It is hard to say which aspect of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s loss in Saturday’s Florida President 5 straw poll is the most damaging: 1) the fact that he made such an effort to win (including offering to buy every delegate breakfast); 2) the fact that he lost by more than 20 points; or 3) the stories coming out of Florida about voters who went to Orlando planning to vote for Perry, but changed their minds after his dreadful debate performance Thursday.
No matter how you look at it, Perry has clearly failed to meet the market demand for a viable alternative to former-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Hence the renewed interest in a possible New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie candidacy.
But is there something that Romney could do on his own to try and temper that demand? Prompted by a voter in Indianapolis yesterday, Romney said of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, “He’s obviously been at that level already. So it’s, I mean, the guy should be the chief operating officer of the government, which is, you know, chief of staff, or virtually anywhere.”
Chief of Staff Mitch Daniels? Sounds promising. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan also refused to rule out a vice presidential nod earlier this month.
If Romney started talking these two Tea Party favorites up more in campaign appearances, suggesting both would have high positions in his administration, it could go a long way to quieting the “anybody but Romney” crowd.
