Romney: The Establishment Guy in a Non-Establishment Year

Whether it is simply in the Tea (Party) leaves or some other phenomenon, the seemingly straight-and-narrow guy just can’t catch a break in the GOP nomination race, regardless of how hard he tries. It’s a sign of the times.

Poor Mitt Romney. It appears as though regardless of how hard he tries to move forward past the mid-20s polling level of support that he has held for what seems like decades, he just cannot break through. It does not matter that he is the candidate with the most billionaires aiding his campaign so far (including President Obama). It does not matter that he has been at the presidential nomination business for a solid 5 years.

Even things that would normally be breaks of fortune for the Romney camp such as garnering the endorsements of popular active Republican leaders such as Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) as well as legacy Republican leaders such as former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu now come across as parts of a mixed bag of political goodies.

In essence, the establishment guy ends up with his own set of baggage – establishment baggage – as he continues to be the only GOP front-runner that has eluded baggage regarding matters of racial insensitivity, marital infidelity, and professional repugnance.

Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think, that the establishment guy ends up with a baggage problem in large part due to being seen as the anti-Gingrich and anti-outsider? It’s not all Romney’s fault, though. After all, this is an anti-establishment era.  His stock of positive traits as an insider-type-of-guy is currently running into a buzz saw of change.

In a time where the Time Person of the Year for 2011 is “The Protestor”, an anonymous figure whose primary purpose is to upset the establishment apple cart, it is rather tough for any presumed authority figure or public persona to maintain one’s mantle without a serious threat from a previously unknown or underestimated foe. Ask Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about how it works these days as a presumed candidate running against anti-establishment sentiments fueled by technology, creative fundraising methods, and general contempt for the perceived elite class. Under this political environment, a small slip-up in strategy could now mean the difference between staying a presumed candidate and endlessly playing catch-up for a campaign season. The same could be said for the wave of incumbents tossed out during the mid-term elections of 2006 and 2010.

There is still power in garnering incumbency, but it is losing its potency.

The sad truth for the Mitt Romney legacy may be that historians will claim that he came with strong traditional traits but just at the wrong time in American history. Just as Democrats overlooked a lack of experience, youthful indiscretions, and questionable campaign missteps to elect a relative unknown from outside of the Beltway with the hopes that he would inspire the nation out of the Great Recession, conservatives have also chosen to largely overlook personal blunders and past political missteps as they continue to champion a nominee for 2012. At a time when people blame government, the rich, and the power for the woes of the nation, Americans take pride in having the personal imperfections that come along with going through hard times. As a result, more voters want their elected officials to have (or at least be able to relate to) these imperfections as well.

Unfortunately for Romney, more of America can relate to the flawed movements of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street ilk than they can to a background that includes a pristine (and political) upbringing, decades of marital bliss, and the bank account to blithely banter around $10,000 bets as if they were gift balloons at the local circus.

That’s a bad thing for establishment types such as Romney. American voters see the political arena as nothing more than a circus – because of the establishment, not in spite of it. As a result, anyone or anything (e.g., policy) that resembles the status quo of Washington politics and the power elite in America– from their visual image to their links to American political aristocracy -   runs a serious risk of taking some major flak at the very least. For others such as Mitt Romney, the perceptions shaping today’s America are enough to fatally damage a candidacy that would otherwise seem hard to beat.

At some point, though, every outsider does become an insider if their political and civic goals are achieved, so perhaps Romney may not remain outside of the circles of electoral acceptance for too much longer. However, if America continues this path of shaking up the establishment as it continues to change in demographics for the foreseeable future, Mr. Romney – and those of the Romney model – may continue to find that the very status that once guaranteed a presumption of acceptance (and even success) are increasingly becoming the golden bracelets binding them.

Lenny McAllister is a political commentator found every Saturday with host TJ Holmes and fellow pundit Maria Cardona on “CNN Saturday Morning” at 10:30 AM Eastern (9:30 Central / 7:30 AM Pacific.) This week’s “Saturday Remix” is availableexclusively on Politic365.

Lenny McAllister is the host of the radio show “Get Right with Lenny McAllister” found on LMGILIVE.com and often re-broadcast on Politic365. He appears weekly on “CNN Saturday Morning” with host Randi Kaye and former DNC Communications Director Maria Cardona at 10:30 AM Eastern Time. He also regularly appears weekdays on CNN's "Early Start" at 5am - 7am and "CNN Newsroom" at 12:30pm Eastern. He also appears as a political commentator on multiple outlets including Sirius-XM Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC Radio in Australia, and Chicago Public Radio. Lenny has written previously for a number of publications including Rushmore Drive, Global Grind, and The Chicago Defender. In 2009, McAllister was a panelist at the 10th Annual State of the Black Union and the CNN panel discussion Young & Black In America: Empowering the Next Generation of African American Leaders. In 2010, Lenny was featured in the Studio 360 series “American Icons” in the episode, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. He was also featured in the November 2010 Essence Magazine roundtable discussion “Race (Still) Matters” that featured the Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP President Ben Jealous, and CNN’s Soledad O’Brien.

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