Beltway Republicans Are Losing Their Nerve

Apparently it's all over for the Republicans if Willard Romney loses Michigan. An unnamed GOP senator says that if Romney can’t win in Michigan, the Republican Party needs to go back to the drawing board and convince somebody new to get into the race. The senator still thinks Romney can figure a way to win Michigan but failing that he hopes to get a new candidate in the race who would force a "contested" convention.

“We’d get killed,” the senator said if Romney manages to win the nomination after he failed to win the state in which he grew up. Jennifer Ruben writes;

Our friend handed us a printout of FEC deadlines for ballot access, with five of them circled and starred: California (March 23), Montana (March 12), New Jersey (April 2), New Mexico (March 16) and South Dakota (March 27). The point: Even after Feb. 28, it might be possible to assemble a Hail Mary candidacy that could garner enough delegates to force a CONTESTED convention (a different nuance than BROKERED, which implies that someone is in charge).

The senator says he will make himself known should Romney lose in Michigan and then try once again to get Jeb Bush in the race. To the beltway crowd Santorum is Sharon Angle or Christine O'Donnell never mind that if we had listened to them we would have Charlie Crist instead of Marco Rubio and Bob Bennett instead of Mike Lee. Jennifer Ruben prides herself on her safe bets and pragmatism yet this same woman thinks wobbly, weak, Richard Mourdock could defend Indiana's Senate seat better than Senator Dick Lugar.

What if Romney loses Michigan and the Senator can force a contested convention and the party nominates Sarah Palin? Will he be happy then?