Party of Big Ideas

OMG LOLOLOLOLOL:

Less than three months before the kickoff Iowa caucuses, there is growing anxiety bordering on panic among Republican elites about the dominance and durability of Donald Trump and Ben Carson and widespread bewilderment over how to defeat them.

Party leaders and donors fear that nominating either man would have negative ramifications for the GOP ticket up and down the ballot, virtually ensuring a Hillary Rodham Clinton presidency and increasing the odds that the Senate falls into Democratic hands.

...According to other Republicans, some in the party establishment are so desperate to change the dynamic that they are talking anew about drafting Romney — despite his insistence that he will not run again. Friends have mapped out a strategy for a late entry to pick up delegates and vie for the nomination in a convention fight, according to the Republicans who were briefed on the talks, though Romney has shown no indication of reviving his interest.

Scott Lemieux: "Hard to see any flaws in this trial balloon." Haha indeed! It's a perfect plan! And it sounds even better the second time around!

Mitt Romney couldn't win his party's nomination in 2008. He couldn't win the presidency in 2012. I guess the only thing that's left is to not win the presidency even harder in 2016.

The one wee fly in the ointment is that he doesn't want to run. Maybe they can just haul Bob Dole's old bones onto the stage for one more shot at glory!

The most hilarious and terrifying thing from this article, however, is not the fact that the best idea the Republican elite has is to run Mitt Romney again. It's the fact that they realize Trump and Carson are such terrible candidates that some of them actually prefer the idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency:

The apprehension among some party elites goes beyond electability, according to one Republican strategist who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the worries.

"We're potentially careening down this road of nominating somebody who frankly isn't fit to be president in terms of the basic ability and temperament to do the job," this strategist said. "It's not just that it could be somebody Hillary could destroy electorally, but what if Hillary hits a banana peel and this person becomes president?"

The only thing more terrifying than nominating a ludicrous jerk who can't beat Hillary is nominating a ludicrous jerk who can.

Cool party you've got there, Republicans.