A Changed Man Mitt Romney's Ideological Turnabout Has Critics Wondering: Who Is This Guy?

Washington Post ^ | October 10,2007 | David Segal

[colorcountry]

...Will the real Mitt Romney please stand up? < snip>

"He ran for governor in the bluest state of all blue states," says James Edwards, "the bluest state you can think of, as a conservative Republican, and he won 51 percent of the vote in a four-way race without a runoff!"

Romney deflects the praise with a regionally tailored quip. "It's like that song, maybe you've heard it," he says, about to quote country star Toby Keith. " 'I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.' " He's an unlikely honky-tonker, this 60-year-old who's spent his adult life in the suburbs of Boston and looks like the mayor of whatever town the Cleavers lived in. During his pre-Q&A remarks, Romney speaks with an assortment of golly-geeisms straight out of the '50s, with lots of sunny talk about values, the importance of a big military, the virtues of small government. He repeats the word "strong" so often you'd think he's earning royalties from it.

< snip> As a performance, it's smooth, folksy and winningly sincere. But it doesn't sound much like the man who won that vote in Massachusetts. That Romney positioned himself, and for a while governed as, a moderate: in favor of abortion rights, courting gay voters and crusading on environmental matters in a way that had the state's green activists pinching themselves with joy.

He now says his pro-choice leanings were a mistake. He has become one of the country's highest-profile opponents of gay marriage, and he warns against taking Al Gore's side regarding action on global warming.

[colorcountry]

From the article: "Many candidates change. Romney seems to have given himself a makeover. Which has prompted more than a few people to ask: Who is this guy?"

Do any of us really know?

One Freeper had this to say regarding Mitt, "...and Mitt looks as greasy and slick as a gylcerin suppository."

Slick Mitty! Can this nation survive?

[SmoothTalker]

I’ve never liked Mitt. He makes John Kerry look ideologically consistent. He said what the voters wanted to hear in Mass and now he is saying what we want to hear in the primaries. A real snake if you ask me.

[Petronski]

Willard Myth Romney: “Where’s my lawyers!?!”

[WalterSkinner]

..whoever gave him the name “Myth Romney” had it right...

[colorcountry]

I often wonder if he believes he is giving us “milk before meat.” Giving us the soft sell, and hiding all his stances that might be too hard for us to swallow....once we’ve tossed our lot with his, he’ll move in for the kill.

I Don’t trust him. I’ve seen too many of his kind in the past.

[nowandlater]

Mitt political career is very thin. 4 years as Governor of Massachussetts had soured him on liberal lunacy. I think that turned him more conservative.

[TChris]

I Don’t trust him. I’ve seen too many of his kind in the past.

Yeah, you're right. Just keep supporting Rudy and Hillary. One of them is sure to be better than nasty ol' Mitt.

[LibLieSlayer]

I’ll tell you who he is... he is a LIBERAL in a $2800.00 empty suit... a deceiver and a liar... a chameleon that changes colors when needed.

LLS

[colorcountry]

I support Hunter or Thompson. You seem to think Mitt or Judyani are our only choices. What kind of Freeper are you?

I won’t support Mitt. Not in this primary, and not in the general election. We have other choices - almost ALL of them are better that Mitt. (at least Guiliani can win. Can Romney?)

[WalterSkinner]

..I wasn't going to ever support him anyway--but if I had, this one would have changed my mind forever:

LINK

[AFA-Michigan]

Perhaps the most telling are the last two paragraphs of this article:

“What liberal activists from (Massachusetts) remember, however, is a governor who presented a thoroughly convincing (liberal) persona in 2002 and effectively abandoned it two years later. Which is the real Romney, they ask? Some think he was feigning his moderation then and is revealing his true self now. But it’s a safe bet that Romney WOULD HAVE PASSED A LIE DETECTOR TEST IN BOTH INCARNATIONS.”

Which clearly speaks to Mitt’s schizo personality and the apparent mind games and word trick he plays not only on the rest of the word, but himself.

If someone says something that’s demonstrably not true, to be a liar requires consciously knowing it’s not true.

But what do you call someone who may not be able to distingush between truth and untruth? Is one more comforting than the other, consciously lying or not knowing the difference? Not if we’re talking about making somebody the most powerful man in the world.

“I’m a life-long hunter.”

“I have a gun of my own.”

“I was always for life.”

But the clearest example of the above is the following comment two months ago:

Mitt Romney, Fox News Sunday, August 12, 2007:

“I never CALLED myself pro-choice. I never ALLOWED myself to use the WORD ‘pro-choice,’ because I didn’t FEEL I was pro-choice. I would protect the law, I said, as it was, but I WASN’T pro-choice.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293017,00.html

---

Romney, Aug. 5, 2007: “My greatest mistake was when I first ran for office being deeply opposed to abortion but saying I’d support the current law, which was pro-choice and effectively a pro-choice position. That was just wrong.”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293017,00.html

Romney, Aug. 6, 2007: “I never said I was pro-choice, but my position was effectively pro-choice.”

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-08-05-gop-debate_N.htm

Romney May 2007: “I was effectively pro-choice at that time.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/09/AR2007050902263.html

Romney 2002 gubernatorial campaign interview: “So when asked will I preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose, I make an unequivocal answer: yes.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKwVNUz52vo

Romney 2002 gubernatorial debate: “I will preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose, and have devoted and am dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. ...I’m not going to make any changes that would make it more difficult for a woman to make that choice herself. ...A woman should have the right to make her own choice as to whether or not to have an abortion...I have held that view consistently. ...I do not take the position of a pro-life candidate. I’m in favor of preserving and protecting a woman’s right to choose.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_w9pquznG4

Romney 1994 senatorial debate: “I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. ...I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years, we should sustain and support it, and I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI

[TChris]

I support Hunter or Thompson. You seem to think Mitt or Judyani are our only choices. What kind of Freeper are you?

A realistic one. Ann Coulter explained it pretty well, if you care to read about it.

Romney or Giuliani are the two who have a realistic chance of being elected. That's just a cold, hard fact.

I won’t support Mitt. Not in this primary, and not in the general election.

Better to be a 100%'er and happily sit out the vote, eh? That's effectively the same as a vote for whoever wins. Why not support the candidate who is most likely to win and gives you most of what you want? Better to have 60% of what you want than 90% of what you don't, I'd think.

We have other choices - almost ALL of them are better that Mitt. (at least Guiliani can win. Can Romney?)

Gosh, I dunno. Maybe Romney has a track record you can check as it relates to success and winning. That should answer your question.

I can't answer for you. Maybe you really would prefer Giuliani to Romney. I know I wouldn't.

Just how far are you comfortable going to make sure Mitt isn't elected?

[colorcountry]

Mitt political career is very thin. 4 years as Governor of Massachussetts had soured him on liberal lunacy. I think that turned him more conservative.

What will the office of Presidency bring him? Why do we want such an unseasoned politician, who is still forming "opinions" about what type of government he wants to lead as POTUS.

It boggles my mind that there are some who support him because he has a wonderful wife, good looking sons, great hair, good teeth, and a pleasing countenance - yet even his supporters like you, will point out that he is a politician who is still wet behind the ears.

[colorcountry]

Is Ann Coulter your new God? She has great conservative opinions, but they are just that...opinions.

I don’t think Mitt can win. Once the Dem machinery gets hold of him, he’s sunk. They are hoping he gets the nomination - - he’ll be the easiest to take out.

There are plenty of pundits who put Fred in the list of realistic candidates. I prefer to believe them. Thanks anyway.

[nowandlater]

Yes, he is wet behind the ears, but I see alot of promise of what he did in the last 2/3 years of his Governorship. If he can do those things in a blue state then I more than confident he will do well as POTUS.

But, anyway I think Mitt is in the same position that GW was in. Both had thin political resumes but I think the difference with Mitt is that he an extensive prove CEO resume in everything he has done.

[Ingtar]

I half agree with you on Mitt being easy to take out. But I also believe that Giuliani is even easier for them to take out. That is why they are concentrating on belittling or ignoring Hunter and Thompson. These are the ones they have no answer for.

[AFA-Michigan]

If Mitt or Rudy is the nominee, even some Southern states will be in play. Two northeastern Yankees with records of promoting abortion on demand, the homosexual agenda, and gun control. Against the former First Lady of Arkansas. Hillary wins Arkansas and against either of these two, is competitive in states she wouldn’t come close to winning against Huckabee, McCain, or Thompson.

[Petronski]

...whoever gave him the name “Myth Romney” had it right...

Wasn't that you?

[colorcountry]

Have you ever watched the movie “Pretty Woman?”

Yes, it is liberal, with liberal actors, but do you remember what Richard Gere did for a living in that movie?

I’ll remind you. He was a filthy venture capitalist. He was someone who took over other people’s hardearned companies by hostile takeovers, then he parcelled out the companies and sold them at a profit. He ruined business owners, and he put workers out of jobs.

This is what simple Americans know about “venture capitalists.” Romney’s business acumen will not likely play out favorably with the American public - not to workers, and not to business owners.

[Kevmo]

Myth Romney looks as greasy and slick as a gylcerin suppository. I’ll bet that becomes someone’s tagline.

I think the lawyer quip cost him that debate. According to Intrade, Myth lost and Huckabee won.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1908787/replies?c=8

To: CounterCounterCulture
Snapshot at Intrade

2008 Republican Presidential Nominee
2008.GOP.NOM.GIULIANI
Rudy Giuliani to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 38.9 39.2 38.8 116921 +0.2

2008.GOP.NOM.ROMNEY
Mitt Romney to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 23.8 24.0 23.8 97384 -1.9

2008.GOP.NOM.THOMPSON(F)
Fred Thompson to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 22.0 22.1 22.1 86218 +0.2

2008.GOP.NOM.PAUL
Ron Paul to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 5.7 5.8 5.5 64923 -1.4

2008.GOP.NOM.MCCAIN
John McCain to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 5.2 5.3 5.2 145572 -0.0

2008.GOP.NOM.HUCKABEE
Mike Huckabee to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 2.8 3.3 2.7 49872 +0.1

2008.GOP.NOM.RICE

2008.GOP.NOM.HUNTER
Duncan Hunter to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M - 0.1 0.1 27578 0

2008.GOP.NOM.BROWNBACK
Sam Brownback to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M - 0.1 0.1 32441 0

2008.GOP.NOM.TANCREDO
Tom Tancredo to be the Rep Presidential Nominee in 2008 M - 0.1 0.1 31505 0

8 posted on 10/09/2007 12:03:58 PM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: All
Post debate snapshot at Intrade: huckabee won, Romney lost.

2008 Republican Presidential Nominee
2008.GOP.NOM.GIULIANI
Rudy Giuliani to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 38.9 39.2 38.9 116951 +0.3

2008.GOP.NOM.ROMNEY
Mitt Romney to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 23.6 24.0 23.6 97414 -2.1

2008.GOP.NOM.THOMPSON(F)
Fred Thompson to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 21.7 22.1 21.7 86268 -0.2

2008.GOP.NOM.PAUL
Ron Paul to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 5.7 5.8 5.7 64978 -1.2

2008.GOP.NOM.MCCAIN
John McCain to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 5.2 5.3 5.3 145604 +0.1

2008.GOP.NOM.HUCKABEE
Mike Huckabee to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M 2.8 3.4 3.3 49903 +0.7

2008.GOP.NOM.HUNTER
Duncan Hunter to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M - 0.1 0.1 27578 0

2008.GOP.NOM.BROWNBACK
Sam Brownback to be the Republican Presidential Nominee in 2008 M - 0.1 0.1 32441 0
2008.GOP.NOM.TANCREDO
Tom Tancredo to be the Rep Presidential Nominee in 2008 M - 0.1 0.1 31505 0

1,401 posted on 10/09/2007 3:08:34 PM PDT by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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