COMMENTARY | Mitt Romney started the GOP nomination cycle as a major contender, due partly to his performance in the 2008 nomination process and partly to the notion that of all the available candidates, Romney was the most "electable." Compared to other contenders in the field such as Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, Romney is the responsible moderate who might appeal better to independents and swing voters.
The most recent poll numbers bear that out to a certain extent, but in this respect Romney has a lot in common with John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate. Like his fellow Massachusetts politician, Kerry was viewed by his party as the responsible choice vis-a-vis firebrand Howard Dean.
But Kerry and Romney are widely seen as lacking in charisma, and in the 2004 election, that cost Kerry dearly. Simply put, while many Americans were motivated to vote against George W. Bush, few were motivated to vote for Kerry, and a winner needs more people voting for him than against the other guy. This inability to motivate partly explains why Romney trails in the polls against Perry and struggles against Bachmann and Herman Cain.
Romney is also dogged by his record, something else he shares with John "I voted for it before I voted against it" Kerry. Most (in)famously, Romney enacted a health care law for Massachusetts that served as a precursor to aspects of President Barack Obama's health care reform act. He has been struggling with the charge of being a godfather to Obamacare ever since that act was passed, and the pressure is only expected to mount once the primary season starts.
Romney has also been targeted for his pro-choice past and other liberal social views. Romney first started flip-flopping on these issues during the 2008 primaries, saying that he has since changed his mind, but Romney's defense rings hollow, and to many he sounds like a man who will say anything to get elected. Some have made that claim about John Kerry too.
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