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Keller @ Large: Political Talent Scouts Like Our Politicians

BOSTON (CBS) - What is it about Massachusetts that produces so many politicians who seem in tune with what their party wants?

No, I'm not kidding.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

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Consider John F. Kennedy in 1960, the fresh young face a new generation of Democrats was looking for; Michael Dukakis in 1988, a technocrat when technocrats were just coming into vogue; John Kerry in 2004, the war hero Democrats thought they needed to compete after 9-11; and now, Mitt Romney, the uber-manager Republicans think recession-weary voters will respond to.

Our humble little state seems to be the corner drugstore political talent scouts flock to in search of leading men, and last night, Republicans in the most important swing state of all made it very clear Romney fits the bill a whole lot better than the libertarian, the social reactionary, and the egomaniac running against him.

Political campaigns are always about contrasts, so consider how Romney stacked up against the other three.

Unlike Ron Paul, he believes in a strong role for government in certain areas, a comfort to seniors and military families.

Unlike Rick Santorum, Romney is not an obsessive absolutist on social issues, one way in which his past flip-flopping may have actually helped him among equally ambivalent voters.

And next to Newt Gingrich, Romney's Mt. Rushmore-sized ego seemed relatively modest.

The last gasp of right-wing criticism of Romney as nominee was that he couldn't win as many votes as the two conservatives, Gingrich and Santorum, combined.

Last night, he did that.

They said he couldn't beat the president next fall.

Florida voters overwhelmingly disagreed.

Folks across America don't much like our driving or our growing stockpile of sports championships.

But they sure do seem to like our politicians.

Hey, we need spending money -- is that an export we can figure out a way to tax?

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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