| Arnold wrote that the gradual decline and fall of social institutions are not the result of revolutionary ideas held by their opponents; it is the product of phobias against practical common sense action produced by their own ideas. Taking this into consideration, Romney’s strategy for 2012 could work. His focus on true conservatism and economic and terror management might be necessary to secure the Party’s nomination, but it will not be sufficient without accompanying new ideas and a fresh pragmatism.
Unlike the world Reagan lived in while securing his nomination in 1980, the world Romney seeks to inherit is filled with a network of non-state enemies, complex environmental evils, and economic problems which reduced taxes, government spending, and regulation may not be sufficient to redress. Thus, Romney will probably not be able to sit back as the conservative’s conservative and rely on terror and traditional values to propel him to the Whitehouse. If Romney can find an issue the American public is chiefly concerned with, and put a pragmatic spin on it such that the public begins to associate that issue with Romney, will he have a shot at 2012.
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