Romney's Biggest Mistake

[Dancing with Myself]

Romney's biggest problem was that he came off so many times as an absolute tool and was the worst kind of cliche candidate the Republicans could have ran that year. He was everything that the Republicans have wrong with them in one person. Rich, full of himself, douchy, uses religion as a selling point, and he ran a very cliched Republican campaign. There wasn't anything the least bit exciting about that Republican ticket that year they were as predictable as they could be.

The majority (if not all,) of that Republican primary field were all a bunch of destined losers. None of them could have out charisma'd or out talked Obama. Romney was the least loony of the bunch who stayed in (Huntsman could have been better perhaps but he quit,)and had the most moderate appeal. Gingrich and especially Santorum would have gotten destroyed especially in the debates. Obama would rip Santourm a new one over a lot of stuff.

I agree with Yankee that it wasn't just one thing that killed Mitt. It was a solid mix of errors and vanity on his part. First and most importantly was the 47% comment; that alienated a lot of people off the bat (including me as I was going to college then,) and he never got over that. He also never properly attacked Obama good enough in terms of defending his rep and character. He let Obama label him early and when he did attack it felt desperate. He could never put down the 47% comment or his business reputation and Obama pounced like the shark in a suit he was. Secondly was the very mediocre-ldy ran convention. It didn't give Mitt a good boost like he could have gotten afterwards and it just didn't motivate the bases very well. He got a limited boost at best that didn't go very far.Then came his various gaffes in the debates like the binders comment, the Big Bird moment, and Obama's put down over the military deal and Romney's lame laughing reaction.  That moment right there was Obama's mike drop and when he started to seal the deal. Romney looked lame and weak and that was the worst thing he could have done.

Obama presented hope still despite being the incumbent, Romney didn't. There wasn't a thing hopeful or optimistic about his message. That's one thing Trump did better; he promoted something different and more hopeful for the Republican base and appealed to all groups not just conservatives and moderates. Romney was so vain to think that they'd come running to him as their savior that he'd taught himself into believing it and when it didn't happen it rocked his world.

It's like Vince McMahon said about Bret Hart: "Mitt Screwed Mitt."