At his New York Times blog, Ross Douthat “games out” a potential third-party presidential candidacy by Mitt Romney. Douthat considers situations where Romney would place in third behind Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and in second place ahead of Trump but behind Clinton. Then there’s the possibility Romney could run and win:
Douthat notes the Daily Caller‘s Jamie Weinstein’s argument for Romney to launch a bid, calling it the 2012 GOP nominee’s opportunity to be “something more than a historical footnote, something more memorable.”
As Douthat and Weinstein both acknowledge, the ability for Romney to pull it off is exceedingly difficult. But has there ever been a presidential election where both major party candidates are “disliked” or “hated” by 60 percent of the country? Romney may find his long-shot bid for the White House would be easier than conventional wisdom suggests, as well as the duty of someone of his stature and character.
