So last week we discussed elections and the difference between political primaries and the general election. One of the arguments commonly made about the difference between each is that the primaries pull candidates to ideological extremes, because that's where the primary voters are. These voters are also called the party's base. The bulk of the general electorate is not extreme however, so what happens in primary campaigns can make candidates uncompetitive in the general election.
Republicans worry and Democrats hope this makes Obama more competitive than Romney in the general elections because the president has not had to play to his party's extreme. He has been able to play to the general electorate, while Romney has been forced to campaign to the Republican base.
So I want you to critically analyze the claim that Romney might be less competitive than the President because he has been forced into extreme positions due to his need to win the primaries prior to positioning himself for the general election.
Outline which positions he has taken that might give him the biggest trouble and how he might deal with them.
