To be sure, the bomb throwing among the GOP and between potential candidates’ camps has already begun and is quickly intensifying after Romney’s unexpected announcement last week that he is seriously considering running again.
Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Newscorp, the parent of Fox News, blasted Romney last week, “He had his chance, he mishandled it, you know? I thought Romney was a terrible candidate.”
That sentiment echoed other comments both by candidates, party insiders and journalists alike, typified by a Wall Street Journal piece that posed, “The question the former Massachusetts Governor will have to answer is why he would be a better candidate than he was in 2012. … The answer is not obvious.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, whose building national operation is being called a potential sleeper candidacy, chimed in:
“I think the best way to counter something from the past is with something new.”
And Sen. Rand Paul reminded, “I think he could have been a good leader of the country. But I think many people are going to say, ‘He’s had his chance.'”
However, longtime Romney aide defended his candidate pointing out that this discord is not necessarily reflective of typical Republican sentiments, “Mitt happens to lead all the polls, so clearly there is a good deal of affection and loyalty to him among rank-and-file Republicans.”
