The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsed Mitt Romney Saturday evening ahead of the state’s April 3 primary. But the editors also expressed their concerns about the GOP frontrunner, basing their endorsement on the hope that Romney really will return to his more moderate past positions as the once he’s clinched the nomination. In other words, what the Journal Sentinel likes about Romney is exactly what makes the GOP base wary.
From the endorsement:
We recommend Romney, too, in Tuesday’s primary election. He is the clear choice in an uninspired – and now dwindling – field.
But we do wonder which Romney we’ll see in the fall.
Is it the Romney who favors a reasonable solution to the nation’s broken health insurance system? Or – shake that Etch A Sketch – is it the Romney who blasts “Obamacare”?
Is it the Romney who has a long history of working across the aisle with Democrats on a range of issues – the consummate, even-keeled manager who is good at running things? Or is it the Romney who can’t help looking over his shoulder before making any decision to see if the tea party is brewing up a fight?
Most pundits considered Romney’s Etch A Sketch moment last week a gaffe. Describing how Romney would appeal to centrist voters in the general election, Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom said: “Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again.”
But here’s the thing: Fehrnstrom was right. Romney does need to shake up his positions – and move gracefully to the center on a range of issues.
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Romney’s finger-to-the-wind tacking across the political sea leaves us to wonder if he is anchored anywhere. But it also gives us hope that he can cast adrift the worst impulses of the political right once the nomination is his.
