In spite of his insistence that he will not run, Mitt Romney is being courted this week by a leading conservative commentator to reconsider and jump into the volatile 2016 presidential race as an independent candidate.
William Kristol, the longtime editor of the Weekly Standard magazine and a leading voice on the right, met privately with the 2012 nominee on Thursday afternoon to discuss the possibility of launching an independent bid, potentially with Romney as its standard-bearer.
“He came pretty close to being elected president, so I thought he may consider doing it, especially since he has been very forthright in explaining why Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should not be president of the United States,” Kristol said in a phone interview Friday, during which he confirmed that he and Romney had a “little meeting in Washington.”
But knowing Romney’s reluctance, Kristol told Romney that if he remains unwilling to run, many top conservatives would appreciate having the former Massachusetts governor’s support for an independent candidate, should Kristol and other right-leaning figures enlist a willing contender.
“Obviously, if there were to be an independent candidacy, Romney’s support would be very important,” Kristol said. “I wanted to get his wisdom on whether it was more or less doable than I thought.”
Mitt Romney? The guy with the "binders full of women?" The guy who lost so miserably in the last presidential election that he seemed to have a mini breakdown?
Surely the Republican party cannot be this freaked out about the nominee chosen by their party can they?
Oh yes they can.
In fact there are several GOP leaders who have flat out said they will NOT support Trump, and quite a few more who are still in the "undecided" category.
Even Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, cannot bring himself to jump onboard the Trump train:
"I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now," the Wisconsin Republican told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" in an interview.
And Lindsey Graham is literally between a rock and a Trump place:
"As for me, I absolutely will not support Hillary Clinton for President. She represents the third term of Barack Obama, and our nation cannot afford to continue those failed policies at home or abroad," he said in a Friday afternoon statement. "I also cannot in good conscience support Donald Trump because I do not believe he is a reliable Republican conservative nor has he displayed the judgment and temperament to serve as Commander in Chief."
Well I for one would welcome a Mitt Romney or some other establishment Republican jumping into the race.
After all, as I have mentioned before, that only helps those of us wanting to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.
Source http://ift.tt/1Wfh1F4
