Mitt: What Went Wrong?

Time Magazine's things that Mitt could have done differently: (link)

1. Could have run less as a social conservative and more as a can-do technocrat.

2. Could have delivered his religion and faith speech earlier in his campaign.

3. Could have run negative ads against McCain (backlash and ire be darned).

4. Could have recognized that his biggest problem was a perceived lack of humanity, and addressed it with humor, purpose, and authenticity.

5. Could have put his wife and sons more front and center in the campaign. (just kidding) [he did - Cap'n's note]

6. Could have taken a risk and separated himself more from President Bush.

7. Could have identified Huckabee as a genuine threat before it was too late to stop the Arkansan’s momentum — in Iowa and beyond.

8. Could have consistently presented his own personality—disciplined, ambitious, take-charge, impersonal, passionate about his family and his religion—rather than tried to fit himself into a series of established Republican templates.

9. Could have insisted his warring advisers either make peace with each other or quit the campaign.

10. Could have regularly addressed one or two policy issues and/or themes that he really believed in — like change, anti-Washington, the economy.

Cap'n's Reasons why Mitt Lost:

1. He looks like a salt n' peppered Ken doll.

2. His support of the war.

3. His kids are of fighting age, and they're not fighting the war that he supports. If even ONE of them served, it would be a whole different story.

4. He was hated in Massachusetts - especially when he kept calling it "Liberal land" and "Taxachusetts."

5. Kept taking credit for turning around the Utah Winter Olympics, when he came into it late and it had already turned itself around. Least, that's what people told me.

6. Should have stopped saying things like, "we need to inject more religion into the government," and then following it up later in the same speech with, "Jihadists will never accept Democracy because there is too much religion in their government."

7. Should have bought Mike Huckabee a bus ticket back to Arkansas, instead he ignored him and it split his support in half allowing John McCain to kick his butt. (agreeing with Time)

8. He kept talking about his business experience - which made me wonder why he thought that the government would do business better than a businessman? Got all that? Me neither, that's why it never connected with anyone, including Republicans.

9. Was passionate about his campaign, in his last speech.

10. He's a Mormon. There. I said it. Out.