Why is romney unpopular in massachusetts

The stagecraft—something Romney became famous for as governor of Massachusetts—is remarkable. The only thing missing is the fife-and-drum corps he used at the Faneuil Hall bill-signing ceremony for his healthcare law.

He continues on, now speaking about Ryan. Or watched his unfavorable ratings climb as high. Or watched his overall numbers stay underwater — that is, more unfavorable than favorable — for so long. At this rate, Romney is shaping up to be the most unpopular presidential nominee on record. Why is this? Why is an essentially bland, scandal-free figure so unpopular? The main reason, I suspect, is that the Republican Party is extremely unpopular.

The Bush years deeply discredited the GOP , and while Republicans were able to make gains in by default, as the out party during an economic crisis, they did nothing to rehabilitate their image. Indeed, they have embraced even more unpopular positions than the ones that George W.

Bush advocated. It's probably true that Republican candidates will stumble over themselves trying to tout their economic libertarian credentials on the assumption that the Tea Party movement represents or is of one mind with the Republican primary electorate. We don't have enough data to know whether the movement represents a re-engagement of dormant but pre-existing conservative voters, or whether their adherents are additive elements to the GOP.

We have no way of knowing how the Ron Paul wing of the right the broad right will interact with the older Tea Partiers, with whom they share economic but not necessarily cultural values. The Democratic Party's primary system has been amended over the years to allow insurgents to do well; the GOP 's primaries remain hierarchical and controlled by long-standing and entrenched interests. If Romney's the candidate of the hierarchy, then he'll get the better of the systemic advantages. Tea partiers haven't had much success, as of yet, in winning elections and building sustaining institutions.

Don't assume they'll control the Republican nominating process, even if it seems as if they'll dominate the tone today. Romney is a serious, sober guy. No one in the story used those words. The Republican won 50 percent of the vote despite the state's liberal leaning, and by November, polls showed two of three residents were pleased with his handling of the job.

Four years after taking office, though, Romney left his post with a high disapproval rating. Critical Bay Staters contend now that Romney always had his eye on the White House and used Massachusetts as a pad from which to launch his campaign.

Romney, 59, formed a presidential exploratory committee on his last day as governor but has been laying the groundwork for months, or even longer, for a potential bid. An analysis in December by The Boston Globe said Romney spent all or part of days in out of state, in many occasions flying to early primary states or stumping for Republicans across the nation.

A Nov. Romney's stature diminished over time as many residents saw their governor focusing more on his own agenda and not the state's, Zelizer says.