Could Romney effectively buy the nomination?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

He's got the most money on hand now by far, and he's leading in Iowa and NH, probably as a result of that. Wins there would gain him momentum. Right now the best chance for stopping him would be Fred Thompson, but he's waiting too long to get in. That'll leave him low on money, and with the suspicious his delay is deliberate because he wants to avoid debates as long as possible, his campaign could easily deflate after getting in.

So despite the hangups some would have with Romney's Mormonism, that doesn't leave anyone as a real alternative to him. McCain's campaign is the equivalent of a brain-dead patient still on life support, and those who have issues with Romney's Mormonism sure as hell aren't going to see Giuliani as a valid alternative. That leaves Romney with the momentum and the money that no one else has, and he could take the nomination be default.

How likely do you think this is?

[Keystone Phil]

Actually, I used to believe Thompson was waiting too long to get in but while I'm anxious for him to get moving, his strategy may make sense. These campaign seasons are becoming way too long. There is a good chance that people will have had enough with the current field by this fall.

[Jacobtm]

He's got the most money on hand now by far, and he's leading in Iowa and NH, probably as a result of that.

Could it be that in a crowded field, he stands out as a sound, competent, level-headed person, and is winning because of that?

[Kevin]

He's got the most money on hand now by far, and he's leading in Iowa and NH, probably as a result of that. Wins there would gain him momentum. Right now the best chance for stopping him would be Fred Thompson, but he's waiting too long to get in. That'll leave him low on money, and with the suspicious his delay is deliberate because he wants to avoid debates as long as possible, his campaign could easily deflate after getting in.

So despite the hangups some would have with Romney's Mormonism, that doesn't leave anyone as a real alternative to him. McCain's campaign is the equivalent of a brain-dead patient still on life support, and those who have issues with Romney's Mormonism sure as hell aren't going to see Giuliani as a valid alternative. That leaves Romney with the momentum and the money that no one else has, and he could take the nomination be default.

How likely do you think this is?

This is along the lines of ehat I'm thinking of. 

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

While I constantly deride Romney for his flip-floppery, there is little doubt in my mind that, if elected, he'll govern as a conservative.  I mean, that's what he (largely) did in Massachusetts.

If people do buy in to Romney as a real conservative, I think he's got a great chance.  He's certainly charismatic enough, and really, isn't that, like 75% of what counts in a Presidential race?

[poughies]

smart money on Romney..... the money is on Giuliani.

[MaC]

At this point Paul's more likely to win the nomination than McCain at this point.

Romney's the mostly likely at this point.  He's got the big money on his side and he's got excellent spin doctors and an excellent charisma, and a pretty face.
I don't know much about Thompson, but he's pretty old and grumpy looking.  He would win over a lot of social conservatives that would never vote for Rudy McRomney, but he's a neo-con, which the country doesn't want right now.

[MODU]

Short answer:  no.

[Sam Spade]

Presidential nominations are never bought.  Obama will discover this out soon enough.

[SPC]

At this point Paul's more likely to win the nomination than McCain at this point.

As much as I support Paul, I wouldn't get carried away like that.

As for the question, I think he is doing well not just because of the money but also because he has an entire religion making an insurgent camaign for him. The Mormons would really like one of their own in the White House. I have some Mormon neighbors who say that they are planning on going to Iowa to campaign for Romney. If you have an entire religion who specializes in door-to-door campaigning, you're going to have some sucess. Romney will be the nominee, unfortunately.

[Lincoln Republican]

If Romney wins it will be on his merits as an outstanding and credible candidate both for the GOP nomination and for the Presidency.

Clearly, Romney is pulling away from the pack because of his exceptional qualities.

From a practical viewpoint, obviously, any candidate who cannot raise massive amounts of money has no hope, whatsoever, of ever winning the nomination of one of the two main parties.  In a national race, those who cannot raise the necessary cash to conduct a credible campaign are those who lack adequate support to win, or those who are not considered viable.   

Fred Thompson comes across as too much of a curmudgeon and will not provide any real competition for Romney.  He is a Bush wanna be, and that's a horse you cannot ride in 2008.

[bgwah]

Presidential nominations are never bought.  Obama will discover this out soon enough.

I don't think Obama is trying to "buy" the election. I think the fact that he has been raising a lot of money from small donations is a good sign.

In my opinion, what Obama will discover soon enough is whether it is even possible to stop Hillary Clinton from taking the nomination.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Even with lot's of Moola on hand, Romney couldn't buy the nomination. If he somehow did buy the Republican Nomination, left overs would be spent on the Church of Latter Day Saints.

[useful idiot]

Even with lot's of Moola on hand, Romney couldn't buy the nomination. If he somehow did buy the Republican Nomination, left overs would be spent on the Church of Latter Day Saints.

There's no such thing as the "Church of Latter Day Saints", and I doubt the money he had left over would go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As his campaign donations don't count as personal income he wouldn't need to donate the required 10% of it to the church. As for the money he lent the campaign, I assume he's already paid tithing on that.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Even with lot's of Moola on hand, Romney couldn't buy the nomination. If he somehow did buy the Republican Nomination, left overs would be spent on the Church of Latter Day Saints.

There's no such thing as the "Church of Latter Day Saints", and I doubt the money he had left over would go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As his campaign donations don't count as personal income he wouldn't need to donate the required 10% of it to the church. As for the money he lent the campaign, I assume he's already paid tithing on that.

Firsly my apologies. That's what I meant, but I forgot to include the Jesus Christ part. I thought Mitt Romney would have been a good been an extra good Mormon, and donated more than 10% of his earnings.

[useful idiot]

Even with lot's of Moola on hand, Romney couldn't buy the nomination. If he somehow did buy the Republican Nomination, left overs would be spent on the Church of Latter Day Saints.

There's no such thing as the "Church of Latter Day Saints", and I doubt the money he had left over would go to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As his campaign donations don't count as personal income he wouldn't need to donate the required 10% of it to the church. As for the money he lent the campaign, I assume he's already paid tithing on that.

Firsly my apologies. That's what I meant, but I forgot to include the Jesus Christ part. I thought Mitt Romney would have been a good been an extra good Mormon, and donated more than 10% of his earnings.

No need to apologise, after reading it again my post sounds ruder than I meant to be, so I'm sorry for that. It was an honest mistake. As for Mitt, as the old saying goes, he didn't get rich by giving his money away

[skybridge]

He's got the most money on hand now by far, and he's leading in Iowa and NH, probably as a result of that. Wins there would gain him momentum. Right now the best chance for stopping him would be Fred Thompson, but he's waiting too long to get in. That'll leave him low on money, and with the suspicious his delay is deliberate because he wants to avoid debates as long as possible, his campaign could easily deflate after getting in.

So despite the hangups some would have with Romney's Mormonism, that doesn't leave anyone as a real alternative to him. McCain's campaign is the equivalent of a brain-dead patient still on life support, and those who have issues with Romney's Mormonism sure as hell aren't going to see Giuliani as a valid alternative. That leaves Romney with the momentum and the money that no one else has, and he could take the nomination be default.

How likely do you think this is?

I've been saying since March of this year that that's exactly what's happening!

[AkSaber]

Buy? I think he'd need a whole hell of a lot of cash to pull that off. More than he has.

[Sam Spade]

In my opinion, what Obama will discover soon enough is whether it is even possible to stop Hillary Clinton from taking the nomination.

Chances running against that occurrence are pretty damn strong in my book.

[Likely Voter]

in a sense the romney thing is like old school campaigning vs the new calender. He is hoping wins in IA and NH can propell him to victory, but Rudy (and perhaps Fred) is hoping that national recognition can win the day on tsunami Tuesday...even if they dont win a lot of primaries in January.

Maybe the paradigm has changed and Rudy can lose every (or almost every) primary in Jan and still win in Feb

but my money is still on Romney to win this thing

[Citizen James]

Money buys exposure, not votes.

Though it is easy to lose for a lack of funds (who are you again, and what do you believe in?), there are diminishing returns as the amount of money spent/available passes a certain point.