When conservative candidates lose their bid for elected office, they tend to fade away from public life and are never heard from again.  But for Rockefeller Republicans, losing an election is evidently a resume enhancer for them to continue advising and interfering with Republican politics and policy.

Mitt Romney ran as a “severely” conservative Republican in the primary.  He pulverized his opponents with an expensive negative ad campaign and won the nomination.  Then, as is the case with most moderate Republicans, his truculent attitude in the primary transformed into one of ineptitude and submissiveness in the face of an aggressive Democrat opponent.

Not only did he lose the election to Obama, his status as the grandfather of government-run healthcare completely took the issue of Obamacare off the table for two years – until Senator Ted Cruz and other conservatives were able to bring the issue back to the forefront of political discourse.

Many of us thought Romney would recede back into private life and enjoy his affluent retirement lifestyle and his close-knit family.  Instead, he has slowly crawled his way back into public life and is trying to become the kingmaker of the Republican Party.  A one-term governor of a liberal state with a moderate record, Romney has never fought and bled for the conservative cause.  He has never accomplished anything to earn him the right to play the role of elder statesman in the party.

Yet, he has endorsed one liberal candidate after another, most appallingly, staring in ads for Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) misleading primary voters about his record.

Now he is venturing off into policy positions as well.  As Democrats face impending disaster this November, and for once, Republicans actually remained united against Obama’s last-ditch effort to demagogue with minimum wage mandates, Romney is calling on Republicans to support Obama:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday morning said he supports an increase in the minimum wage, breaking with many Republicans who have stood against it.

“I, for instance, as you know, part company with many of the conservatives in my party on the issue of the minimum wage. I think we ought to raise it,” the 2012 Republican presidential nominee said. “Because frankly, our party is all about more jobs and better pay.”

Romney’s comments come after Senate Republicans rejected a vote on a Senate bill that would have increased the minimum wage to $10.10. Recently, though, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, both of whom also ran for the Republican nomination in 2012, said they supported some increase in the minimum wage.”

So after Obamanomics has depressed the job market and income levels with interventionist mandates, tightening wage mandates will create jobs?

Isn’t it time to retire, Mr. Romney?