The Head Says Romney, But The Heart Says Palin

That's what Matt Lewis suggests in a column today at Politics Daily: that conservatives' heads will tell them to vote for Mitt Romney in the 2012 primary, but that their hearts will tell them to vote for Sarah Palin. It might feel better for conservatives to vote for Palin as an emotional favorite, and, since it's historically difficult to take down an incumbent president, Lewis asks the philosophical question: "If you're going to lose anyway, is it better to lose atop the horse you really want to ride?" It's a different question altogether who conservatives would actually want to be president; emotionally, even, and putting aside their respective chances of winning, Palin might not be tops in that regard.


Palin could be an emotional favorite for a different reason: conservatives would want to watch her campaign. If it's about inflicting injury on Obama and the Democrats, she probably packs more of a punch than Romney. Just watch her speech at the Republican National Convention, and notice the conservative daggers shooting out of her eyes. That's the magic conservatives may want to recapture in 2012--if for no other reason than to go on the attack.