Smooth Talking Romney Brings His Ever-Changing Views To Michigan And Pennsylvania
A day after he “defended” his “series of shifts on issues” telling the Associated Press, "everyone changes their mind," smooth talking Mitt Romney heads to Pennsylvania and Michigan to try to talk his way out of his record today. [AP, 4/26/07] So far Romney hasn’t succeeded, instead languishing in polls as a result of his penchant for changing his mind. Despite spending millions on an early ad campaign, Romney still trails an unannounced Republican, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll and others. [MSNBC.com, 4/26/07]
Among Romney’s most notable flip-flops: on taxes, he signed a “no new tax” pledge he once mocked as “government by gimmickry,” and has bragged about supporting President Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy, despite once opposing them. Romney has also changed his position on other key conservative issues, including abortion and campaign finance reform.
“Smooth Talking Mitt Romney has about as much credibility left as the Administration he hopes to replace,” said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. “Unfortunately for Romney, the American people already changed their minds, and want principled leadership and a real vision for America’s future.”
Romney On “No New Tax Pledge”:
Old Mitt: Romney Refused To Sign “No New Tax” Pledge, Called It “Government By Gimmickry.” When he thought he needed to look more moderate to get elected governor in 2002, Romney’s campaign mocked the pledge as “government by gimmickry.” [Boston Globe, 1/5/07]
New Mitt: Signed Pledge to Hide Tax Raising Record. This month, Romney signed the same “no new tax” pledge he refused to sign in 2002 to hide the fact that under his failed leadership, Bay Staters saw their tax burden increase by more than 5 percent, and Romney’s cuts to local communities sent Massachusetts property taxes to their highest level in 25 years. [Massachusetts State-Local Tax Burden Compared to National Average (1970-2006), The Tax Foundation; Quincy Patriot Ledger, 12/16/05]
Romney On Bush’s Tax Cuts:
Old Mitt: Refused to Publicly Endorse Bush Tax Cuts. Romney refused to endorse tax cuts at the heart of President Bush's economic program in 2003. Romney's spokesperson said that it's "just not a state matter." [Boston Globe, 4/11/03]
New Mitt: Bragged About Support for Bush Tax Cuts. During a November 13, 2006 press conference held in Arizona, Romney outlined differences between himself and McCain. Romney said "he was quicker than McCain to endorse President Bush's tax cuts." [East Valley Sun, 11/14/06]
Romney On Abortion:
Old Mitt: Supported a Woman’s Right to Choose, Courted Pledged to Respect And Will Protect A Woman's Right To Choose in 2002. In 2002, Romney said on a NARAL questionnaire, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose.” He also reached out to Republican Majority for Choice to ask for its endorsement and later issued a press release highlighting that endorsement. Romney also completed a Planned Parenthood questionnaire in Apr '02, saying "yes" to a question about whether he supported "the substance of" Roe v. Wade, "yes" to "state funding of abortion services through Medicaid for low-income women" and "yes" to supporting "efforts to increase access to emergency contraception." [Weekly Standard, 2/5/07]
New Mitt: Views Have “Evolved.” “Romney says his anti-abortion views have ‘evolved and deepened’ since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic stem cell research. ‘In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead - to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,’ Romney wrote in an opinion piece in Tuesday's Boston Globe.’ He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the ‘one size fits all’ precedent of Roe v. Wade. [newsmax.com, 7/27/05]
Romney On Campaign Finance Reform:
Old Mitt: Supported Campaign Finance Reform. During his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Romney “proposed taxing political contributions to finance publicly funded campaigns,” while during his 1994 Senate campaign Romney “publicly advocated placing spending limits on congressional campaigns and abolishing political action committees (PACs).” [The Hill, 2/8/07]
New Mitt: Opposes Campaign Finance Reform, Calls It “One Of The Worst Things In My Lifetime.” Referring to the McCain-Feingold law on campaign finance reform, Romney called it “one of the worst things in my lifetime.” [The Hill, 2/8/07] Romney pledged to "fight to repeal McCain-Feingold." [Remarks to Conservative Political Action Conference, 3/2/07]
