It is very clear to anyone with a political sense that the Republican Party right wing does not wish to see Mitt Romney become President, anymore than they wanted John McCain in 2008.
Both McCain and Romney have been seen as “next in line”, which is exactly why the conservatives in the party hated McCain and now Romney.
The Anti Romney movement has gone from Donald Trump to Michele Bachmann to Rick Perry to Herman Cain, and all have been found wanting in their abilities, their record, and often even their sanity!
The past few days have been a great time for Mitt Romney, with the collapse of Rick Perry and Herman Cain.
Perry put on a weird performance at a speech Friday night in New Hampshire, coming across as possibly drunk or on some kind of prescription pills, but his odd way of acting will certainly harm his campaign, which already is in its death throes by any reasonable standard.
Herman Cain is having problems with financial irregularities and sexual harassment charges, and seems unable to keep a straight story, or even seem aware of anything going on in his past or in his campaign, being a very undisciplined man.
This all benefits Romney, and also allows Barack Obama’s campaign to focus on Romney and his constant changes in position on every issue imaginable. While Romney may look presidential, and on paper is much better qualified than anyone the conservatives want, he will have major trouble in the upcoming campaign because, as David Plouffe, the campaign manager for the President says, if Romney could find a way to say the grass is blue and the sky is green, he would do it!
With the reality that Romney comes across as a fake conservative, much like McCain in 2008, the odds are that many conservatives will refuse to back him if he is the nominee, and will stay home, or look for a third party vehicle. But that would only help President Obama, leading to a divided vote among Republicans.
And then, the evangelicals might not back Romney on religious grounds, as he is a Mormon, and the only other reasonable candidate, Jon Huntsman, also a Mormon, would not be able to gain their backing for the same reason, and would be seen also as insufficiently conservative.
So it is clear many mainstream Republicans see the defeat of Obama as receding every day as their party goes through the disaster of a Tea Party Movement, evangelical Christian, dominantly Southern control of their party, which guarantees its defeat in 2012!