Mark Ronchetti, the Republican nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico, is now calling himself the outsider.
If Ronchetti cared about truth in labeling, he would have to bill himself as the contortionist.
He twists, turns and maneuvers into all sorts of ugly, conflicting positions. The result is Ronchetti will act like anyone but himself.
Nine months before he became a candidate for the Senate, Ronchetti insulted President Donald Trump.
“I’m a Christian conservative who used to be a Republican until The Orange One,” Ronchetti said. “… I’m afraid that has taken a part of my soul, and that’s not coming back.”
Ronchetti’s comments were captured on video. This made it difficult for him to claim what he’d said was misunderstood or taken out of context.
His side gave it a try anyway.
A handler said Ronchetti had been joking. Ronchetti, such a kidder and so full of punchlines, had never left the Republican Party. The truth, according to the handler, is Ronchetti has supported Trump and the president’s policies from Day One of his Senate candidacy.
Who knows? A couple of voters might have bought a cover story so lame crutches couldn’t have held it up.
Ronchetti’s flip-flopping didn’t matter in the Republican primary election. A former television weatherman, he was far better known than the two pushovers competing with him for the nomination.
All three Republican candidates claimed they were loyal followers of Trump. Who knows? Ronchetti’s hapless primary opponents might even have meant it.
As soon as Ronchetti won the Republican nomination, he began repackaging himself as a nonpartisan voice of reason rather than a mindless devotee of Trump.
Here are few observations the new but not improved Ronchetti made after winning the primary:
“The same old politics aren’t the answer.” — Translation: I won’t get any votes from Democrats if I stick to that story about supporting Trump and anything he says.
“New Mexicans want an outsider, not another career politician. Someone you can trust to be your voice in Washington.” — Translation: I talked about the weather on television for 13 years, but never did anything about it. My opponent has been in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, and he never did anything about the weather, either. I’m as trustworthy as they come.
“You see, this isn’t an election so much about a Republican versus a Democrat as it is Washington values versus New Mexico values. It’s a choice between partisan politics from Washington, D.C., or the independent spirit of New Mexicans.” — Translation: I have to put distance between myself and Trump. I have to portray myself as another Georgia O’Keeffe, painting a Western image of rugged independence. If I do that, there’s faint hope that Democrats and unaffiliated voters will buy my new message, even though it’s as contrived as the old message.
Ronchetti has hit all the political clichés. He transformed himself from someone disgusted by The Orange One to a hard-right Trump man.
Now Ronchetti is again reborn as a candidate. No longer does he care about partisanship.
Ronchetti made his latest U-turn in only a couple of days, near-record time for a neophyte in politics.
The result is that he has delighted his opponent in the general election, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján.
Each time the new Ronchetti talks about his plan to be an independent problem-solver, Luján will remind voters that the old Ronchetti said his heart and mind were committed to Trump and Trump’s policies.
Whenever Ronchetti says he won’t concern himself with partisan politics, Luján will play the video of Ronchetti saying Trump took part of his soul.
Luján, who’s both an overachiever and a survivor, won’t take Ronchetti for granted. He knows the former weatherman will campaign hard, rain or shine.
Luján will have to be on his toes.
Who knows? On any given day, a different Ronchetti might be on the stump.