Here's a suggestion that one problem Romney might face with independents is that the Republican brand has suffered in recent years in the general public. In addition, House Republicans have let it be known that they intend on defining the party's agenda:
The Republican Party’s standing with the public plunged in the wake
of last summer’s debt ceiling standoff and has yet to recover. Just 35
percent of voters, according to a recent poll,
have a favorable view of the GOP, while 58 percent have an unfavorable
one. By contrast, nearly 50 percent of voters view the Democratic Party
favorably.
The poisoning of the GOP brand can probably be linked to a few
factors, but the compromise-resistant ideological absolutism of the
House seems to be the biggest single driver. Thus, the prevailing
assumption is that Mitt Romney will at some point stage a dramatic break
with House Republicans on some defining issue, a reassuring gesture to
swing voters who want to get rid of Barack Obama but who are queasy with
the Obama-era GOP’s radicalism.
But, as Jonathan Weisman and Jennifer Steinhauer report
in the New York Times today, Republicans in the House are on guard for
such a moment and are already making it clear to Romney that “they are
driving the policy agenda for the party now.”
In 2301 we wondered who is in charge of each party - here's evidence that a battle is raging within the Republican Party over control. How might this impact the party's chances in the general election?
