Why Mitt Romney Keeps Donald Trump Around

<snip>


For one thing, the Romney camp likely doesn’t share the belief that the story is as damaging as establishment Republicans are portraying it. Trump is catnip for cable news, but Romney’s behavior suggests he’s counting on the media to move on to shinier objects once the fundraiser is over and a new development takes over the cycle. Both campaigns have seen plenty of one-day blow ups since the general election began, none of which seem to have had any major impact on their standing. Romney has kept his head down on the issue all week, refraining from criticizing Trump but offering his own affirmation that Obama’s birth certificate is valid.

Romney has been loathe to pick fights with the right as he continues to consolidate support from conservatives suspicious of his late-life conversion to their cause. He never condemned Rush Limbaugh for his Sandra Fluke screed. After supporter Ted Nugent’s violent rhetoric prompted concern from the Secret Service, the Romney campaign mostly kept quiet except for a general plea for civility across party lines. The same month, Romney also refused to go after far-right social conservatives even as they hounded openly gay spokesman Ric Grenell until he resigned his position with the campaign.

In the case of Trump, there are additional considerations for Romney. For one thing, Trump helping the campaign raise millions of dollars and potentially committing even more of his own personal fortune to the election thanks to post-Citizens United campaign finance laws.

But more importantly, Trump could be infinitely more dangerous as a spurned Romney supporter than as a troublesome surrogate. Trump may be the butt of cable news jokes, but polls have consistently shown him to be the most dangerous potential third-party candidate, with a large base of sympathizers on the right. Even if he doesn’t run, the prospect of an angry Trump on cable news blasting the Republican nominee as a traitor to the cause is an indignity that Romney wants to avoid.

<snip>

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/05/why-mitt-romney-keeps-donald-trump-around.php