Thursday, March 15, 2012

The GOP Nomination Nightmare Senario

I left the Republican Party years ago - as did many others - because the party abandoned its long held principles concerning the separation of church and state. When I exited the GOP the party, especially in Virginia, was becoming a de facto party of Christianist extremists. Yes, some "small government" folks remained in the party with their heads stuck deeply in the sand. And then, of course there remained the greed driven types who want nothing more than tax breaks for the rich and who are willing to climb in bed with the Christofascists if that accomplishes their self-enriching goal. But increasingly, the insanity of the religious extremists is sweeping control from the hands of the so-called GOP establishment. Exhibit A to this reality is the rise of Rick Santorum - a man who lost his U.S. Senate seat in a landslide because of his extremism. A column in the Washington Post looks at the possible nomination nightmare scenario for the GOP establishment which can only warm the hearts of Democrats and sane, thinking Americans who recognize the threat embodied in the Christianist agenda. Here are highlights:

Mitt Romney is still in control of the nomination, and you can still ignore talk of the still-implausible contested convention. But yesterday’s victories by Rick Santorum have made another, different GOP nightmare scenario that isn’t getting any attention far more likely. Call it the Winning Ugliest outcome.

What could happen is this: Romney could end up winning the delegate count, securing the nomination. But at the same time, Santorum could rack up enough wins — and end up leading in national polls — leaving a huge chunk of Republicans thinking he’s the rightful winner. This could possibly create a GOP nomination split that’s hard to heal heading into the general election.

Santorum may also soon open up a national polling lead, particularly with big headlines now calling Santorum a winner.

Of course, it’s possible that Romney will wind up winning the headlines in the next several weeks, just as he won Ohio and Michigan. The most likely outcome is still an eventual stampede for Romney in April or May. But this other, Winning Ugliest, scenario still exists; right now, it’s more likely than ever; and if it happens, it would make the Obama campaign very happy.
The party leadership sold out its soul and principle for short term political gain and it is now paying a price. Personally, I hope the price turns out to be an extremely high one.

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