Posted on 01/19/2007 8:39:00 AM PST by RKV
LADIES AND gentlemen, welcome to the first virtual debate of the new political season, a mock matchup to help take the true measure of two men locked in ideological conflict.
Our first candidate is Mitt Romney.
Candidate number two? Why, that's Mitt Romney as well. ...
A note on the proceedings: While our forum is fanciful, the words in quotation marks are real.
Let's begin.
...
Please give us your views on gun control.
MM: I supported the Brady Bill, which instituted a five-day waiting period before you could buy a handgun, and a ban on assault weapons. As I said in 1994, "That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA." But then, "I don't line up with the NRA." As I said in my gubernatorial campaign, "We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts. I support them. I won't chip away at them."
Romney2008: "I have a gun of my own. I go hunting myself. I'm a member of the NRA and believe firmly in the right to bear arms. In our state . . . there are a series of laws restricting gun ownership in various ways. Over the past four years, I've worked very closely with the Gun Owners' Action League here, which is an affiliate of the NRA, and we've made some changes which I think they feel have been positive steps. And so you are going to see that, I think, hopefully, in other states as well, as they make progress, perhaps further than Massachusetts has."
MM: Ah, excuse me, but isn't that son Josh's gun?
...
Alas, we've run out of time. But I hope our forum has revealed something important about the positions, character, and convictions of these two very different politicians.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
There is no chance he gets my vote in the primary and a 50/50 chance I would hold my nose and vote for him in the general. A terrible candidate and a RINO. Someone like him or Rudi would splinter our base into a million pieces.
Many moons ago, as a young skull full of mush, I thought abortion "liberalization" was a great thing. Now I realize how terrible it was.
People should be allowed to change their positions if they articulate valid reasons for doing so.
This does not in and of itself constitute flip-flopping.
Yeah, you do need to choose the lesser of two evils. Hell of a way to run a country. Where's Ronald Reagan's successor? Wish I knew.
Romney, like President Bush, supports the assault weapons ban. I don't know whether he still supports the Brady Bill, but labeling him a RINO is not constructive. I wish people would reserve judgement until more is known about the platform these candidates are running on, before trying to destroy their candidacy.
RWR was the last candidate I voted for in a presidential election without holding my nose. Bush I and Bush II have been bitter disapointments and Dole was far too left for my taste.
If you read the article, it's pretty clear that he's lying about the gun control position. That's not valid. What's going on is he's a typical politician - spineless.
" I wish people would reserve judgement until more is known about the platform these candidates are running on"
Key phrase is "platform these candidates are running on." Both Mitt and Rudi have taken some liberal positions in the past on some key issues. What they "run on" may not be close to what they actually think. I tend to prefer candidates who have been consistent on issues and don't lean whichever way gives them the best chance of being elected.
So...are you saying that a 47 year old Romney had a "skull full of Mush." But now that he is so old (50's, 60's) he's realized the error of his ways?
What do you think brought on this great epiphany? Same wife, same religious affiliation, same hair style and suave good looks, and silver tongue. What do you think brought him to his senses.
Could it possibly be that he needs the vote of conservatives to win the party nomination? Once he has secured our nomination and needs the vote of the general public to become President, do you think his views might go through another miraculous transformation?
If it was 70% I might be convinced. Based on his performance, the number is lower than that. Much lower. As in the case of Gov. Schwarzenegger, he is so far away from the base, that it really does damage to the party to have him as a candidate and an elected official.
Yes, the Boston Globe is out to knock him off.
Could this be because he's the candidate most likely to defeat their favorite Democrat?
"[D]o you think his views might go through another miraculous transformation?" Guaranteed.
Well, it's very difficult to figure out exactly what politicians 'actually think'. And even if you do find out, and it is inconsistent with what they do, what they will do is more relevant, in my opinion.
Regards, Ivan
I am by no means in the Romney camp, but I would just caution everyone to be vigilant whenever an unAmerican marxist publication starts complaining about a Republican not being conservative enough.
I saw Ann Coulter say she likes Romney. I think we're scraping the bottom of the bucket.
I also prefer conservative epiphanies that do not coincide with a campaign for a new office.
You have to concern yourself less with the motivation of the newspapers, than the factual accuracy of their reporting. In this case, the changes in position are well documented, substantive, and damning. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. We better do better than Romney in the primaries.
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