Disney
Former Vice President Dan Quayle declared his support for Mitt Romney today. Quayle dinged President Obama and explained his endorsement in an op-ed published in the Arizona Republic newspaper earlier today:
There are four criteria I use in determining who I will support for president. These are: leadership, character, conservative philosophy and electability… There is only one candidate in the field that meets all of these criteria. It is Mitt Romney. He has proven over and over again that he is a leader. He has demonstrated he is capable of making tough decisions and turning things around. He is a man of integrity. He understands budgets and financial markets. He balanced budgets and met a bottom line. He is strong on national defense and has a deep love of the principles that make America great.
A one-term vice president whose presence on the national stage is defined more by his ineptitude (potatoe!) probably won't sway any voters to Romney's side. But Quayle does further reinforce the perception that the national Republican figures will all line up behind Romney's campaign. And as research from political science indicates, it is less about the individual endorsements candidates receive than which campaign collects the largest number of party elites.
