Posted on 04/02/2009 8:17:33 AM PDT by MaestroLC
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney praised President Obama at a GOP fundraising dinner Wednesday in front of a crowd that might have been expecting a heavy dose of rally-the-troops conservatism.
"I also think it's important for us to nod to the president when he's right," Romney said, after chiding the president's budget. "He will not always be wrong, and he's done some things I agree with."
Romney, who spoke at a dinner for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said he's pleased with the president's plans to "finish the job" in Iraq and Afghanistan -- lines that drew applause from the partisan audience. He also applauded the president for standing up to the auto industry.
"I hope he continues to be tough and shows some backbone because that industry is not going to make it unless we have real backbone and get those guys to fundamentally restructure all of their obligations," he said.
The former businessman even offered faint praise for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, saying that after a series of initial missteps, "I think he's finally getting close to the right answer."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I was ready to back whatever conservative could take a majority.
But too many conservatives wouldn’t give an inch on anything. Hunter supporters, Thompson supporters, Romney supporters, Huckabee supporters — all fighting each other, while McCain and his 37% took our nomination.
I supported 3 of those 4 men with money (could never bring myself to support Huckabee, but I would have worked for him if he had been the nominee).
I am convinced if a Reagan clone showed up tomorrow with Reagan’s past, many conservatives would oppose him. It’s just how ornery we are. I saw the attacks on Jindal last spring. I saw those who opposed Thompson vehemently.
Immigration is demagogued. I’d have to see what Romney proposed before I could tell you whether I thought it was rational or not. At some point last year, he managed to get some support from the anti-illegal-immigrant anti-amnesty crowd. But he certainly wasn’t the best candidate on that issue.
A lot of republicans wanted Obama to win the nomination for the same reason.
And you should check the exit polls regarding evangelical voters and what they did this past election.
I’m not sure any republican would have had a chance after September, against an annointed candidate with the entire backing of the media behind him along with 600 million dollars to spend.
I’d have rather gone down with Romney’s campaign platform than McCain’s me-to platform on immigration, global warming, and other items where he was more in agreement with Obama than the republican party.
Although I did vote for him because fiscally he was much better than Obama will ever be.
Political suicide ..
What the the hell is he thinking?
Oh well , might as well retire buddy ..you are sooo finished ..
He’s morphing into a RINO at lightning speed my friend, wake up!
We need a SOLID champion of the conservative cause. Playing Mr. nice guy lets all get along got us in this position in the first place. These are desperate times and it calls for serious measures ,not wimp ass concession talk.I want to see someone with balls get up there and call Obama a Marxist bastard who is destroying this country QUICKLY.
I want rudeness and “in their face” aggression( if not even more )
We need to learn a lesson from the left .
Well then keep sending money to the GOP. Personally I told the Republican party to kiss my conservative ass in Macy’s window.I see little difference in the 2 parties now. Tell me who you have seen from the GOP get on a microphone and tell the public what Obama really is .There should be press conferences every damn day from the GOP tearing Obama’s radical leftist agendas to shreds. Instead I hear silence from the Republican wimps. Half of them are in bed with the left anyway . It’s about PERSONAL gain and power now my froend.No one represents me anymore. It’s a run away government ,can’t you see that ?
I’m with you buddy.
Jindal is a good man but he too comitted political suicide with his stupid ass rant on TV last month .Our side sucks big time , not a clue how to win .
IMO Romney pushing “immigration reform,” after the various monsters that have gone by that name, is, from a conservative point of view, tone deaf.
And after a candidate flips, or appears to flip, too many times on an issue that voters really care about, he is likely to lose their trust.
I agree with you 10,000%!
LLS
This is not surprising - he is a RINO from the Northeast.
LLS
It should be known that I am not as die-hard an “anti-immigrant” as many on this board are, or even as die-hard an “anti-illegal-immigrant”. I don’t want people in this country illegally, but I don’t think they are evil or should be shot on sight.
And I even think we need to reform our guest worker program, both to make sure guest workers leave when they are done, but also to make it easier for qualified non-citizens to get into the program and to target areas where we really need workers.
A good guest-worker program would lower the illegal immigrant rate, and we could adjust the numbers up or down as needed, for example this year we would cut the program off much lower as we have high unemployment, and could raise it later.
I have no doubt that a Romney plan wouldn’t be exactly what I want. And I know that no plan that includes anything other than a border fence and the electric chair would suit some people here.
But I see no reason for us to stop being a nation of immigrants, and I think we can’t ignore that we spent 20 years since 1986 essentially telling people to come in illegally and it would be OK.
Yes, Obama wants us all to change our ways, and wants to silence those who do not.
I believe that Jim won’t silence people who discuss issues and are civil about it, but if he does, it is his site, although it would be a bad thing for the discussion of issues if that were to happen.
I think we could do without so much cheerleading on all sides, and more discussion of the issues. But on things like Romney, the Romney haters refuse to allow such a discussion. If anybody else had mentioned Obama’s plan to increase troops in Afghanistan, we would be discussing whether that plan was the right answer or not.
But because Romney said it, we instead just get a lot of flippant negative comments from the anti-Romney people, as if they all think we should pull out of Afghanistan just because Romney said we shouldn’t.
I was never a Romneybot, but I know it’s easier for you High-IQ people to just call people names then discuss the issues.
Of course, I don’t despise every person of the muslim faith either. I also don’t hate every gay person, and I’m not looking to banish every chinese person who isn’t a dissident from the face of the earth.
The key word here is good. We already have many guest worker programs. I think you and I would agree on many points about what such a program would be, but not only do we still have huge problems with visa overstays (as you noted), but I see anchor babies as another force that will produce more leftists voters in the future.
Also, I object to the tendency of guest worker proposals to include a "path to citizenship" built in to the program. IMO such a program would also accelerate the increase in future Dem (or worse) voters.
Nor do I think that a massive "round up and deport" program would be the best way to reduce the number of illegals, but I do think they should be deported when they are caught in workplace enforcement. Napolitano (and I assume Obama too), however, believes in releasing them and giving them work permits.
It is not everything that romney says that I disagree with... but it is the fact that he is a corrupt lying pos liberal... he is nothing more than ted kennedy with a smaller belly and more hair... and he is a disgusting man. He is an embracer of socialism and infanticide and he has bashed Reagan for most of his political life.
I share nothing in common with him and I apparently share nothing in common with you. You sound no different than any number of liberal activists that infect FR these days.
LLS
Neither do I... but I do not trust any of them.
“I also don’t hate every gay person”
I do not hate gay people either... but I will NEVER support them being able to marry and I will always consider their lifestyle to be sinful.
“and I’m not looking to banish every chinese person who isn’t a dissident from the face of the earth”.
Neither am I... but I will always know that the chicoms want to dominate the world and crush America and Capitalism. They will always be the enemy of freedom and liberty. Nothing you say surprises me because you are a sick and demented liberal.
LLS
I thought the Canadian version was pretty good. They sign up companies ahead of time, they bring in immigrants who meet hte needs of the companies, and the companies put up the money for the plane tickets home at the end of the term.
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