Far-right barometer Robert Stacy McCain believes that a real backlash against Mitt is finally taking hold:
Just as the Republican elite's attempt to anoint Crist backfired, sparking a Tea Party uprising that carried Rubio to the Senate, there may be a possibility that the behind-the-scenes effort to anoint Romney could ignite a grassroots movement to unite conservatives behind Herman Cain's surging candidacy. The strength of Cain's surge may have been underestimated in the conventional wisdom of late September, when Florida Republicans made the decision that scrambled the campaign schedule. And the Atlanta businessman got an unexpected boost on Oct. 5 when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced she would not be a candidate in 2012.
Politico spotlights "Romney's most glaring weakness":
"There’s no one region and there’s no one issue where he really dominates, but he has the most overall points," [New York Rep. Peter] King said. "He’s not the type whose supporters are going to fall on their sword for him."
Rich Lowry, whose magazine endorsed Romney in 2007, puts it this way:
There’s a human element that was missing in 2008 and still is.
Michelle Malkin, for one, is prepared to hold her nose. Rick Moran warns against prematurely anointing the former governor, but notes that "it will take a lot to overturn the psychology of Romney’s momentum." Jennifer Rubin pushes back against the "inevitability" narrative:
Romney is without a doubt the front-runner with considerable momentum and weak opposition. But lots can happen, and there are dangers from attaining not only front-runner but media-denominated “inevitable” status. … Romney can overplay the establishment consensus angle.
(Photo: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney prepares to sign into law a new health care reform bill during a ceremony at Faneuil Hall April 12, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. The law made Massachusetts the first state in the country to require that all residents have health insurance. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.)
The Dish 