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Romney's Changing Core
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Published: January 11, 2008
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has plenty of conservative credentials, but almost no McCain-style conviction.
Republicans were first attracted to Romney because of his blue-chip background and record of business success. He was the respected Republican governor of a liberal state, the man who turned around the 2002 Olympics and a successful investment manager and business consultant.
At the campaign's start, Romney's Mormon faith was considered his biggest liability. Then he gave a great speech on religion and politics, setting aside most people's concerns.
But by then, a more worrisome liability had caught the spotlight. As one pundit put it, "Romney doesn't have a Mormon problem. He's got a believability problem."
As John McCain rightly says, Romney is the candidate of change – the candidate with an ever-changing mind.
People can understand changing your mind about one hot-button issue, perhaps even abortion. Romney once favored a woman's right to choose, but life experiences led him to change his mind. He now favors a ban.
But how can someone change his mind on almost every hot-button issue – unless driven solely by ambition?
When he was governor, for example, Romney supported gay rights, now he's against civil unions.
Also while governor, he supported a ban on assault weapons and said he didn't line up with the NRA. Now he's a lifetime NRA member.
Two years ago he said illegal immigrants who pay taxes and don't seek government benefits "should begin a process toward application for citizenship." Now he is a harsh opponent of "amnesty."
And after talking with this editorial board about enforcing the rule of law against illegal immigrants, he said Florida's shores should be wide open to as many Cubans as can make it. "The more, the merrier."
The more we looked at Romney, the less we liked him. While he's bright and personable, it's hard to find his center. It's as though he'll say anything to get elected.
Like saying he's been a hunter almost all his life, when he's only been hunting twice.
Or that he saw his father walk with Martin Luther King Jr. He later said he'd been speaking "figuratively."
Or standing up for a wrong-headed farm policy that pays rich farmers because "we don't want to find ourselves with regards to our food supply in the same kind of position we're in with regards to our energy supply." He's pandering, and not to our best instincts.
Romney is right on many issues, but he arrived there recently. He is not the right choice.
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