Sunday, November 04, 2012

Why are the pro-Romney forces spending big money in TEXAS?

The headline tells the story -- in the last days of this race, the Romney forces are spending big money in non-competitive states, including Texas. Yes, TexasWhy on earth?

TPM kicks around two theories: 
1. It’s to build up GOP enthusiasm for down-ticket races.
2. They need to spend some of their donations on something other than lining their own pockets to help keep people from realizing they’re nothing but grifters who have been lining their own pockets with all that political donation money.
I'll posit another idea. The ads are designed to increase Romney's chances of winning the popular vote, even though he seems increasingly unlikely to score a decisive win in the electoral college. This outcome will serve a couple of purposes:

1. GOP propagandists will be able to impugn Obama's legitimacy, even if he scores a technical win.

2. If there's a "Florida 2000" battle over the counting in one state, Romney may be in a better position to fire up his troops -- and to sway the courts -- if everyone knows that most Americans would rather see him in the White House.

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