Today Rick Santorum suspended his campaign. It was a wise move on his part, considering that the GOP establishment is clearly behind Mitt Romney, he's lost the last few states decisively, and most importantly, his daughter is still recovering after being in the hospital for a chromosomal disorder.
So it's Romney vs. Obama. And yes, I'm aware Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul haven't officially ended their campaigns, but they were also-rans weeks ago. The race this year has a 2004 in reverse vibe, featuring a major party endorsing a candidate they aren't totally in love with (John Kerry in 2004, Romney in 2012) over a candidate who captured their ideological heart (Howard Dean in 2004, Rick Santorum in 2012).
The 2004 is also very similar in this sense: both campaigns feature an incumbent president reviled by the opposition party, seeming to stand for everything they fight against. Both Presidents Bush and Obama polarized the nation. Was it their fault? Depends on who you ask. But right now, President Obama will have the fight of his political night this fall. Everyone says that Obama's going to win, but if they believe that then they've ignored the instability of American politics since 1992. Barack Obama won the closest thing to a mandate in 2008, but due to the economy, battles over the stimulus, and the health care debate, it quickly washed away under the Tea Party tide. Right now the president is throwing red meat to his base with the "Buffett Rule" on taxes for the rich, but sometimes I wonder if that will be enough. Against Mitt Romney, who has had issues connecting with independent voters, it may be.
Question is, will Tea Party members be as engaged to fight for Mitt Romney as they were for the Congress in 2010? And what about the Democratic base? It all remains to be seen how it will go.
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