Howard Dean: Romney "will be forced to serve as an autopen" for RW policies. [View all]

[ProSense]

How The Right Robbed Romney Of His Running Room

Brian Beutler

<...>

“The (Democratic) presidential nominee has an enormous amount of sway over the platform,” says Howard Dean, who was DNC chairman at the time. “There is some push and pull, but the nominee gets his way most of the time.”

In an interview, Dean acknowledged that there are some issues, such as women’s choice, that no Democratic candidate could feasibly support or append to the party platform.

<...>

Dean says he believes Romney will be forced to serve as an autopen for the types of policies congressional Republicans pushed hard in 2011 and 2012. And he attributes the differences in the ways the parties operate to demographics.

“(I)n some ways we’re a more democratic party,” he said. “We tend to be much more tolerant of differences between people. They’re more like if you’re not with me you’re the enemy. (In the Democratic party) there’s a lot of give and take, push and pull. We work things out, even if it gets a little messy sometimes. The Republican party’s much more monolithic: mostly white, mostly Christian, mostly old.”

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/08/mitt-romney-paul-ryan-budget-conservatives-vice-president-health-care.php

Redstate's Erick Erickson issues warning to Romney
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021114221