How did Mitt Romney win the Republican Nomination?

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I'm wondering how it came to pass that Mitt Romney won the Republican nomination for president?

Lots of Republicans thought that he was just too moderate or too liberal, meaning that he just didn't present himself as being nasty enough.

Fox News even went so far as to put this on the air:




So, Rupert Murdoch obviously had it in for Mitt, at least at that point in the game.

How did he win? Why did people vote for him in such great numbers? What is his appeal?

Did female and gay Republicans just think that he was sexier than the other candidates? Maybe cowboys thought that he was the most macho of the bunch? Or, what was it?

Clearly it couldn't have been his stand on any issue. His religion should have been a major handicap.

How can this phenomenon be explained?

Money, establishment support, unoffensive, ridiculous primary opponents. The media always favored him, even when they were pumping up other candidates it was always them vs Romney and as the antiRomney. Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry were terrible candidates. Paul had the whole of the media and political establishment working against him.

Mitt Romeny knows how to play the game of politics he does it better then the other GOP running for the nomination.

Fox News (and other news sources owned by Rupert Murdoch) would have been the relevant "Media" for Republican voters, and Fox News tended to be disfavourable towards Romney.

Other than that, Mitt Romney generally did well in poll results, and the other "Media" just reported the poll results, and gave their 2 cents. No true Republican would watch anything other than Fox, so nothing that any of the other "Media" had to say would have mattered anyway.

Why were people supporting Romney? What was his attraction?

What would the typical Republican primary-voter or caucus-goer be thinking about when voting for Romney?

I think one reason people liked Romeny is that he doesn't seem like he is nuts like the others I mean Santorum scared the hell out of me and some republicans have liberal veiws Romeny won them over but he will not beat Obama in a debate.

I agree with everyone so far. Unlimited money to promote his campaign, the support of the number one Conservative news outlet - Fox News - behind him, along with the stupidity/insanity of his opponents certainly helped to plant Romney thoroughly as the Republican presidential candidate.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

He played his cards right gotta give the devil his do he knows how to play the game of politics.

Every other candidate sucked.

Gingrich is a serial adulterer running on family values.

Santorum would have been a great candidate back in the 1820s.

Ron Paul is alright, but too much of a libertarian for mainstream republicans.

The rest are batshit crazy.

Well said TM I completely agree with you about Santorum he would have been a good choice in 1820.

And how could Gingrich even try to run on family values that made no logical sense.

Well, that does seem to be a reasonable explanation.

"Vote for me, because I suck less than the rest." Very inspiring.

So, most voters, you think, just went to the polls to vote for the candidate who sucked the least? I guess that makes sense.

I think most people voted on a "No f*****g way I'll leave the Evangelical nutjobs a chance to get Santorum in the white house". On a second note, I tend to always vote for the candidate or party that sucks the least, since none of them are any good. There is an expression that illustrates an unfavorable choice by saying "It's like choosing between cholera and plague" and in this election, its like choosing between HIV and AIDS. both suck, but you may live a little longer with just HIV.

That's been Canadian politics for the last 6 years. I guess you guys are getting a case of it now too.

@TM: minor factual correction--I believe that with current antiviral treatments we can freeze HIV in its tracks almost indefinitely. So in all probability an HIV+ patient will die from something else. I'm a major nitpicker.

Republican politicians have nothing but contempt for Republican voters. The best Republican candidates are those who know how to manipulate the Republican voters most effectively.
How an asset stripper like Romney can be viewed as a man of and for the people is beyond me, and it'll be a sad day for humanity if he becomes PoTUS.

Actually, its the Democrats who hold their base in contempt, the Republicans merely fear theirs.

Really? It's the Republicans who get their voters to ignore their own economic interests by appealing to the baser aspects of their nature, by playing on fears of gays, Muslims, blacks, and modern science, etc. The Republicans don't fear their constituents; they play on their constituent's fears, which is born of contempt for them.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

And the Democrats play on your fear of the Republicans, as evidenced by your oft repeated mischaracterizations of them seen above. You've bought the Dem line hook line and sinker, or more likely were simply spoon fed it since birth. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of the GOP either, I'm just a stickler for reality, and the reality is that the average conservative is a lot more like Hank Hill than Fred Phelps, liberal propaganda aside.

Really, what would Obama have to do in order to lose your vote? Aside from breaking every campaign promise of note, he's actually killing Americans and then putting every aspect of the process behind a veil of secrecy, so I'm really not sure what he'd have do to lose your support, perhaps something involving camps. Whatever it was, I'm sure he'd get your vote right back by blaming it on Republican intransigence and/or Fox news, especially if it was something he did unilaterally, like say starting an air war.
Open your eyes man, at least know it when you're getting used. I voted for the guy myself, remember? A mistake I won't be repeating, because I try to only get fooled the once.