Mitt’s secret promise?

Did Romney's advisers make secret promises to gain Log Cabin Republicans' endorsement? Not wasting any time, the religious radical right has already started demanding that Romney clearly and unequivocally deny that he'll support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is he should was elected. We could have a couple days merriment out of this.

On the one hand, Romney could again bow to the religious radicals, as he's done so many times already, and deny support for ENDA and restate his opposition. If he does that, the Log Cabin Repubs will have lost the one tenuous thing they hung their endorsement on—will they then retract their endorsement, or will they sit and take the public rejection of the ONE thing they thought they could get?

If Romney caves to the demands of the religious radicals (and especially if the Log Cabins then retract their endorsement), it would absolutely help Romney with the religious radicals. However, Romney clearly opposing ENDA would also reinforce his image as being part of, or a captive of, the radical right extremists, which would be a very bad idea only days from the elections: The independents Romney would need to convince in order to win are leery of the radical right and their politics of hatred and division.

But if Romney supports ENDA or refuses to state opposition (or even remains silent), the religious radicals—most of whom don’t like Mormons, anyway—will be apoplectic. It will also reinforce his image as a flip-flopper. At best, he might win some moderates to his side, but can he afford to lose the hard right? Is it even possible for him to make up for the lost religious radical votes?

I can’t see any good or winning options for Romney. I think he’ll clearly state opposition to ENDA to placate the radical right, as he always does, and the Log Cabins will say nothing (apart from expressing their “disappointment”). In addition to everything else I said, this will also give us further evidence of how Mitt cannot be trusted—by anyone.

Better make some popcorn!