Romney Reviews

Frontenac was the epicenter of Missouri politics this weekend as state Republican leaders gathered for Lincoln Days to hear from presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

All the bigfoot politicos were there to cover it; here's a wrap:

Romney told reporters that, "Missouri is part of the heartland of America and the heartland ultimately decides who the nominee will be." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Romney's aim was "to portray himself as the best mix of conservative values and proven government experience."

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that Romney praised Gov. Matt Blunt heavily, saying "he's making waves across the country." Also, Jason Rosenbaum reports that Gov. Blunt and Speaker Rod Jetton agree that Romney is "the most conservative" among top-tier G.O.P. hopefuls.

The Associated Press reports that many top G.O.P. officials are signing on with Romney's campaign or "leaning towards him." "Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, House Speaker Rod Jetton and state Republican Party Chairman Doug Russell, among others, also are leaning toward Romney," writes David Lieb.

-Romney's Vulnerability-

The fact that so many Missouri Republicans are leaping on with Romney so early may tell us more about the stark political and ideological divide among the current crop of G.O.P. candidates. While John McCain and Rudy Giuliani lead the pack, many on the right grumble about their conservative credentials. Meanwhile, true-and-blue Republicans like Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee are considered longshots, and possibly not viable for the general election.

Romney is seen as the "most conservative candidate," who can win. But the more I read about Romney, the more questions I have about his governing philosophy and why it has changed. Hard-core conservatives have quietly grumbled for years that while although they have elected Republicans, much has not changed on the big red meat issues. Abortion remains legal. Gays, if anything, are making more progress towards "civil unions" and partner benefits in states across the country. Government spending has grown astronomically.

But the Republican party continues to champion and re-elect candidates to the right of center. Question: If conservatives believe previous elected candidates have betrayed them on principals in the past, what makes them believe that -- once Romney is elected -- he'll be as conservative as he claims?

And while Giuliani may have some problems on the right, he probably won't face the charge of being "politically expedient" come election time. The argument goes, that at least the G.O.P. would know what they'd be getting (pro-choice, pro-gay rights) with Giuliani. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney may be "right," for now, but questions about his credibility and authenticity on conservative issues will undoubtedly have to be answered before he's crowned "G.O.P. nominee." It's just curious to me that more conservative Missouri Republicans don't have those same questions, and are jumping on so fast.

Romney makes his formal announcement for the Presidency on Tuesday in Michigan.