What Romney Really Means
by digby
Michael Kinsley helpfully passes on the argument for Mitt Romney’s election:
The Republican Party elite isn’t convinced by his attempts to reinvent himself as a right-wing firebrand. The establishment Republicans, business executives and independents who are Romney’s natural constituency believe he is lying when he strikes a conservative posture on social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, and when he engages in fatuous Washington-bashing.
“Oh, he has to say stuff like that,” they say, attempting to explain away his various panderings to the Tea Party and the far right. They believe that once in office, his true nature as an establishment, moderate, pro-business Republican will emerge. They believe he’s fundamentally sound.
Perhaps that’s true. There are plenty of people who believe that the only reason the Tea Party Republicans are so obstreperous is because they have a particular ax to grind with the person who currently occupies the white house. And that “something” has zero to do with the centrist policies he and these GOP elders seem to think are preferable (“Establishment, moderate, pro-business …”)
But if the Republicans are operating on a more ideological level, as they themselves insist, then Romney will likely be their guy too. It’s not as if he’s shown himself to have a spine of steel when it comes to political principles. He’ll do whatever is necessary. And lucky for him, the GOP rank and file are just ignorant enough that they’ll opt for austerity for themselves and tax breaks for their betters. (They just did that in Britain after all, and look at these fine results.)
I’m guessing this is a re-run in reverse of the 2008 campaign when candidate Obama’s moderate and centrist views were dismissed by his enthusiastic liberal supporters as mere pandering to get elected. Internet wags coined a phrase called WORM — What Obama Really Meant — to describe it:
… a rationalization for a controversial statement by Barack Obama.
Originally a fictitious game show where such rationalizations are put forth.
“Here comes another round of W.O.R.M.!”
This isn’t a new thing, of course. Politicians often speak in code. Republicans have been dogwhistling to their Southern base for years. But this may be the first time they’ve dogwhistled their moderates. Romney’s person is the dogswhistle — everything he says is straight-up Tea Party.
Romney is a born elite so he’s especially attractive to the Villagers. I would expect a whole lot of “What Romney Really Meant” (WRRM?)coming from that quarter if he gets the nomination. I’m fairly sure they would be quite pleased to have “the grown-ups” back in charge, even if it means that the country turns into Chile circa 1975. They have plenty of money and status to protect themselves and they would really like it if they could just feel comfortable again. They’ll hear Mitt’s “moderate” dogwhistle and make sure that plenty of people in the country hear it too.
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