Excellent reporting by the LA Times today on slick Willard Romney.
“You need someone like me in Washington,” he said, according to [Deborah] Allen and two other abortion-rights activists, whose group was deciding whether to endorse Romney in the 2002 race for governor. Though running for state office, Romney hinted at national ambitions and said he would soften the GOP’s position on abortion. The Republicans’ hard-line stance, he said, was “killing them.”
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And he presented himself as a future ally. “He said, ‘I will be a voice of reason'” within the GOP, recalled Allen. “He said, ‘That makes me useful to you, because people will note that a more moderate position succeeded.'”
The reporter has found a new treasure trove of Romney dirt: the notes of people with whom Romney met in the course of trying to become Governor.
Though Romney’s policy shifts have become widely known, his meetings with activists for abortion rights and other causes – which have received far less attention – show he put much work into winning support from Massachusetts’ liberal establishment only a few years ago….
He met gay-rights activists on their turf, in a restaurant attached to a popular gay bar, and told skeptics he would be a “good voice” and a moderating force within his party. And in many cases, he said his commitment had been cemented by watching the suffering of someone dear to him: a grandchild whose asthma left him worried about air pollution; his wife’s multiple sclerosis, which had him placing hope in embryonic stem cell research; the death of a distant relative in an illegal abortion, convincing him that the procedure needed to remain legal.
It gets better.
“There’s a benefit to simplicity. I’m a strong believer in stating your position and not wavering,” he said at the 2002 meeting with the group, according to notes taken by then-NARAL officer Nicole Roos that were private until being shared with the Los Angeles Times.
According to her notes, Romney insisted that only a “crisis” would cause him to change his mind on abortion. When the activists asked for an example of a crisis, he drew a puzzling parallel, noting that a Soviet attack on the U.S. might prompt an anti-tax president to raise taxes.
“I want to be really careful about not changing my position,” Romney said, according to the notes. “I will do what I say I’ll do.”
Romney also argued that his judicial picks would be more likely to protect abortion rights than would those of a Democratic governor, according to notes of the meeting. After all, he reasoned, Massachusetts Republicans tended to favor abortion rights.
Hey, Romney ♥ liberal judicial activists! Cool!
And here’s a new wrinkle that hasn’t gotten as much attention as some others: environmental issues.
Weeks after taking office, the new governor led an army of staffers and activists to Salem, north of Boston, for a news conference outside a coal-fired power plant. He was there to demand that the plant draft a cleanup plan by the next year.
The new governor said something that struck the environmental activists as remarkable. “I will not create jobs or hold jobs that kill people,” Romney said in a heated exchange. “And that plant – that plant kills people.”
“I thought, ‘Whoa, I wouldn’t even say that,’ ” recalled Lori Ehrlich, a local activist who wanted the plant cleanup….
Romney told [a group of religious leaders] he was “terrified” about global warming, a phenomenon he described as “quite alarming,” according to notes taken by one of the participants, Nancy Davidge of the Episcopal Divinity School at Harvard University.
Then, in December 2005, Romney surprised even his own staff by pulling the plug on a key element of his environmental agenda. Romney withdrew Massachusetts from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative agreement with other Northeastern states. Though Romney’s team had taken a lead role in crafting it, the plan could prove too costly to power-plant owners and consumers, the governor said.
Romney is now going around holding meetings with influential conservatives, just like he did in 2002 with influential liberals. In light of this story (along with everything else we know about him), why oh why would anyone believe anything he says in any of those meetings?
is the journalist who was mocked by President Bush last summer, during that Rose Garden press conference, for wearing dark sunglasses. Peter, you may remember, is nearly blind.
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ooopsie….
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As Romney has had a national stage to go around bashing our state, it’s good to see that this part of the conversation is taking place outside of our state’s borders. And this ran on the front page on the other coast! Cool. Thanks for posting it here, David.
…he doesn’t do small-talk very well, and he doesn’t know when to shut the f–* up.
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It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so sad.
where can i send $$$
Go to HERE – and be sure to put ID # 588003 in the fundraiser ID box! ;~)
Given Mitt’s chances, maybe you all need to raise the commission to something more competitive.
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That’s my 2 cents.
…even in this era of lifelong learning! So – no soup for me!
…but after mentioning it to an avowed Republican at work, he said there was absolutely no way he would give to a candidate knowing there was that kind of kickback. You guys might have to think of some other brilliant quasi-multi-level-marketing political funding plan if people realize that the pushy college kid at the door has a financial interest in the empty suit with good hair.
Good blog, David. I sense some funny, snarky possibilities with this type of news.
“He made capmaign promises to the people of Massachusetts and he kept those promises. Nothing hypocritical to see here – move along.”
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That moniker of “Multiple Choice Mitt” is sooo unfair…bwahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
I remember the press conference in Salem. Romney went completely over the head of Mayor Usovicz when he staged that. I never liked or approved of Usovicz during his term, but this was something else. It actually damaged Salem’s relations with the state for a while.
The plant is still hear and still needs cleanup but I would hope Deval doesn’t do the same to Kim Driscoll.
Poor Mitt; could not remember he claimed Utah as his home; can’t remember how may people he put out of work when he liquidated companies; can’t remember what he said about abortion and gay rights. Seems like a perfect Republican candidate!
has taken a page out of the Bush Family Playbook: Do or say “whatever it takes” to win.
That’s a direct quote from Bush Senior.
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Sorry, but it’s true.
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Run along, now.
The “Clinton playbook” is the defining work on deception, lies and “tell em what they wana hear”. Even their old “pals” , their own “friends” say that “they lie with such ease it’s frightening”
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Now you can run along now
quote was wrong… here’s the verbatum quote from their “dear friend” and former campaign fund raiser, David Geffen
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“everybody in politics lies, but they [the Clintons] do it with such ease, it’s troubling.” – David Geffen
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Need more be said Sharoney?
The “Clinton Did It First” Defense.
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Can’t you come up with a better response? You guys are getting repetitive.
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And I think it’s amusing that you’re still sore over how Clinton steamrolled over Daddy “Whatever it takes” Bush over a decade ago. Maybe you should move on.
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(Gasp! Oh, no! I said “move on.” Quelle horreur!)
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Toodles.
the level that Romney went to spew his lies. How can anyone believe anything he says is beyond me.
for sure! He should get lots of mileage out of just surviving 4 years as the Governorof the “mono-party” Peoples Republic of Massachusetts. That alone will garner nationwide admiration and votes. The left wing suicide rate will skyrocket, no doubt
If the left-wing can survive 8 years of Bush, 4 years of Romney would be refreshing to say the least.
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Since things are looking up, I think we in Massachusetts should rally behind the ex-Governor. Gays for Mitt anyone? They’d love a contingent of us in South Carolina.
I double-dog dare you! Hell, I’d go myself.
The only way Multiple Choice Mitt will get in the Oval Office is if Mattel Corp. issues a “Barbie’s White House” for former Governor Ken Doll.
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And yeah, his misbegotten tenure here is really giving him creds with the wingnuts, sure thing, uh huh. Did you even bother reading the story above?
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It’s wonderful how the Mittster is willing to save the Dems the trouble of throwing sand in his pathetic campaign. Save me a seat in that center aisle while you’re at it, and pass the popcorn, because this is going to be really, really entertaining.