To be fair, I'm not sure that Giuliani or Romney are, technically speaking, worse panderers than past Republican candidates. Rather, since the Right trusts neither Giuliani nor Romney, they're forced to be bigger panderers than past Republican candidates. None of their opinions can be assumed. They can't use dog whistles. Every crazy concept and nutty interest group demand has to be expressed in public and supported with maximum fervency. And not only that, but Giuliani and Romney have to outdo each other on this score. Their incentives are arranged so as to encourage absolutely astonishing feats of pandering.
