UK: Weak Tea

The Economist

The Republican convention

Weak tea

Aug 27th 2012, 3:29 by J.F. | TAMPA

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MITT ROMNEY entered the 2012 Republican presidential primaries as the presumptive nominee. He had a sound track record and a lot of money. He finished third in the 2008 primaries (Mike Huckabee, the second-place finisher, declined to run this year), and has effectively spent the last six years running for president. It was his turn. Between presumptive and certain, however, lies a wide gulf, and at times during the primary various polls showed him trailing a disgraced former House speaker, a former senator who lost his last election by 18 points and did not appear too fond of separating church and state, a resolutely incurious Texas governor and a man who had never held elected office and whose election might not have thrilled America's allies in Ubeki-beki-beki-stan-stan. In retrospect it is easy to say that Mr Romney was never in any real danger: his campaign was broader, better organised and far better funded; Republicans ultimately fall in line after falling in love and so forth. Still, since winning the nomination his relations with the Republican base, particularly with the tea-party activists who have provided so much of the party's enthusiasm since 2008, have involved more grudging acceptance than genuine warmth.

Read it at The Economist:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2012/08/republican-convention