Who are you?
by Duncan O'Leary
Mitt Romney has pulled out of the race to be the Republican nominee, leaving the field clear for John McCain. What are the lessons? Real Clear Politics has a breakdown of the Romney campaign, looking in detail at who he attracted and who he alienated. I prefer this much simpler explanation: the reason he lost to McCain was that he succumbed to an idea that McCain didn’t: ‘the mistaken belief that the only way to succeed in national Republican politics was to turn yourself into something you are not’. Ultimately, voters know authenticity when they see it – and when they don’t. Politicians take note.