Inside the Beltway: Mitt Romney urged to speak the truth and ‘be the president now’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Now that Mitt Romney must face cranky critics and the rigors of the campaign trail, he might consider changing his approach to a White House run. “I have a solution for Romney. He should throw caution to winds — be the president now,” says Roger L. Simon, founder of PJ Media. “Why do I say that? Because America doesn’t have a real president at the moment and we are at war with radical Islam.”

Mr. Simon continues, “Romney should put all the traditional election nonsense on the back burner, forget the fundraising and the tedious position papers on the various issues. That stuff can wait, if it’s even important. He should take the bully pulpit for himself now and tell America and the world what we should do about radical Islam. Nobody else is doing it and we’ve been fighting this undeclared war for 14 years. And the bad guys are ahead and growing. It’s not just the major issue. It’s the only issue.”

And one more thought from Mr. Simon: “The State of the Union is coming up next week and nobody I know even wants to watch. Listening to President Obama at this point is like getting root canal surgery and a hip replacement at the same time. Romney is a rich guy. He should buy himself some television time and talk to us and the world. Circumvent the system. It’s boring anyway. Tell us what we should do about this global cataclysm. By doing that he’d show he isn’t a conventional suit, one of the standard criticisms leveled against him, and will be the man to beat in 2016. More than that, we need it. We’re in trouble.”

CPAC-APALOOZA

The countdown continues on CPAC, the annual spring rite for conservatives organized by the American Conservative Union. Organizers report an “overwhelming” response from the many already planning their visit in February to the glittering Gaylord National Resort on the banks of the Potomac River some 7 miles south of the nation’s capital. They also offer this partial list of confirmed speakers for the four-day event: Sens. Tim Scott, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Govs. Bobby Jindal and Scott Walker; Rick Santorum, Ben Carson, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, John R. Bolton, and Carly Fiorina. Many resources here: Conservative.org.

JONI ON THE MARCH

Interest groups are busy issuing “prebuttals” to the State of the Union address, or they plan rebuttals the nanosecond President Obama steps off the podium. But the real heavy lifting falls to Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who will deliver the official Republican answer to the address, and before a global media. Of note: She is a U.S. Army Reserve combat veteran, serving as company commander in Kuwait and Iraq. Interesting. The lawmaker says she has “dedicated her life to Iowa and her country,” and plans to share “real solutions” on Tuesday. Also interesting.

“She is a mother, a soldier, and an independent leader who serves in Washington because Americans voted for change in the last election. And Joni understands that middle-class Americans want Congress to get back to work, and that they want Washington to get refocused on their concerns instead of those of the political class,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said upon making the announcement Thursday.

“Sen. Ernst’s life is a quintessential only-in-America story,” noted House Speaker John A. Boehner.

Lots of pressure, perhaps. And best advice to the senator on the big night: Just stay in touch with your inner Iowan.

WEEKEND READING

Americans for Prosperity, a mammoth group of freedom-minded grass-roots folk, have laid down a policy gauntlet for the Obama administration and vow they will be in combat mode for the next year over health care, taxes and energy — seeking a repeal of the medical device tax, an end to the oil export ban and a return to regular budget order, among many other things.

“These issue battles are long-term efforts. We’re going to be there throughout this year, in 2016 and beyond. We’re going to make sure we have an infrastructure on the ground that can actually give teeth to policy pronouncements,” declares Tim Phillips, president of the 1.2 million-member group.

Take a look at their big thinking here: ReformAmerica2015.com. In addition, the Competitive Enterprise Institute will issue a mammoth “Free to Prosper” list of reforms for Congress at month’s end to shore up the U.S. economy, increase transparency, and foster fair and open competition instead of favoring special interests. See a comprehensive preview here: CEI.org.

A CANDIDATE HISTORY LESSON

While press and pundits mull scenarios for the victory or defeat of Mitt Romney as a White House candidate, there is history to consider, this from Eric Ostermeier, a politics professor at the University of Minnesota. “To be sure, over the decades many failed candidates have come back to launch a second, third, or fourth presidential campaign,” Mr. Ostermeier says, citing 24 Republicans and Democrats who have tried it since World War II alone. He cites a trio of likely scenarios for Mr. Romney — at least by historical precedent.

“Romney could fail to win his party’s nomination. Such was the fate of 1844 Whig nominee Henry Clay in 1848, 1928 Democratic nominee Al Smith in 1932, 1940 Republican nominee Wendell Willkie in 1944, 1968 Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey in 1972, and 1972 Democratic nominee George McGovern in 1984. Former President Herbert Hoover also made a bid for the GOP nomination in 1940, eight years after losing as an incumbent president,” Mr. Ostermeier explains.

“Scenario two: Romney could win his party’s nomination, but then lose once again in the general election. This was the fate of 1896 Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan in 1900 and 1908, 1944 Republican nominee Thomas Dewey in 1948, and 1952 Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson in 1956,” he continues. “And three, Romney could win his party’s nomination and go on to win the general election. This has happened four times since the birth of the modern two-party system in 1828 — though mostly involving rematches.” He adds, “The only politician to win the presidency on his third attempt was, of course, Ronald Reagan in 1980 after failed bids in 1968 and 1976. The difference, however, is that Reagan never lost as his party’s standard-bearer — winning the White House in his first attempt as the GOP nominee,” Mr. Ostermeier concludes.

WEEKEND REAL ESTATE

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POLL DU JOUR

• 65 percent of U.S. voters say President Obama should sign legislation approving the Keystone XL Pipeline; 82 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of independents and 52 percent of Democrats agree.

• 64 percent overall say the threat from Islamic extremists is increasing; 79 percent of Republicans, 69 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats agree.

• 55 percent overall say Mr. Obama is “not prepared” to do whatever it takes to defeat that threat; 81 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of independents and 28 percent of Democrats agree.

• 60 percent overall disapprove of Mr. Obama’s executive amnesty proposal for 4 million illegal immigrants; 82 percent of Republicans, 62 percent of independents and 35 percent of Democrats agree.

• 56 percent overall approve of normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba; 41 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of independents and 69 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A Fox News poll of 1,018 registered U.S. voters conducted Jan. 11-13.

• Balderdash and ballyhoo to jharperwashingtontimes.com.