"Ronald Reagan was
adamantly pro-choice."
In a sea of Republican presidential hopefuls that invoke Reagan about as much as the average person references their mothers, receiving the Ronald Reagan award seems to be the Everest of accolades. And such was the case at last night’s Frontiers of Freedom Ronald Reagan gala, where Mitt Romney sought to channel the legendary leader’s charisma, optimism and folksy feel.
Just as Reagan did when he warned against the “unprecedented danger” of communism, Romney laced his speech with warnings of modern day foreign threats like North Korea. But, like Reagan, he also channeled optimism. As he often does, Romney invoked Reagan’s famous line that “I have seen four wars during my lifetime and none of them began because America was too strong.”
Romney also used his speech-- which he opened by praising the day’s “life affirming” Supreme Court decision-- to allude to his religious convictions (hint: they’re not unlike yours, Christian Conservatives). He referenced Isaiah when highlighting his foreign policy goals and cited Cain and Abel when talking about the Virginia Tech shootings. He also said that after hearing about the tragedy in Blacksburg, “the first thing I did was pick up my bible.”
Speaking before a room full of black-and-white tuxedos, Romney’s speech was, fittingly, a study in contrasts: He spoke of life and death, good and evil, small vs. big. And for a candidate who’s plagued by accusations of policy shifts and flips flops, he wanted to make one thing certain: he’s the Reagan candidate. And he’s prepared to make as many Peggy Noonan or “Shining City” references as it takes, till they believe him. [NORA MCALVANAH]
Yeah, sounds like headlong flight to me...
Take away Romney’s own funding, and you’ve got a doomed campaign. I have to figure that Mitt is really running for 2012 or beyond.
Thompson has simply squandered his momentum. I expected stars to fall and suns to rise when Fred spoke, and instead I get a rambling monologue like my former Congressman used to give for the breakfast Kiwanis club.
Romney also said recently he's no clone of Bush either. It's the kind of things people say in campaign races. They want to signify that they are their own person. It doesn't mean they don't respect and admire that other person or share many common views.
Nobody is going to exemplify all the traits of another person no matter how badly we want them to, and they won't agree with them on every issue either.
For instance, as wonderful as Reagan was, he signed the 1986 amnesty bill. I hope our next president never does anything like that again.
On the other hand, we have to let the past go and come into the present where we see Romney's positions aligning with Ronald Reagan's more than any other top-tier candidate's. Of the top four, Mitt is the only one to support Reagan's Human Life Amendment and he supports the pro-family cause of defining marriage to be between one man and one woman.
Michael Reagan on Romney
I think the problem with Mr. Romney is that in standing for this, that and the other, he has alienated a lot of people who will tolerate a diversity of opinion, but will not tolerate someone who panders.
He is against abortion, but was okay with it before. He is against gay marriage but he was for it before. He is pro-gun, but was pro-assault-weapons ban before. Porn is a scourge, except when he was on the BoD of Marriott, and then it was just dandy when it helped pay his salary (my personal pet peeve is his hypocrisy on this issue).
If you stand for everything, you stand for nothing.
That is the message he broadcasts to me, and I find it distasteful in a major way.
JMO, of course.
Gee I thought I was going to read something current not a cut and edit tape!
The ironic truth? ha! The man who won the Ronald Reagan Award this April is running away, eh?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/04/19/VI2007041900473.html
Romney is the one speaking of the three-legged stool of family values, the economy, and the military.