GOP Field Looking More Mainstream

Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 17, 2011

It's not just the potential GOP field that is thinning out, it's the once-crowded conservative portion of that field.

Pence running for governor.

Palin too damaged.

Bachmann too far-fetched.

Ron Paul too sinister.

Gingrich experimenting with "moderation."

Huckabee committed to private life.

Trump laughed off the stage.

Rubio refusing a draft.

Romney's conservative credentials revoked by the Wall Street Journal and National Review.

It's not just the potential Republican field that is thinning out. It is the once-crowded conservative portion of that field.

Of the remaining major candidates, only one - Pawlenty - is positioning himself as a Tea Party style Republican. Romney, Huntsman, and Daniels (if the latter two do decide to run) are positioned as "Main Street Republicans" in the Pew taxonomy: conservative yes, but governance minded rather than protest minded.

The winnowing of the conservative field sets up a potentially fascinating test of strength, and raises the question: have conservative pundits fallen victim to their own myth-making?


Category: News Tags: 2012 election GOP primary