Romney Hangs His Hat on Credibility... No, Really!

Last night's debate was yet another reminder of why smooth talking Mitt Romney keeps wracking up the silver and bronze medals, but just can't seem to make it across the finish line.  After losses in almost every critical state heading up to next Tuesday, Romney's campaign has apparently decided that his last hope is to try to re-brand himself yet again -- this time as an "authentic conservative." 

After all the damage Romney's flip-flops have done to his credibility, hanging his hat on authenticity might not be the best plan.  Exit polls in every early state have shown that voters who want a candidate who believes what he says are rejecting Romney: He was the top choice of just 7 percent of those voters in South Carolina, 14 percent in Iowa, 15 percent in New Hampshire, and 19 percent in Florida. Even in Michigan, a state where his home field advantage helped him win, Romney was the top choice of fewer than one in four voters who wanted a candidate who says what he believes.  [CNN Exit Polls, 1/29/08]

"The more smooth talking Mitt Romney flips and flops from message to message, the more the voters see him for the blatant opportunist and shameless panderer he is," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera.  "Even if Romney could convince voters to ignore the secret timetable he supported for Iraq or his dismal economic performance in Massachusetts, Mitt can't hide the fact that a vote for Romney is a vote for a third Bush term."

Debate Romney Vs. Real Romney

ON IMMIGRATION:

Debate Romney: "My plan is this which is for those that have come here illegally and are here illegally today, no amnesty. Now how to people return home? Under the ideal setting in my view, you say to those who just came in recently, we're going to send you back home immediately,  just go back home." [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/08]

Romney Not In Favor Of "Widespread Roundups." According to Romney, "I don't believe we're going to round up the 12 or 20 million people and deport them. I do believe we need to have the people who are here as aliens register, so we know how many there are and what category, so we can take action based on that information.'' Romney continued, I'm "not in favor of widespread roundups.  States should be doing what we're doing in our state, which is seeking to empower the state police to detain those who are here illegally if they are found in the regular course of business.'' [San Francisco Chronicle, 3/17/07]

ON THE ECONOMY:

Debate Romney: "During my term in office, we added jobs." [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/08]

Romney Reality: Massachusetts Lost 10,000 Jobs During Romney Administration. Romney oversaw a net decrease of more than 10,000 jobs in Massachusetts. [Boston Herald, 2/21/07]

ON CLIMATE CHANGE:

Debate Romney: "I side with the states making their own decision even if I don't agree with the decisions they made." [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/08]

But Romney Said Republicans Should "Never... Embrace Ideas of Al Gore." In a statement last month, [Romney] criticized Republicans for "embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left." "Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore," he said. Romney spokeswoman Sarah Pompei couldn't clarify his stance. She said last week that Romney "thinks it's likely human activity is contributing to the environment, but is not sure how much." When asked to be more specific about his opinions on climate change, Pompei declined.  [Concord Monitor, 3/21/2007]

ON THE BUSH TAX CUTS:

Debate Romney: "But I'm not running on President Bush's record. President Bush can talk about his record." [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/08]
 
Romney Praised Bush Tax Cuts At RGA Speech. In a speech at the Republican Governors Association conference in Miami, Romney voiced his support for the Bush tax cuts. Romney said, "Our president ... bucked the doomsayers in the Democratic Party and even some in our own party who were telling him that he couldn't possibly cut taxes," said Romney, who himself has expressed ambivalence about Bush tax cuts in the past. "But he did exactly that. He cut taxes. And why did he do it? Because he was convinced that ... Americans could do a better job getting this country going than government could ever do. And boy was he right." [Boston Globe, 12/25/06]