Romney: Future US president or wolf in sheep's clothing?

By Anne K Walters Feb 11, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Washington - The group of young Mitt Romney fans outside the hotel ballroom waved signs and chanted, 'Mitt, Mitt, Mitt.'

But they were quickly surrounded by detractors who vehemently disagreed about the fitness of the former Massachusetts governor to lead the country.

The counter-demonstrators were not members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, rather they were fellow conservatives from the centre-right Republican Party in Washington for an annual gathering of conservative activists.

One shouted, 'No to Rinos,' using a derisive short-hand for 'Republicans in name only,' meaning Romney did not meet the ideological standards to lead the party despite his stated commitment to such Republican beliefs as lower taxes and smaller government.

The annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the nation's capital comes as the Republican Party struggles to identify how to present themselves to the broader American public: Whether it will be the die-hard conservatism of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, or the more nuanced stances of Romney.

Each has racked up wins in eight state-by-state primary contests, with all eyes now on the March 6 super primary when Republicans in 11 states will decide.

Romney worked hard to convince the thousands at CPAC of his conservative bona fides in a speech punctuated by cheers and applause on Friday. He declared himself 'severely conservative' and rattled off his life story, identifying himself as a businessman, a family man, and a governor who had 'fought against long odds' in liberal Massachusetts.

Romney remains the frontrunner for the nomination, but has failed to garner much enthusiasm from the conservative grassroots who represent the majority of primary election voters.

His challengers want to remove his cloak of inevitability. A surprise win in three states earlier this week by Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum convinced his supporters that he could in fact prevail. Former speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich has vowed to fight Romney until the party convention in Tampa, Florida, in August.

Both also generated enthusiasm in the young CPAC crowd, who could provide foot soldiers for the ground campaign in the autumn. Many flocked to a stand selling Santorum's trademark sweater-vest, an old-fashioned clothing style selling for a 50-dollar donation to his campaign.

Despite Romney's best efforts, Jason Jones, a Santorum supporter from Hawaii, was passionate about voting for anyone but Romney and said he would not support him in a general election against Obama.

'I don't know if he's a conservative. I don't know if he's a liberal. I don't know what Romney is,' he insisted as he engaged a Romney supporter in debate on the sidelines of the conference.

'All Mitt Romney has is the myth that he's a winner,' he said, deflecting the argument made by many that Romney is best positioned to beat Obama in his appeal to moderate and independent voters.

Jones went so far as to say Romney has deceived 'naive' conservatives, calling him dangerous and a wolf in sheep's clothing.

For Jones, the issue came down to abortion. Romney was previously pro-choice and seems to have changed his position merely to run for president, Jones said. Santorum, on the other hand, has a long record on the issue and has a young daughter with a rare genetic disease that he says is his inspiration on pro-life positions.

Others point to the healthcare legislation enacted by Romney in Massachusetts that Obama used as a blueprint for his national reforms that are wildly unpopular on the right wing.

Many conservative activists say there are simply no candidates in the field they can get really excited about. None have the appeal of the idolized 1980s president, the late Ronald Reagan.

Even so, much of the crowd appeared excited about Romney - or at least see him as the best option.

Ron George, a Maryland resident, thought Romney presented the best plan among the candidates at CPAC, even though he personally prefers and agrees with Ron Paul, the Texas congressman with outspoken views on drastically cutting government. Paul, who did not address the gathering, would wreak 'slash and burn' on the federal budget, and the country was not ready for that, George said.

Romney is a more 'sensible and practical guy' compared to his rivals, George said.

'Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line and I fall in line,' he said. He would ultimately support Romney because 'our main goal is to get rid of what's in the White House.'

Romney is hoping his economic credentials will win the day, and if Romney can keep convincing voters like George, he may yet have a shot at the White House.