A week that transformed the 2012 story line

[ProSense]

A week that transformed the 2012 story line

By E.J. Dionne Jr.

American politics reached a pivot point this week. A new story line will define how voters and the media see what’s going on.

Since Election Day 2010, the prevailing narrative has been about a resurgent conservatism, a president on the defensive, big government under attack, the deficit as the dominant issue and the Tea Party as the political system’s prime mover. The backdrop for this saga has been an ailing economy.

The troubled economy, alas, is still with us. But everything else is in flux. Consider the week’s three jolts to the system.

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Romney wants to keep running against President Obama and a bad economy. His opponents — especially Texas Gov. Rick Perry, still his leading rival despite numerous missteps — want the contest to be about ideology and Romney’s shortage of discernible philosophical commitments. The more the race highlights ideology, the more uncomfortable things will get for Romney.

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