According to a Globe Article today,
Romney told the Associated Press: “My understanding is that the tradition in Massachusetts is that the outgoing governor does not attend the inauguration of the new governor. That’s the way it was when I was sworn in, and my understanding is that’s the case, and so I simply have followed tradition.”
Anyone know if this actually is a tradition, or what’s been done in the past? Was Swift at Romney’s inauguration? What about previous inaugurations? He may have been telling the truth here, but I find myself wondering, particularly given his break from tradition by having his “long walk” the night before.
Please share widely!
He’s already said he should have been governor of Michigan, as the icing on the cake of all his absentee governing.
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The less we see of Mitt, the better.
I say that because the walk and inauguration are usually the same day. For instance – Cellucci handed Swift the tokens of office at the top of the Grand Staircase. He walked away down the marble stairs. She was then sworn in on the spot. This all happened indoors because of the State House renovations.
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Swift left with family and staffers, and was not at the Romney inauguration.
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Weld handed the insignias to Cellucci, walked away, and Cellucci was sworn in the House Chamber, sans Weld.
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I was not present for Weld’s inauguration, but I remember seeing Duke and Kitty walking away down the stairs – and I would assume that they left like Weld did.
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ANYONE looking at the photos of Patrick’s inauguration can see why the outdoor front step venue made the simultaneous walk and swearing in impossible. Since Patrick was breaking tradition, perhaps Mitt should have too – but the idea is to give the new Governor their own day completely in the spotlight, without a competing farewell.
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Do you people REALLY see malevolence here? I can’t go back to Gen. Butler, but I CAN vouch for the last dozen years.
BMG posters wrote, without irony, that they hold Gerry Ford responsible for Iraq (and probably John Foster Dulles and William McKinley too); they can detect malevance when a registered Republican says “Good Morning.”
Thanks for another laugh, PP! There would have been no problem for Mitt to have done his ‘lone walk’ and exit down the stairs before the Governor-elect and Lt. Governor-elect came down.
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But that would have meant, of course, that he give up the ‘lone spotlight’ and risk the reaction from the 15,000 or so citizens in the audience.
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I suspect if the crowd had seen Willard coming down the stairs, there would have been either deadening silence or booing and hissing. A far cry from the movie-star reception he received the night before.
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As for ‘malevolence’, I’m thinking it’s mostly projection on your part, as usual.
I also really beleive that if he had insisted on doing things in the traditional way, and had his people standing where Patrick’s people were supposed to be seated a few minutes later, you’d be whining about him trying to ‘upstage’ Patrick.
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Have you ever attened any of these events? I’ve been to several, and this was the smoothest and best way of handling this, given the unusual Patrick inauguration ceremony.
I only wish the Mittster was a thing of the past, but as his audacious press conference early yesterday afternoon revealed, he is very much a part of the political present. Lest he have a political future, it’s imperative that folks familiar with the Massachusetts record speak up out of patriotic duty. We have seen the true face of Mitt Romney, and the reality is even uglier than the portrait of Dorian Gray.
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Romney’s statement was a half-truth that raised another question. Why did he depart from the traditional timing of the Lone Walk? Governors were always present at the State House until their watch ran out, and then left. Romney turned the tradition into a night-before informercial for his campaign that the Herald lampooned in one of its delicious headlines yesterday. A concern for appearances, not tradition, motivated the Mittster yesterday, and that speaks volumes about his character.
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Massachusetts brought the United States together when all we shared was a common alliegiance to the crown of England. We can’t stand idly by and let the nation fall unawares into the hands of the evil Mittster.
but it should be noted that he “departed from the traditional timing” in deference to Governor Patrick, who wanted his inauguration to be public and in front of the Statehouse.
Nothing in Patrick’s inauguration plans required the deviaton from the tradition of the lone walk, or the Mittster’s deserting his post before his service had ended (not that that’s uncharacteristic.) I don’t think Patrick sought any “deference”: the Mittster wanted to showcase his “accomplishments” as Governor at a time while he was still in control of the State House. Everything he does is calculated to advance his Presidential ambitions, including his disingenuous reference to inauguration tradition.
We’ve seen it over and over again: Willard’s main concern is Willard and his ambitions. The whole concept of ‘public service’ just doesn’t seem to be in his plans.
that mini mitt working in willard’s shadow? is she still ‘in the building’ or did she just slink out a basement window?
From the Globe:
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