Radio host Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show Thursday that although he likes former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney "very much," he's simply "not a conservative."
"He's not, folks. But you can argue with me all day long on that, but he isn't." Limbaugh added that "what [Romney] has going for him is that he's not Obama," and that the former Massachusetts governor is a "seasoned" debater.
Despite those concerns, Limbaugh told his audience that he likes Romney. He's "a fine guy. He's a very nice gentleman. He is a gentleman. But he's not a conservative."
Limbaugh on Wednesday had said that the Republlican base is “not happy” with Romney and does not want him to be the GOP candidate.
Limbaugh said he found polling data that indicated 70 percent of Republicans are unsupportive of Romney right now. Romney gave a solid performance in Tuesday night’s debate in New Hampshire and won by default, he said.
“The Republican base doesn’t want Romney,” he said. “I don’t how many people in the Republican establishment are aware of that.”
The boardroom-style debate at Dartmouth College “didn’t change anything” because it was filled with “formulaic questions from the media,” he said.
“It was clear in a number of answers . . . these people were clueless,” Limbaugh said of Charlie Rose and the other moderators. “It looked like they were talking to Martians.”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry should have made a stronger showing at the debate, he said.
“I like his basic message, but I don’t know that he knows, yet, how to run for president,” Limbaugh said, calling the GOP candidate “too passive.”
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.