Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Romney’s Other 2002 Pro-Choice Video

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Mitt, the candidate that keeps on giving.  Here’s Mitt with his wife by his side trying to portray his softer side during an interview with who appears to be Lisa Hughes.

Mitt’s quote on abortion:

So when asked will I preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose?  I make an unequivocal answer, Yes.

Now for that last few seconds of the video, um, no thanks.

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  1. This is the strongest pro-choice statement by Romney that I’ve seen from 2002 — it’s clearly 2002 rather than 1994, by the way, because Ann is talking about how Mitt will “manage the state well.”  That’s Governor talk, not Senator talk.

    • Nice catch on “manage the state well”.  He’s reaching out from his home with his wife by his side.  She’s talking about “social issues” the interview focus is all about abortion.

  2. Can somebody post the ENTIRE conversation?  Because what was left out was Lisa Husges’ question and the FIRST part of what Romney said – that he promised that he would not change any laws regarding choice in the Commonwealth, and therefore…”I will protect..etc.”  Never said he was pro-choice himself, and that is the missing puzzle piece in the odd jump from Ann Romney’s statement about him managing the state, and that women might be nervous about him on social issues – which come to think of it, would imply that he WASN’T as liberal as all that.

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    The man made a promise, and kept his word.  Can we get the YouTube of THAT?

      • A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day.

        – from Self Reliance, 1841

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        Is there any greater consistency then the incessant Republican talking points and the collective Republican cognative dissonance? 

    • First, Peter, this video of G.W. Bush singing U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is an actual “editing job”. You make it sound like this video was taking Romney WAY out of context, which it isn’t. This statement doesn’t contradict anything reported or “YouTubed” from the ’94 or ’02 elections.

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      He says, “When asked will I preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose, I make an unequivocal answer: yes”.

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      This, to me, seems to be equivocation:

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      “I am pro-life. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother. I wish the people of America agreed, and that the laws of our nation could reflect that view. But while the nation remains so divided over abortion, I believe that the states, through the democratic process, should determine their own abortion laws and not have them dictated by judicial mandate.”
      (Boston Globe, Mitt Romney Editorial, July 26, 2005)

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      To unequivocally “preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose” implies action, not passively allowing states to determine if they want to outlaw abortion.

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      We now know Romney, if elected president, will not unequivocally “preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose”, which is in direct opposition to this 2002 statement on channel 4. Even if there was more of the interview, there is nothing that would change the fact that Romney has drastically re-shaped his message and his positions. 

      • To unequivocally “preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose” implies action, not passively allowing states to determine if they want to outlaw abortion.

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        Firstly, he was running for the office of Governor.
        He was pledging to uphold the laws of The Commonwealth. Which he did.

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        As PP pointed out, the video was either cut to take his quote out of context, or it was actually edited to give a false impression of Mitt Romneys true position on abortion.

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        Your homework, pal, is to go find an actual quote by Mitt Romney wherein he states that he supports the concept of  abortion on demand, and not one where he simply commits to upholding the laws as the chief enforcemnt officer of the state or the nation.

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        Good Luck.

        • As much as I would enjoy doing the little homework assignment you’ve given me, it’s unnecessary.

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          Either Mitt will unequivocally “preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose”, or he will be an ally to those who want regression in reproductive rights and want to and overturn Roe vs. Wade.

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          For those who think that Mitt’s unequivocal [adjective – unambiguous; clear; having only one possible meaning or interpretation] statement was taken out of context, feel free to restore the context and show us why Mitt being an unequivocal protector of a woman’s right to choose in 2002 does not contradict his current stance.

    • PP, you have identified yourself as one of Willard Romney’s biggest supporters in these parts, and you are active in Republican politics.  I find it hard to believe that you have no access to the entire video, if you really want it.  Methinks you know that the entire video is of no special benefit to Willard, so you hope insinuating nepharious intent in the edited version will at least have some slime-throwing value.  And so, you will not bother to point us to the entire video.  I hope I am wrong and you prove it by posting a link to the entire (and gawd I hope scintillating) video.

      • Opinion does not always equal access.  I have no idea how to find a film like that – I don’t even know when in 2002 it ran (well, before NOVEMBER…).  And Laurel – it is so OBVIOUSLY edited that I question it.

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        We need to think about YouTube stuff, which is usually from an unfamiliar content provider (to BMG, I mean).  And I’m not saying this because it’s Mitt – Obama and Hillary will also be YouTubed in a similar way someday, and BMG needs to determine a gatekeeping standard, like posted by a BMG’er, unfamiliar content provider, etc.

  3. I wonder what are her quotes now concerning abortion.  It does seem obvious that she is pushing the message to women from another woman approach.

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    This is Ann’s quote talking about women before Mitt talking about abortion:

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    “I think they may be more nervous about him on social issues, they shouldn’t be, because he’ll he’s going to be just fine.  But the perception is that he won’t be, it’s an incorrect perception.”

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    So this is Ann trying to sway females to vote for Mitt because he’ll be just fine on social issues, then followed by Mitt’s unequivocal statement. 

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    That’s pretty strong stuff.  No matter how the peanut gallery tries to spin it.  If anyone is saying that’s taken out of context that about the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time.

    • ABC News interview with Ann Romney

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      Snow: (Former Governor Romney has) been criticized for shifting his views, particularly about abortion. A couple of years ago, he, he changed his view on it. He’s talked to us about it. My understanding is that his original view, when he said in ’94 that he was for abortion rights, was driven in a large part by a family member of yours who, unfortunately, died as a result of an abortion. Now, he’s saying that he’s not for abortion rights at all. How do you reconcile, that’s your family member too.

      Romney: In-law. You know, he is, people evolve. His position on life, he’s firmly pro life. He has come to this, I think through his decisions and things that happened as he was Governor, and he is just clearly knows where he is, and he, he’s firmly pro life.

      Snow: And you agree with him on that?

      Romney: Yes.

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      Can you believe this truckload of BS????

  4. Was decried by y’all a few years ago.

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    Have you now come to accept this method of campaigning?

    • The closest thing to Swift Boating you could do to Romney would be if you got together a bunch of people from France who were there while he was doing his missionary work and get them to say that he faked his near-death accident so that he wouldn’t have to go to Vietnam if the war was still on by the time he got back.

      • The sine qua non of swift-boating is lies.  This is just throwing Mitt Romney’s own words back in his face.  Nothing wrong with that.

          • ….improper about redacting a quotation if it does not destroy the meaning.  In this case, in my estimation, the meaning has not been altered.  Even if the video posted were unedited the implications and inferences arising from it would be substantially the same.  Romney has changed his tune vis a vis abortion rights significantly and that point remains salient.  Why are you criticizing the editing of the video rather than defending Romney’s position?  Can you make a reasonable argument that Romney has not significantly changed his position on abortion rights?  If not can you make a reasonable case that there is not a pattern of convenient “conservatization” of his political platform that accompanies his presidential aspirations or that the converse was true when he was running for senate or governor in previous campaigns?

            • when they wanted to run for higher office.  More recently we have seen Dennis Kucinich on the national stage and Brian Joyce closer to home go from extremely strong pro-life voting records to being pro-choice when they started looking up.  Just check out these quotes, and tell me Mitt is alone on this

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              From Ted Kennedy:

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              “While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized — the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grown old.

              “I share the confidence of those who feel that America is working to care for its unwanted as well as wanted children, protecting particularly those who cannot protect themselves. I also share the opinions of those who do not accept abortion as a response to our society’s problems — an inadequate welfare system, unsatisfactory job training programs, and insufficient financial support for all its citizens.

              “When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception.”

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              From Bill Clinton:

              “I am opposed to abortion and to government funding of abortions. We should not spend state funds on abortions because so many people believe abortion is wrong.”

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              From Al Gore:

              “During my 11 years in congress, I have consistently opposed federal funding for abortions. … Let me assure you that I share your belief that innocent human life must be protected, and I am committed to furthering this goal.”

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              From Jesse Jackson:

              “There are those who argue that the right to privacy is of [a] higher order than the right to life … that was the premise of slavery. You could not protest the existence or treatment of slaves on the plantation because that was private and therefore outside your right to be concerned.

              “What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a pang of conscience? What kind of a person and what kind of a society will we have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually? It is that question, the question of our attitude, our value system, and our mind-set with regard to the nature and worth of life itself that is the central question confronting mankind. Failure to answer that question affirmatively may leave us with a hell right here on earth.”

              • ….you provide absolutely no source for your quotations so you may very well have made them up or obtained them from a pro-life web site that made them up.  Furthermore, even if they are accurate this is still a specious argument.  We are now discussing Mitt Romney as a current presidential candidate.  As I’ve state before the “others have gotten away with it, so why not so and so, too” is a riduculous argument.

          • ….improper about redacting a quotation if it does not destroy the meaning.  In this case, in my estimation, the meaning has not been altered.  Even if the video posted were unedited the implications and inferences arising from it would be substantially the same.  Romney has changed his tune vis a vis abortion rights significantly and that point remains salient.  Why are you criticizing the editing of the video rather than defending Romney’s position?  Can you make a reasonable argument that Romney has not significantly changed his position on abortion rights?  If not can you make a reasonable case that there is not a pattern of convenient “conservatization” of his political platform that accompanies his presidential aspirations or that the converse was true when he was running for senate or governor in previous campaigns?

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