Political junkies got a treat last Thursday. Donald Trump gave his blessing to Mitt Romney. The New York billionaire lives for these moments, and he got one - over and over again on every news media outlet in the country.
In a last minute change-of-mind, Trump backed Mitt Romney and left Newt Gingrich at the alter. He pompously patted Mitt and his adoring wife on the head and gave his blessing for the GOP nomination.
Does it really make any difference in the end?
Trump proclaimed that “millions were waiting” for his decision. Really? Polling later showed that few voters were remotely swayed by the real estate mogul's pledge of support. Merely two-thirds (64 percent) of likely Republican voters say Trump's support has any impact on their vote, according to a Pew Research poll released last month.
This is certainly not unique to Trump's endorsement.
The same poll found GOP voters equally unaffected by “pats on the head” to candidates from party big shots like John McCain, Herman Cain and Sarah Palin. “There are not very many people in very many places who can actually deliver votes on election day,” said Phil Noble, a longtime political consultant and founder of Politics Online. “People pretty much make up their own mind, and they're pretty independent.”
A good example is Ron Paul. He has lined up endorsements from people like Vince Vaughn, Barry Manilow, Kelly Clarkson – even Snoop Dogg. He's still in dead last place with zero hope of becoming our next president. Take that Snoop.
Probably the best endorsements these candidates can receive will be from other candidates dropping out of the race. Although that was the case with Herman Cain and Rick Perry cries to vote for Newt, they came too quickly after their departure from the campaign trail. Too quickly and without enough campaign trail dust from their time there.
Will anyone be excited when Jon Huntsman gives the pat on the head?
Should the nomination land in Romney's lap, the three candidates who have stuck around for more than one or two primaries/caucuses will be more meaningful and encompass far more dedicated voter preferences. It would be quite a feather in Romney's cap to attract the endorsement of more popular adversaries such as Gingrich, Paul and Santorum.
These candidates represent sizable bases rock-hard support. Donald Trump, in all his self-righteousness, provides nothing more than a “me, me, me” attitude. He won't make voter's hearts skip a beat for Romney.
What endorsements really do is provide additional funding for an individual's campaign (hopefully) and lots of media attention and camera time? But with a Trump endorsement as an example, the Pew research showed that nearly 20 percent of respondents would actually be less likely to support a Trump-backed candidate.
Will 20 percent who are turned off by a Trump endorsement be offset by more voters who approve of his backing? Probably a wash at best.
Trump's endorsement may lead to a few high-roller campaign dinners for the former governor, but on election day?
It won't mean squat.
* If you have enjoyed this column, may I suggest you scroll to the top of this page and press the SUBSCRIBE box? It's FREE. Thank you for your patronage.
** Send your comments to: dwight.schwab@yahoo.com
Comments