Bevan: “in the clip Tim Russert played, Romney explained his pro-choice position by citing the story of a ‘dear close family relative…who passed away from an illegal abortion’—Far from being ‘theoretical’ or ‘philosophical,’ then, Romney’s pro-choice position on abortion was derived from a very real and personal experience”

December 20, 2007 in 2008, campaign communications, campaign communiques, campaign literature, conservatism, election 2008, GOP, incompetence, Iowa, media, mitt romney, republicans, rhetoric, romney, strategy, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: abortion, duplicity, flip-flopping, flip-flops, idelogical cross-dresser, lies, pro-choice, pro-life

Tom Bevan, in a RealClearPolitics Blog post titled Romney’s MTP Turn, writes:

On Meet the Press, Romney characterized the reasoning behind his effectively pro-choice position this way: “And the question for me was, what is the role of government? And it was quite theoretical and, and philosophical to consider what the role of government should be in this regard.” Romney then explained his conversion saying that when a bill relating to life came to his desk as governor, “the theoretical became reality, if you will.”

The problem, such as exists for Romney, is that in the 1994 clip Tim Russert played directly preceding these comments, Romney explained his pro-choice position by citing the story of a “dear close family relative…who passed away from an illegal abortion.” Far from being “theoretical” or “philosophical,” then, Romney’s pro-choice position on abortion was derived from a very real and personal experience … etc.

Yes. See:

Kornacki: Not the first time Romney has changed public position on abortion

yours &c.
dr. g.d.

Bartlett: Romney miscalculated the primary field, hence his many flip-flops—OK., but what does this say about Romney’s character or competence?

October 9, 2007 in 2008, analysis, campaign finance, campaign management, centrism, conservatism, election, election 2008, Evangelicals, incompetence, mitt romney, policy, republicans, rhetoric, romney, stupidity, the dark soul of Mitt Romney, triumph of unreason
Tags: Dan Bartlett, flip-flopping, Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Peter Baker, the trail, Washington Post

“One of President Bush’s closest advisers has a brutally candid analysis of the Republican nomination battle: Fred Thompson is the campaign’s “biggest dud,” Mitt Romney has “a real problem in the South” because people will not vote for a Mormon, Mike Huckabee’s last name is too hick and John McCain could end up repeating 2000 by winning New Hampshire but losing the nomination,” writes the estimable Peter Baker in a post to Wapo’s The Trail titled Bartlett on the GOP Field: A Hick, a “Dud” and a “Flip-Flopper”

[Bartlett's] judgment of Romney was only somewhat less negative [than his judgment of Fred Thompson]. While crediting the former Massachusetts governor with the “best strategy and organization” born out of his “business acumen,” Bartlett said “the flip-flopping on positions” stemmed from a miscalculation that the primary field would be more conservative than it proved to be. “They were trying to solidify his conservative credentials.” Bartlett added: “He’s getting a narrative in the national media as somebody that is too much trying to position himself, trying to hedge himself, almost too mechanical about the issues. Authenticity is going to be a very important principle in this campaign. And right now that?s their biggest danger” … more

You don’t have to be Dan Bartlett to figure this one out. We have harped upon the string of Romney’s ridiculous “miscalculation of the primary field” for weeks now:

• Romney outflanks himself (iii): the Romney mix of issues
• Romney tries to outbid Giuliani on tax-cuts and fails—again
• Romney outflanks himself yet again!–poll indicates Romney’s pull to the right alienates independents, centrists, and moderates
• analysis: Romney outflanks Romney

Back to Bartlett:

The flip-flopping issue, Bartlett added, provides an outlet for another big reason why Republican voters will not back Romney — his religion. “The Mormon issue is a real problem in the South, it’s a real problem in other parts of the country,” he said. “But people are not going to say it. People are not going to step out and say, ‘I have a problem with Romney because he’s Mormon.’ What they’re going to say is he’s a flip-flopper. … It’s a fact, it’s reality. I don’t know if it’s one that will keep him from becoming the nominee for the party but it’s something they clearly understand they’ve got to deal with.”

… The only top-tier candidate Bartlett did not criticize was Rudy Giuliani, whom he credited with the “best message,” particularly because the former New York mayor has kept his focus on attacking Democrats, not fellow Republicans, which serves as an effective distraction from his own liberal positions on guns, gays and abortion. “He’s doing it particularly with Hillary,” Bartlett said. “There’s headlines the other day. He wants to engage in this debate. And there’s a very practical aspect of it because if he’s engaged with the Democrats, he’s not engaged on … his own positions, whatever those that would not be very receptive in a typical Republican primary” … more

This is yet another string upon which we harp: Romney has no message. What he emits is often very angry noise. See:

• Romney’s inflection point—the strange rhetoric of a troubled campaign
• the Romney message in total flux—where is the real Romney amidst all the obfuscation and conflicting testimony?
• Romney airs nearly 10,000 TV spots yet he still sags, lags, and drags in the polls—yet more evidence of Romney’s strikingly low return on investment (ROI) for his every campaign dollar
• Romney has the most negative image at this point of any of the major candidates for president, claims Newport of USA Today’s GallupGuru; the Romney campaign’s death-by-internal-memo part (ii)

yours &c.
dr. g.d.