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N.H. should shun our fiscal phony (Mitt Romney)
Boston Herald ^ | Februrary 13, 2007 | Virginia Buckingham

Posted on 02/13/2007 5:20:12 AM PST by RWR8189

Dear New Hampshire Republican Primary Voter:

It’s early yet, but I, for one, am pleased that your dominant role in the presidential primary process remains intact. The no-nonsense vetting, for which you are rightly recognized, of the people who wish to be our party’s nominee is needed more than ever before.

Why, you ask. Well, neighbor to neighbor, Republican to Republican, I feel compelled to confide in you: The newest official entrant into the 2008 race is a fiscal phony.

I covered Mitt Romney’s governorship for four years, from the singular vantage point of a former Republican operative turned journalist. You see, I was chief of staff to both of Romney’s Republican predecessors and no one was more thrilled than I when this businessman-turned-politician decided to run for governor. His election ensured that the Republican winning streak in this decidedly liberal state would continue for the foreseeable future. And his election ensured that the solid no-new-taxes policies of his predecessors would continue to shape the state’s fiscal debates.

So no one was more disappointed than I when Mitt Romney failed to live up to his billing. After an unremarkable four-year term, we have seen what happens when a Republican governor refuses to take a no-new-taxes pledge, and then, not surprisingly, raises taxes (and morphs into a social conservative and runs full time for president instead of governing.) A Democrat wins. Now in Massachusetts, we are in the pitiable position of being one of a handful of states whose governor won’t even issue a proclamation honoring former President Ronald Reagan’s birthday. To which we GOP’ers in the Bay State say: Thank you, Mitt!

Plenty has been written about Romney’s conservative conversion on social issues, but you in the New Hampshire GOP have historically been more concerned with how a candidate’s record affects your wallet than your bedroom. And on that score, Romney’s candidacy should give you pause.

Consider:

Your own governor, Democrat John Lynch scored better (receiving a B) on the annual fiscal report card issued by the libertarian Cato Institute than Romney (who got a C). The 2006 Cato report described Romney’s message that he was a governor who stood by a no-new-taxes pledge as “mostly a myth.”

“Rather than forcing the Legislature to close the budget gap through spending cuts alone, Romney raised some $500 million in fees.

“Romney raised corporate taxes by an estimated $210 million and only backed down under pressure from pushing for even higher taxes on business.

“Romney watered down a voter-approved immediate rollback of the income tax, by proposing to spread the final phase of the cut over two years.

“Romney flip-flopped on rebating capital gains taxes to taxpayers that had been collected unconstitutionally. ‘I’d far rather see tax cuts in the future than tax cuts applied in the past,’ he said as the state’s highest court wrestled with the issue.

“Until his presidential run, Romney had refused to back President Bush’s call to make federal tax cuts permanent.”

The Cato report on Romney concludes with this thought: “If you consider the massive costs to taxpayers that his universal health care plan will inflict once he’s left office, Romney’s tenure is clearly not a triumph of small-government activism.”

So New Hampshire, it’s up to you. Do you really want Mitt Romney to do for the country what he did for Massachusetts?

 Sincerely, Ginny.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: electionpresident; mittromney; romney2008; romneytherino
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1 posted on 02/13/2007 5:20:14 AM PST by RWR8189
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To: RWR8189

take a look at you house and senate


2 posted on 02/13/2007 5:22:12 AM PST by sopwith (don't tread on me)
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To: RWR8189

Ginny:

Thank you very much for your excellent advice, and clear statement why Mitt is not a fit candidate to represent a conservative Republican party.


3 posted on 02/13/2007 5:22:14 AM PST by NHResident
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To: RWR8189

It's a good thing that Bucky didn't let her hormones cloud her brain like they did to Ann Coulter.


4 posted on 02/13/2007 5:22:14 AM PST by HEY4QDEMS (Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
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To: RWR8189
So New Hampshire, it’s up to you. Do you really want Mitt Romney to do for the country what he did for Massachusetts?

State braces for loss of congressional seat

Gee, what's not to love?

5 posted on 02/13/2007 5:23:49 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: RWR8189

Who does "Ginny" work for now? I'd think there would be plenty of political jobs up for grabs especially for an ex- "chief of staff" for the two previous Governors (Swift and Celluci?)


6 posted on 02/13/2007 5:29:57 AM PST by rhombus
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To: RWR8189

Singling Romney out as a fiscal phony is just a waste of breath. New England, and indeed all of America, is full of fiscal phonies.

The real question is whether you can find one who's NOT a fiscal phony.


7 posted on 02/13/2007 5:30:02 AM PST by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant
Singling Romney out as a fiscal phony is just a waste of breath. New England, and indeed all of America, is full of fiscal phonies.

Anyone who votes for a pol MA (or NY) elects/elected to statewide office needs his/her head examined.

8 posted on 02/13/2007 5:31:48 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: RWR8189
After an unremarkable four-year term, we have seen what happens when a Republican governor refuses to take a no-new-taxes pledge, and then, not surprisingly, raises taxes (and morphs into a social conservative and runs full time for president instead of governing.) A Democrat wins.

And what happens if someone like him or a pro-choice gun-grabbing former mayor runs for president? A Democrat wins.

Try telling that to the resurgent Rockefeller wing of the party.

9 posted on 02/13/2007 5:35:08 AM PST by dirtboy (Duncan Hunter 08)
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To: RWR8189
Mitt was working with a legislature that was 89% Democrat. Doesn't Buckingham understand the rules in Massachusetts? Elect a Republican Governor and blame him for everything.

Keep in mind, Romney erased a $400 million dollar operating deficit that was there when he entered office.

10 posted on 02/13/2007 5:37:38 AM PST by Stars&StripesNE (Liberals are the enemy within)
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To: Brilliant

Yeah, the Mass healthcare plan is not the mark of a fiscal conservative, but Romney did attempt some tax reform in Mass, and a rollback in state personal income tax rates.

I think Giuliani is less of a fiscal conservative though.

Brownback: who?

Paging Newt Gingrich: your moment is here, please declare!


11 posted on 02/13/2007 5:48:37 AM PST by dashing doofus (Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber)
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To: Jen's Mom
Keep in mind, Romney erased a $400 million dollar operating deficit that was there when he entered office.

By raising fees over $500 million per year, ($2 Billion over the four years he was in office), and refusing to roll back income tax as mandated by the voters.
12 posted on 02/13/2007 5:49:48 AM PST by HEY4QDEMS (Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
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To: dirtboy

'Rats. RINOs. No diff.


13 posted on 02/13/2007 5:50:09 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: Jen's Mom
Do you really think that bluer-than-blue MA would vote for anything other than a RINO?!

People aren't bugging out of MA because Romney, along with their state legislature, were God's gift to good governance.

14 posted on 02/13/2007 5:52:12 AM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: Jen's Mom
Where you born yesterday?

"Keep in mind, Romney erased a $400 million dollar operating deficit that was there when he entered office."

Yeah, he raised nearly a billion a year in taxes, fees and fines....for each year. And now what? The Democrats spent the extra 3.5 billion and we have a billion dollar debt.(Who would of thought? I guess you have to go to somewhere other than Harvard to figure that out). No wonder he 'closed' the deficit. Did he cut taxes? Nope. Did he veto the budgets? Nope. Did he upset the temple and throw out the Democrat money(tax) changers? What I mean is did he rock the boat and go full out, or did he just 'manage' his governorship as a ladder rung to the presidency? Pick one of the two.

15 posted on 02/13/2007 5:55:32 AM PST by Leisler (REAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS WALK.)
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To: Brilliant
No sir, the REAL question is who is the REAL Conservative?

Answer, Duncan "the RINO" Hunter
16 posted on 02/13/2007 5:55:36 AM PST by tiger-one (The night has a thousand eyes)
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To: HEY4QDEMS

Fees ARE Taxes


17 posted on 02/13/2007 5:57:27 AM PST by tiger-one (The night has a thousand eyes)
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To: rhombus

Ginny ran MASSPORT when some Muslims decided to fly some planes.


18 posted on 02/13/2007 5:58:43 AM PST by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: tiger-one

And your point is?


19 posted on 02/13/2007 5:59:14 AM PST by HEY4QDEMS (Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.)
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To: HEY4QDEMS

The Romney-bot is programmed to win elections. That is the purpose of the Romney-bot.

The Romney-bot was constructed with Square Jaw(tm), Shiny Teeth(tm) and Good Hair(tm) technology. These features allow the Romney-bot to win votes from the Gullible Girl(tm) demographic.

Victory is inevitable for the Romney-bot. Join the winning camp -- get out there and vote Romney-bot!


20 posted on 02/13/2007 6:02:15 AM PST by Mr J (All IMHO.)
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