Meet the next president: Mitt Romney

Examiner.com ^ | 9/11/06 | Bill Sammon

[sitetest]

Dear MassachusettsGOP,

I'd love to be able to vote for Mr. Romney, but...

This isn't quite maintaining the status quo:

"April, 2002

"I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose. This choice is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not mine and not the government's."

It is a philosophical endorsement of the concept that abortion is a constitutional right, and that whether or not to have an abortion should not be constrained by law.

To go from someone who is philosophically in favor of legal abortion to someone who now says he's against legal abortion, and that states should be able to decide the issue is a pretty big jump.

Other than the fact that before, he was running for Governor of Massachusetts and now he's trying to score the Republican nomination for the presidency, there's really no basis for the switch.

It's too opportunistic, too transparent. I can't buy it.


sitetest

[MaineVoter2002]

How about Newt?

[MaineVoter2002]

Mitt Romney has been hitting some homeruns lately. I hope it will continue.

Has anybody seen the new GOP Ad?

http://www.cafenetamerica.com

[Blackirish]

None of us knows what will happen.....but my feeling is that unless the Islamists surrender. GOP voters will swallow there litmus tests for a proven leader and to keep the dims out of the Whitehouse. .

Rudy...Newt...Pence...McCaine..maybe Romney.

Little known Senators like Allen or Brownback will be unelectable in the general or the primaries.

[MassachusettsGOP]

For one, I disagree, the quotes show his position did change between 1994 and 2002. And as far as I have been able to find, he never said that his positions in 2002 were the same as in 1994. He did however state that he believed that his positions did not change between now and 2002. And he is right. He said his personal political philosophy is Pro-Life before his election as Governor, but as Mass Gov. he pledged a moratorium on Abortion Law changes. And today he is still Pro-Life, but soon, no longer Governor of Massachusetts.

[JohnnyZ]

He said his personal political philosophy is Pro-Life before his election as Governor, but as Mass Gov. he pledged a moratorium on Abortion Law changes.

We all know he went far beyond that. He endorsed the right to abortion, said he respected it, said it wasn't any of the government's business, or his business, it was the woman's choice. That's a wholesale endorsement of the "pro-choice" philosophy, using all of their buzzwords, all of their terminology, accepting their arguments.

There are none so blind as they who will not see.

[Jeff Fuller]

I still think that Romney's 100% pro-life RECORD as governor (especially when he says he's "pro-life" will weigh more in people's hearts and minds than any amount of "but he said this in the past!" squeals.

The "flip-flopper" label won't fit Romney well since his only major issue of openly changing from a pro-choice politician to a pro-life politician (yes, sitetest, that's the official line). It fit Kerry like a glove because it was shorter to list the issues he remained constant on than the issues he'd flip-flopped on.

I'll paste in some of my previous arguments just to get them on the record here.

****

Romney has been Governor of Mass for nearly 4 full years now. Of the abortion related issues that came to his desk how many of them did he make "pro-choice" decisions? ZERO!!! He vetoed the Embryonic Stem Cell and Cloning bill, vetoed the bill seeking to lower the age not requiring parental consent for an abortion, and vetoed a law increasing access to the morning after pill.

He had various pro-choice statements during elections in 1994 and 2002 and said that even though he was "pro-life" that he would place a moratorium on abortion related issues while he governed uber-liberal Mass (which is and wants to stay pro-choice). This is an unfortunately reality that any MA politician must face. He made a campaign promise there and kept it.

However, I say, what's more important . . . pre-election statements to comfort a pro-choice electorate that he wouldn't do what every liberal fears a Mormon Republican leader would want to do (the worst of which came against the bulldog Ted Kennedy in Romney's first political debate ever) or an actual record of governing in a pro-life manner? I think the answer is clear to those willing to assess the situation properly.

To really get the full story on Romney's abortion history see http://www.redstate.com/story/2006/7/14/12544/1705
(written by a pro-life activist who is an Evangelical Christian and supporter of Romney)

Also, Mitt's ex-sister-in-law defended Romney after he was attacked by a Michigan minister-politician for his abortion history with this letter. http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/09/exclusive_romne.html

[Jeff Fuller]

Regarding Romney on Judges . . . I have clarified the issue here before:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1690534/posts?page=141#141

[Gay State Conservative]

Romney would be more competitive in the Blue North: Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire...

So,in these states,Romeny would finish 54%-46% instead of Bush's 56%-44%?

[Vision]

Romney, Giuliani, and InSane will never be president. George Allen has shown a few times to be unable to deal with any issues, he's unfit. Newt will rise to become the strongest candidate IMO. It's not up to you or I, we'll see.

[Gelato]

Issue Date: 3/3/2005, Posted On: 3/3/2005
Mitt Romney's secret gay history!
Ethan Jacobs

[snip]

Indeed, years before Romney ran for governor, he took several pro-gay stances in his unsuccessful 1994 Senate campaign against Ted Kennedy. According to an Oct. 17 Boston Globe article that year, Romney courted Mass. Log Cabin for their endorsement, promising them in a letter that, "as we seek to establish full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide more effective leadership than my opponent." Romney won that endorsement, in part due to his support of the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

[snip]

Romney took a pro-gay position on another hot-button issue during the Senate campaign: the ban on gay people participating in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). During an Oct. 25 debate Romney was asked about the Scouts' policy. He answered, ""I support the right of the Boy Scouts of America to decide what it wants to do on that issue," according to the Globe. He then added, ""I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation." At the time Romney served on the executive council of BSA, and a spokesperson for the organization criticized Romney in an Oct. 27 Globe article for opposing the official BSA policy.

[snip]

During his 2002 gubernatorial run his campaign distributed bright pink flyers during Pride that declared "Mitt and Kerry wish you a great Pride weekend! All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference." Romney also argued that he would not only support gay friendly policies but would fight on behalf of the gay community to secure benefits such as domestic partner benefits and hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples.

[snip]

Once again he courted Log Cabin for an endorsement, and once again he got it. That October he met with members of the group's board of governors, where they asked him about his positions on LGBT issues. David Rogers, who served as president of Mass. Log Cabin in 2003, was present at that meeting. He said members were satisfied with Romney's replies about funding for HIV/AIDS programs and Safe Schools programs for LGBT youth, although he said he does not remember the specific positions on those issues that Romney took during that meeting. On the issue of same-sex marriage Rogers said Romney explained that he opposed it, but his answer led Rogers and others to believe that Romney might change his mind over time.

"He said [same-sex marriage] wasn't popular at this time... So I think his answer on marriage led many of us to believe it was possible, but not at this time," said Smith. He said the group did not discuss civil unions, gay parenting, or a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage with Romney during the meeting.

[snip]

The new governor's transition team also included several openly gay people, including Grabauskas, former lieutenant governor candidate and current president of the national Log Cabin Republicans Patrick Guerriero, and former Mass. Log Cabin president Mark Goshko.

Even after he came out in support of state and federal constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage, Romney took some actions that could be labeled pro-gay. He offered political and financial support to two openly gay Republican candidates for state representative in 2004, Richard Babson in the Eighth Suffolk District and Michael Motzkin of the Ninth Essex District, who both lost. Both candidates were promoted as part of the Romney Reform Team.

More recently Romney proposed allocating $250,000 for the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth for fiscal year 2006, twice what he proposed for FY05.

[snip]

"We serve completely at the will of the governor," said Henry. She also said Romney issued an official commendation to recognize last year's 10th annual Gay/Straight Youth Pride Day on May 15.

All of which hardly sounds like the record of the man who's been courting red state America with anti-gay rhetoric.

http://baywindows.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=008EC9FBCFF24AD18614290016BE1303&nm=Current+Issue&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=A0CA3688CCEA4B259FB5FE42F7DDC9B0

[MassachusettsGOP]

Ok, lets say in each of these states, Romney gains an extra two percentage points.

In Michigan Bush lost 51-48, Romney wins 50-49.

In Wisconsin Bush lost 50-49, Romney wins 51-48.

In Minnesota Bush lost 51-48, Romney wins 50-49.

In Pennsylvania Bush lost 51-49, Romney wins 51-49.

In New Jersey Bush lost 53-46, Romney loses 51-48.

In New England, lets say Romney gains 4 points.

In Connecticut Bush lost 54-44, Romney loses 50-48.

In Maine Bush lost 54-45, Romney loses 50-49.

In New Hampshire Bush lost 50-49, Romney wins 53-46.

That little of change at the very least makes the Blue North competitive and will force the Dems to spend more money and time here, and therefore ensure the Republicans an easier time elsewhere.