Now, with Romney out, the dynamic of the race will be fundamentally altered. The choice is now likely be generational in nature. Bush, at 61, will be nearly a decade older than any of his serious competition in the race. (Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul are both 52.) And, he will be almost 20 years older than people such as Rubio, 43, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 44. (To be clear: The age difference won’t be the only issue at play now in the Republican primary. But it will absolutely take on greater significance with Romney not only out but also highlighting it in his decision not to run.)
The generational question will be even more important because of the increasing likelihood that Hillary Clinton will not be seriously challenged for the Democratic nomination. At 67, Clinton would be among the oldest people — in either party — to win a presidential nomination. And Romney — and lots of other Republicans — clearly feel as though the best (only?) way to beat Clinton is to nominate a fresh-faced Republican who can paint Clinton as a figure of a past that is better forgotten.
Call it the Reverse Obama: A key to then-Sen. Barack Obama’s message in 2008 was that he wasn’t part of the old way of doing things. His age — and relative newness to the national political landscape — helped affirm that message and was critical to his toppling of Clinton in the primary and his sound defeat of John McCain — age 72 at the time — in the general election.
That age contrast — both in a primary and a general election — seems to be what Romney really wants. How much of that is about his personal distaste for Bush and how much is genuinely tied into a belief that it’s time for the party to move on is very, very difficult to know. But regardless of his motivation, Mitt Romney is going to get the primary race he wanted in 2016. All it took was for him to decide not to run.
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