Why was Mitt Romney such a compelling candidate for the GOP establishment in '12

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

I don't get it...a guy from one of, if not the, most Democratic states in the country who last held elected office six years ago. And only served one term as a governor at that. Yeah, I know Reagan was elected president six years after he last held elected office, but he at least served two terms and in a state that leaned GOP at the time (at least at the presidential level). And let's face it...Romney was no Reagan.

"B-b-but Romney's business experience!" When has business experience ever translated into success as president?

Was it just because there were no other decent candidates?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

In an economic recession, he had the business skills to put the economy back on track.

But, it was his ondoing as well, Bain Capital, was the center of the Obama reelection strategy, and outsourcing of jobs.

[IceSpear]

Romney won by default. Who else was the establishment going to back? Gingrich? Santorum? Bachmann? Cain?

When Perry initially entered, much of the "establishment" took his side. After he imploded, they were basically stuck with Romney. Many in the establishment tried to draft Daniels/Christie in late 2013 since they saw Romney was having trouble putting away joke candidates, but neither of them wanted to run.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Because his opponents were even more pathetic

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

Valid points have been made, but I'd like to make a couple too...

1. The GOP could have nominated Huntsman, who had all of Romney's advantages without his disadvantages...he was reelected as governor, would carry his home state, and had a strong job growth record. But I guess he didn't pander to the Tea Party as much as Romney did...

2. I have a hard time seeing Democrats do the same thing i.e. nominating a one-term governor of a deep red state six years after he served

3. I think Democrats would have attacked Romney's inexperience if it hadn't been for Obama's own inexperience prior to being elected president

[Dancing with Myself]

2. I have a hard time seeing Democrats do the same thing i.e. nominating a one-term governor of a deep red state six years after he served

Granted he left office in Georgia a year before he was nominated but the Dems have nominated a one term governor of a Republican state before with a lacking track record.

Romney is the closest the Republicans have nominated a candidate that has been similar to Carter in terms of not much experience, plus he fit into a gimmick candidacy. While Carter was the ultimate definition of the outsider gimmick Romney was the ultimate businessman. Terms out while Carter was the real mccoy for being an outsider Romney represented what Republicans love, corrupt but successful business. Mitt was the ideal Republican cliche to a C because he lived and breathed Republican ideals. He lived and died hard by them. 

McCain was too unique and unmanageable for the Reps so in came Mittens to try it but he failed miserably.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

2. I have a hard time seeing Democrats do the same thing i.e. nominating a one-term governor of a deep red state six years after he served

Granted he left office in Georgia a year before he was nominated but the Dems have nominated a one term governor of a Republican state before with a lacking track record.

Romney is the closest the Republicans have nominated a candidate that has been similar to Carter in terms of not much experience, plus he fit into a gimmick candidacy. While Carter was the ultimate definition of the outsider gimmick Romney was the ultimate businessman. Terms out while Carter was the real mccoy for being an outsider Romney represented what Republicans love, corrupt but successful business. Mitt was the ideal Republican cliche to a C because he lived and breathed Republican ideals. He lived and died hard by them. 

McCain was too unique and unmanageable for the Reps so in came Mittens to try it but he failed miserably.

Georgia was hardly a deep red state at the time (except maybe at the presidential level), but yeah the comparison is otherwise apt...both technocrats who tried to distance themselves from their party's congressional wing and talked both sides on any given issue.

[Potus]

Valid points have been made, but I'd like to make a couple too...
1. The GOP could have nominated Huntsman, who had all of Romney's advantages without his disadvantages...he was reelected as governor, would carry his home state, and had a strong job growth record. But I guess he didn't pander to the Tea Party as much as Romney did...

This is not right. Mitt could have mounted a real defense of Bain, but his strategists chose not to. This does not fault the Governor as a candidate, it instead faults his campaign.

Huntsman would have been subject to the even-more-damaging attacks of having a Rich Daddy that pays for whatever he wants, even the White House! Virtually no advantage over Mitt.

[Blair]

Valid points have been made, but I'd like to make a couple too...
1. The GOP could have nominated Huntsman, who had all of Romney's advantages without his disadvantages...he was reelected as governor, would carry his home state, and had a strong job growth record. But I guess he didn't pander to the Tea Party as much as Romney did...

This is not right. Mitt could have mounted a real defense of Bain, but his strategists chose not to. This does not fault the Governor as a candidate, it instead faults his campaign.

Huntsman would have been subject to the even-more-damaging attacks of having a Rich Daddy that pays for whatever he wants, even the White House! Virtually no advantage over Mitt.

Well, the problem with the Bain attacks was that they feed into the narrative about Romney. He was a bad candidate...

his 47% comments, corporations are people too comment, having 6 cars etc all created this image of him as a rich, out of touch, ruthless businessman who didn't have a heart. Biggest problem for the right in politics is being seen as out of touch and Romney was

[Potus]

Valid points have been made, but I'd like to make a couple too...
1. The GOP could have nominated Huntsman, who had all of Romney's advantages without his disadvantages...he was reelected as governor, would carry his home state, and had a strong job growth record. But I guess he didn't pander to the Tea Party as much as Romney did...

This is not right. Mitt could have mounted a real defense of Bain, but his strategists chose not to. This does not fault the Governor as a candidate, it instead faults his campaign.

Huntsman would have been subject to the even-more-damaging attacks of having a Rich Daddy that pays for whatever he wants, even the White House! Virtually no advantage over Mitt.

Well, the problem with the Bain attacks was that they feed into the narrative about Romney. He was a bad candidate...

his 47% comments, corporations are people too comment, having 6 cars etc all created this image of him as a rich, out of touch, ruthless businessman who didn't have a heart. Biggest problem for the right in politics is being seen as out of touch and Romney was

And Huntsman's whiny, condescending voice wouldn't have made a killer Rich Daddy persona?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Romney was actually not really the favorite of the establishment or at least not the whole of the establishment. There was a large stash of establishment money and support that was for him but the bulk of it sat on the sidelines, particularly that which had backed Rudy in 2008 trying to prod another candidate into the race. They considered Perry and Newt but realized both were hopeless and finally coalesced to Mittens because he had the best chance of winning of all the candidates.

Mitt Romney was a compelling candidate to many and to myself at at least, because he seemed to me to be the opposite of Bush on all the things that made Bush so problematic, whilst still holding the same views on virtually all other matters. A successful businessman to Bush failing in business. A balanced state budget compared to Bush deficits. His turning around of companies and the Olympics, compared to the mismanagment of Iraq, Katrina and so forth. Romney passing healthcare reform compared to Bush's inaction and the likelihood of facing Hillary in 2008 whose attachment to the issue is well known.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Mitt Romney beat a relatively weak opponent in Shannon OBrian; who used his wife Anne, to counter Shannon's effectiveness on women. When he ran for gov.

And Christie did him no favors either, by endorsing Obama during Sandy.

And Paul Ryan was the best out there out of all the GOP contenders, in that field.

All put together for a Romney defeat.