Potomac Primary

Romney in 2012? I think not.
by Kevin John Sowyrda

Why do I feel like singing, "Ding, dong, the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch!" This jingle of days gone by, minus Judy Garland in the ruby slippers, could well be the appropriate song for me or even the proverbial fat lady signing, especially if she were Gay and receiving the news that Mitt Romney's campaign has gone the way of Comp USA.

The former Bay State governor "suspended" his bid for president last Thursday having spent about 34 of his personal millions for a grand total of 4 million votes. He demanded to the end that he was the true conservative in the race and those who know him best would be hard pressed to take exception.

As the governor of the Commonwealth, Romney reversed the long trend of his moderate Republican predecessors who had embraced Gay friendly policies. Governors Weld, Cellucci and even Swift had all extended a hand of friendship to Gay men and women in Massachusetts. Romney, in stark contrast, tried to show us the door. Instead we showed him the door.

Learning that Romney, at least for the time being, won't be lifestyle lecturing is almost as rejuvenating to the sole as discovering that Rush Limbaugh has donated his vocal chords to the Smithsonian

But Romney, just like a good case of the flu, will look for a come back. He figures his dream come true is spelled O-B-A-M-A. Any one smart enough to invent a giant stationary store (say what you want about our former guv, but Staples is truly Heaven) is smart enough to see the tidal wave cresting in the distance. President Obama is purely inevitable because three forces have coalesced, and combined; and they are simply unstoppable in a Democratic election.

Romney knows what we know. The press adores Obama and will not offend him. Second, Obama profits from a historically inevitable white guilt complex which fuels his candidacy and gives him political longevity. Third, Obama proves true the oldest lesson in American politics; that a great communicator doesn't have to count his votes, but weigh them.

With fresh wins in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia under his belt, Obama marches into Ohio and Texas like Sherman did Atlanta, minus the scorched Earth policy of course. He's his own army not to be stopped; and when - not if, but when - he wins Ohio and Texas on March 4, you will see an icing on the cake on March 5. To make it all quite official and tidy, the super delegates will, in near plurality, announce their fealty to Obama, thus handing him the nomination, de facto if not de jure.

The only thing more interesting to watch that this, will be the inevitable March 6 press conference when Hillary Clinton does something she's never had to do before - concede. Pondering how Hillary gives a concession speech is like contemplating Mayor Menino playing Shakespeare's Hamlet. It won't be pretty.

And Come October this year, the dinner table conversations from the South End to the Castro will be about the amazing juxtaposition of watching the elderly and often laconic John McCain debating the perfectly polished and religiously refreshed Barrack Obama. The visual impact in and of itself will hand the junior senator from Illinois the popular vote and the electoral college.

But in the bushes in Belmont, Mitt Romney will be hiding. While sipping tea with the illegal immigrants who stubbornly manicure his shrubbery - maybe they do his hair as well - he'll pray for painful inflation, intolerable unemployment, shaky stocks and maybe a national security crisis to top it all off.

Some people will say that God doesn't answer the prayers of Mormons. I have no idea. But I'm sure God answers the prayers of good men. Since Barrack looks to me like a good, praying man, 2012 won't provide Romney with any window of opportunity.

The former governor of Massachusetts will be perpetually stuck in the private sector, probably on orders from the family to earn back that 34 million wasted on a campaign short on substance and long on combative, Puritanical preaching.