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One of the lead stories of Fox News’ “Fox Nation” website this morning is a “Romney Flashback.” It highlights this video from Mitt Romney’s successful gubernatorial campaign in 2002.
For those who can’t watch videos online, the key quote from Romney comes towards the end: “I think the old, standby definitions of who votes for which party have been blown away in this campaign. I think people recognize that I’m not a partisan Republican, that I’m someone who is moderate. My views are progressive….”
Now, I suspect Romney and his supporters would respond to this by insisting that Romney has since gone through a couple of radical transformations — shedding his policy agenda and his entire worldview — and that the presidential candidate of 2011 bears no resemblance to the gubernatorial candidate of 2002.
I’m not sure how that would make anyone feel more comfortable about Romney’s consistency or reliability, but that’s for Republican primary voters to decide.
That said, we talked recently about why the flip-flopper label has stuck to Romney and not Newt Gingrich, despite the fact that the latter has reversed course on nearly as many issues as the former. The answer probably has something to do with the fact that there are no videos of Gingrich boasting, “My views are progressive.”
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Dr Cheese in WI on December 13, 2011 10:19 AM:
In that last paragraph, I think you mean to say that there are "not" rather than there are "now" videos of Gingrich boasting...
filkertom on December 13, 2011 10:20 AM:
... I think you mean "no videos of Gingrich boasting, 'My views are progressive'."
ara rubyan on December 13, 2011 10:22 AM:
shouldn't that say "there are NO videos of Gingrich...?"
Just Dropping By on December 13, 2011 10:23 AM:
So Fox has decided that Romney's campaign is limping too badly and they are trying to put it out of its misery to clear a path for Newt or what?
walt on December 13, 2011 10:30 AM:
Gingrich's policy views have gyrated wildly over the ideological spectrum but he has been consistent where it counts as a culture warrior. Most voters probably don't care or know about policy. They can't say what the Ryan plan for Medicare is or what cap and trade means. But they know Gingrich really hates Democrats and liberals. Romney? He seems like a nice guy but he doesn't slay them because he's not nasty.
Romney's lack of serious conservative credentials will, paradoxically, hurt him more in the general campaign if only because the evidence of his insincerity will make his campaign attacks seem opportunistic. That's what Mitt Romney is as a human being: an opportunist. He's quintessentially a "doer", which disqualifies him as a leader in the partisan hothouse of American politics.
N.Wells on December 13, 2011 10:36 AM:
Romney is a job creator the way Katrina did urban renewal. On the other hand, Newt is a historian the way an arsonist is a fireman. A pox on both of them.
T2 on December 13, 2011 10:37 AM:
the fun will begin in January, when the Old Line Establishment GOP wake up and find a person they think is crazy is on the way to the nomination. I'm referring to Newt, by the way. The Old Line despises Mitt for different reasons. When you depend on crazy people to put you in power and keep you in power.....well fellas, you get stuck with crazy nominees. Best of luck. Then the trick will be to stick a Dick Cheney type on the ticket with Newt to take the edge off him and provide a direct line for the GOP Establishment to funnel ideas into a Newt presidency. Who'd want that job?
c u n d gulag on December 13, 2011 10:42 AM:
"Today, we at the Romney campaign would like to launch our new candidate - Mitt 3.0. He's rougher, tougher, completely non-empathetic, rich - just like you'll be if you vote for him, and more hateful than Mitt 2.0, and certainly much more than Mitt 1.0!"
'Say, is that Yosemite Sam, or John Bolton in a cowboy get-up?'
"NO! That's Mitt 3.0."
BANG BANG BANGITY BANG BANG!
'HEY! He shot a few reporters!!!'
And Mitt 3.0 says, "AAAAAAAHHHH HATES REPORTERS"
It's now official - Mitt has now taken more positions than "The Kama Sutra!"
biggerbox on December 13, 2011 10:47 AM:
The GOP base knows Newt has never wavered where it counts: hatin' on liberals and coloreds. Newt just cheats on women, he doesn't pass legislation that might help poor people.
Mitt's biggest problem is that he can't convince the base that at heart he's a bigoted bastard. Newt can.
MBunge on December 13, 2011 10:58 AM:
If you want to know why the flip flopper label doesn't stick to Newt, answer this question. How many times has Newt ever flip flopped to get people like him and how many times is it simply Newt being an undisciplined blowhard who can't help shooting his mouth off?
Mike