either, but you know what I mean.   

Romney can claim that he and his other GOP predecessors' fiscal policies have returned Massachussets from the brink of Taxachussets.  At the same time, he can still run against the liberal social agenda of his home state, while claiming that he needs Southerners to put him in the White House so that he can undue the wild-eyed social agenda of the left--not only in MA, but throughout the nation. 

Anyway, that's the theory.

Did Dick Cheney run on his record in Congress? No......

[Notre Dame rules!]

I thought that Cheney ran as Bush's VP candidate and was promaoting Bush's agenda.   Why would he campaign on his own legislative record, especially since he hasn't been in Congress in like...forever?

[PBrunsel]

Did Dick Cheney run on his record in Congress? No......

You'll find few who do.

[AuH2O]

Who says Rove runs the 2008 show?

I think his influence over the GOP is extremely exaggerated. He's W's guy, not the GOP's guy. He did his work and while he'll be involved going forward, it won't be in a decision making role.

[TheresNoMoney]

Romney is going to have a real tough time winning re-election in 2006, so talk of a presidential campaign isn't worth mentioning at this time.