Kudos to Daily Kos! I cracked up watching this. The question remains. Who won? 🙂
This is another example of how Mitt Romney is the undefeated champion of flip-flopping. He will say anything to get elected. How is that different from any other politician you ask? Usually during the primaries, you’ll see a candidate pandering to the base. They espouse every Conservative (or Liberal) talking point, beating their chests like they’re God’s gift to Conservatism (or Liberalism). Then, during the general election, they move to the center. They have to court Independent voters, so they can’t seem too partisan.
Mitt Romney didn’t just do this. He goes from sounding like a Left wing Liberal to a card carrying Conservative. The change is pretty startling. Here are some examples:
ABORTION
“I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years, that we should sustain and support it. I sustain and support that law and the right of a woman to make that choice.” — Debate, Sen. Edward Kennedy, 1994
“What I would like to see happen would be for the Supreme Court to say, look, we’re going to overturn Roe v. Wade and return to the states the authority to decide whether they want to have abortion or not, state by state. That’s the way it was before Roe v. Wade. So I am firmly pro-life.” — Town Hall Meeting, Hopkinton, NH, 2011
GUN CONTROL
“Deadly assault weapons have no place in Massachusetts.” — Assault Weapons Ban Bill, Signing Ceremony, 2004
“I don’t support any gun control legislation, the effort for a new assault weapons ban, with a ban on semi-automatic weapons, is something I would oppose.” — Interview, Conservative Bloggers, 2008
HEALTH CARE REFORM
“I’m proud of what we’ve done. If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing [Romneycare], then that will be a model for the nation.” — Speech, Baltimore, 2007
“At the time I crafted the plan in the last campaign I was asked is [Romneycare] something that you would have the whole nation do, and I said no. This is something that was crafted for Massachusetts. It would be wrong to adopt this as a nation.” — GOP Primary Debate, 2011
VIETNAM WAR
“I was not planning on signing up for the military. It was not my desire to go off and serve in Vietnam.” — Quote, Boston Herald, 1994
“I longed in many respects to actually be in Vietnam and be representing our country there and in some ways it was frustrating not to feel like I was there as part of the troops that were fighting in Vietnam.” — Quote, Boston Globe, 2007
Wow. I guess he can reach across the aisle…to tap the opposite version of himself when needed.
Spinny Liberal 