David Bernstein has delivered again. You’ll recall, no doubt, that a story in the Politico recently claimed that George Romney actually did (literally, not figuratively) “march with” Martin Luther King, Jr. — after all, two “eyewitnesses” said so. And some outfit called “Politics1” picked up the story and declared that “Mitt Romney told the truth when he claimed this week that his father had marched for civil rights with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Politico reports eyewitnesses stepped forward to verify that then-Michigan Governor George Romney walked side-by-side with King in a 1963 civil rights march in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.”
False. George Romney did indeed participate in a 1963 civil rights march in Grosse Pointe. But King wasn’t there. He was in New Jersey. Here’s Bernstein:
Then-governor George Romney did indeed march in Grosse Pointe, on Saturday, June 29, 1963, but Martin Luther King Jr. was not there; he was in New Brunswick, New Jersey, addressing the closing session of the annual New Jersey AFL-CIO labor institute at Rutgers University.
Those facts are indisputable, and quite frankly, the campaign must have known the women’s story would eventually be debunked — few people’s every daily movement has been as closely tracked and documented as King’s. As I write this, I am looking at an article from page E8 of the June 30, 1963 Chicago Tribune, which discusses both events (among other civil-rights actions of the previous day), clearly placing the two men hundreds of miles apart. I also have here the June 30, 1963 San Antonio News, which carries a photo and article about Romney at the Grosse Pointe march; and an AP story about King’s speech in New Jersey.
A King researcher editing his letters from that time has stated definitively that the two men never marched together; Michigan and Grosse Pointe historians have stated definitively that King was not at the 1963 Grosse Pointe march; Michigan civil-rights participants of the time have concurred; so have those who worked for George Romney at the time.
Bernstein ascribes malevolent motives to the Romney campaign in all of this, and it’s hard to disagree with him.
All of this evidence is important to present to the general public, but it is unnecessary for the Romney campaign — it has been clear for some time that they know perfectly well that the two men never marched together.
Bear in mind that the Romney team has a substantial research team (and vast resources for outsourcing more). Bear in mind that the campaign has compiled vast documentation about the candidate’s father, particularly his civil-rights activities, long before the Phoenix posed the question earlier this week. Bear in mind that the campaign has direct access to George Romney’s materials and documents, his family members, his friends, his former staff, etc.
Believe me, they know the two men never marched together. This is an attempt to rewrite history. And even if it is a small rewriting, it is offensive…. Changing that history by mistake — which is quite possibly how this began — is unfortunate. Changing that history intentionally — which is what the campaign is doing now — is offensive.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Mitt Romney is not worthy of the presidency.
…pushed Bush into a hasty war in Iraq in 2002 – at least, that’s the story if you listen to Karl Rove. And the USA was founded on Christian principles, and there is no separation of church and state, etc, etc.
<
p>Historical revisionism seems to be habit-forming with this crowd…
Since these two ladies that came forward are mistaken is it so hard to believe that Mitt is also mistaken the same as they were? Just because the campaign has access to certain resources doesn’t mean they used them.
I had the same question. I am a firm believer that the media and public are out to hang politicians without giving any benefit of the doubt.
<
p>There have, however, been so many examples of Romney getting caught in apparent lies, mistruths, dramatic reconstructions of his beliefs that my ability to think this all a media construct has worn thin.
<
p>I’d be willing to believe, for example, that Mitt Romney simply remembered this incorrectly, perhaps after being told the story so many times (maybe by the media?) But if that was the case why wouldn’t he just say “Ooops. You know what? I really thought he did walk with MLK because among other things I read it in that book. Regardless, my father was a strong supporter of civil rights and MLK’s message.”
<
p>I’d be willing to believe that Romney had a change of heart on choice issues if he hadn’t been such a strong supporter of choice, calling upon the memory of relatives who received back-alley abortions and his mother’s staunch support of choice and his loud vocal support through races.
<
p>I’d be willing to believe he changed his mind on gay issues,… well, no, I actually don’t believe him at all on this one.
<
p>There are so many areas where one needs to give him the benefit of the doubt in order to believe him that he’s simply not believable any more.
<
p>Besides, “Give me the benefit of your doubt” is not a particularly good campaign slogan.
Or being wrong? Just asking. Someone can give links to some public humility or admission of error, I am sure…
Aside from the honesty issue, I think this whole misstatement problem demonstrates that Romeny is a would-be leader who would rely entirely on “handlers,” much like the current White House occupant. There isn’t a brain in his head, frankly, and he will spout any point of view that the polls tell him will gain him a supporter here or there. He is a brainless puppet, not a President.
The subject says it all.
It’s necessary to understand that whether or not Romney (either senior or junior) marched with Martin Luther King is not an important issue for most voters. The election of Bill Clinton demonstrates that issues like this just don’t count.
This episode has really demonstrated Romney’s disregard for the truth. Colbert’s concept of “truthiness” is writ large in Romney’s revisionist ramblings about virtually everything from the patently inhumane treatment of Seamus to this walking-with-King tripe.
<
p>The man does not respect the truth in any meaningful way, as the sentient citizens of Massachusetts have discovered. How on earth can a such an individual be trusted with the Presidency of the United States? The notion is positively ludicrous.
I posted this to daily kos:
<
p>In the the did so/did not of whether former Michigan governor George Romney ever marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Politico has now reported that on account of an alleged eye-witness statement, King and Romney were seen marching hand-in-hand in the streets of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in the summer of 1963. The problem is that it never happened–at least not as the alleged eye-witness, Shirley Bashore, claims. The Politico reports:
<
p>
<
p>The Politico article continues:
<
p>
<
p>The problem is that while Ms. Bashore may well have seen Gov. Romney march in Grosse Pointe on June 29, she did not see Dr. King. A next-edition article from the Grosse Pointe News, the local paper, of July 4, 1963, [“Whites and Negroes Join in Demonstration Against Housing Discrimination”], does in fact mention Romney’s surprise appearance and march in the Grosse Pointe demostration of June 29, 1963. From the article:
<
p>
<
p>Speakers at the rally included Detroit NAACP president Edward Turner; Detroit NAACP executive secretary, Arthur L. Johnson; and Rev. Philip Stahl, president of the Grosse Pointe Ministers Association, but not Rev. King. A Grosse Pointe News archive of the July 4, 1963, edition [pdf] gives a detailed description of the march, the demonstration, and Romney’s surprise appearance.
<
p>Important to this flap is the fact that the article, which continues to page 2 of the paper, never once mentions Martin Luthur King, Jr., as having attended either the march or the rally.
<
p>Additionally, the Detroit News photo archive of King’s Detroit visit of June 23, 1963, where King did march six days prior to his alleged appearance in Grosse Pointe, the one Ms. Bashore cound not have seen, demonstrates that the closest King got to meeting the governor of Michigan was his meeting with former governor, John B. Swainson:
<
p>PHOTO 4
<
p>See also photos 11 and 12, which show the Detroit march of June 23, 1963, and you will see that Romney was not in fact present:
<
p>PHOTO 11, PHOTO 12
<
p>The answer to all this confusion is that there were, in fact, two marches: one in Detroit on June 23, 1963, in which Dr. King marched, and one in Grosse Pointe, on June 29, 1963, in which Governor Romney marched, but neither of them attended the other event.
<
p>Ahhh, the vagaries of memory over time.
Isn’t that a web site founded by fiction writer Roger L. Simon, who also founded PissPoorMedia (Pajamas Media) with millions of US$ supplied by right wing syncophants?