Whither Mitt?

I don't think that the Republican nomination is going to end with anything but John McCain's victory. But it's interesting that Mitt Romney is soldiering on, and more important, HOW he's soldiering on. The debate last night was apparently pretty contentious (I only saw part of it), and Mitt's new Washington is broken message may gain some traction, although I don't see how receptive Bush fans would be to that. Most important, Romney will actually buy some air time, and in California, no less. This seems like an idiotic idea, but he does have pollsters on the payroll, and he obviously thinks he can do well here. And he probably can.

People don't understand a couple things about the California Republican primary. It's winner-take-all by Congressional district, meaning that Mitt could target the San Diego market, for example, and get ads in 5-7 districts that could bear fruit. Plus, California is a closed primary in a state where the Republicans are much crazier than they are nationally. Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement of John McCain would help more if the California Republican Party didn't hate him. He has higher approval ratings among independents and even Democrats than Republicans in the state. Those that support McCain would have anyway, whether or not Arnold endorsed. I don't know what the situation is in Florida, but that's what California is about and I expect Romney to do fairly well. Doesn't mean he's going to win, however. I'm just happy he's spending more of Tagg's inheritance.