The Mittiot Cometh

Nov, 1st 2012

There really has never been a candidate like this. For anyone to say that they know what he truly believes is sheer lunacy. Chait is right:

"The different iterations of his career differ so wildly, yet comport so perfectly with his political ambitions of the moment, that it is simply impossible to separate his panders from his actual beliefs, the means from the ends."

The following video drives home the point in a fashion that would be hilarious were the stakes not so damn high. 

Via

Things You Can't Make Up - Romney & The Obamacare Mandate

Mar 3rd, 2012

Who Mitt Romney really is or what he really believes is anyone's guess at this point. He has been for so many things before opposing them, and vice versa, that there is no longer any way of knowing.

Sahil Kapur makes this entertaining catch today:

"In July 2009, Mitt Romney called on President Obama to require Americans to buy insurance as part of his health care plan, using “tax penalties” as a backstop — in other words, the individual mandate that Republicans virulently oppose.

In a USA Today op-ed titled “Mr. President, What’s the Rush?,” which has since been removed but remains available on MittRomneyCentral.com, Romney urged Obama to look to his Massachusetts health care plan that contained the same policy, and touted it as effective.

“First, we established incentives for those who were uninsured to buy insurance,” Romney wrote. “Using tax penalties, as we did, or tax credits, as others have proposed, encourages ‘free riders’ to take responsibility for themselves rather than pass their medical costs on to others.”

Obama opposed that approach in his 2008 campaign, and was not on board with it at the time of Romney’s op-ed, but eventually adopted it in the sweeping bill that became law March 2010. Republican voters strongly decry the mandate as egregious federal overreach, and Romney has vowed to repeal the entire law if elected President." EMPHASIS MINE

This is more than a flip flop. This is Mitt Romney recommending a policy to the President the adoption of which he now singles out as a reason not to re-elect him.

Good times.

Mitt The "Flipper"

Feb 1st, 2012

A brutal assault on Mitt from disgruntled Republicans

Worth 1,000 Words

Jan 9th, 2012

Mitt Romney - The Man Who Can Say ANYTHING

Jan 4th, 2011

But, what does he really believe?

2010 - "I believe that climate change is occurring -- the reduction in the size of global ice caps is hard to ignore. I also believe that human activity is a contributing factor."

- from Mr. Romney's book, No Apology, The Case For American Greatness

2011 - "I exhale carbon dioxide. I don't want those guys (the EPA, of course) following me around with a meter to see if I'm breathing too hard."

- Mitt Romney currying favor with yokels

sourced from Grist

Romney Watch - Immigration Confusion Edition

Dec 1st, 2011

In the (still) fairly friendly confines of a Fox News interview, Romney simply can't make a coherent argument on this red button issue.

Perry Watch - Is Anyone In Charge?

Aug 29th, 2011

Rick Perry has now disavowed his campaign's disavowal of his recent book.

At this time, there is no word whether or not his campaign will next move to disavow his disavowal of their previous disavowal.

In an exchange captured by Think Progess, Governor Perry snarks back against a fairly reasonable question from Scott Keyes:

Keyes: "But should states-rights supporters be worried that, as governor you said that Social Security is not something that falls in the purview of the federal government, but in your campaign, have backed off that?"

Perry: "I haven’t backed off anything in my book. Read the book again, get it right. Next question."

That Was Then...

Aug 22nd, 2011

I grow weary of so frequently having to say the words, "I am not making this up," while discussing the 2012 Republican field.

Parody cover via

In Presidential politics, it is not at all uncommon to find potential candidates forced to defend themselves from accusations of youthful indiscretion.

Listening to the hopefuls explain how their current philosophy has matured or how it differs from their views in earlier times has become a matter of course.

This part of the public vetting is really not supposed to be this interesting.

Bill Clinton took some hits over his attendance at anti-war rallies in England more than two decades before his first White House run. W had some dodging to do over allegations of, well, dodging the draft (along with more than a few other unpleasant accusations).

So here we are, earlier than we should be in such tumultuous times, focused on next year's primary politics.

The first big story of a politician distancing himself from, if not outright disavowing, any number of previously held positions has arrived. This is different, though. Perhaps reflecting the obscene speed of the socially networked world, the "old" views from which Gov. Rick Perry is trying to separate himself date back an entire 9 months.

Worth 1,000 Words

Aug 9th, 2011

This little gem just jumped out at me. Mitt Romney in a nutshell.

via

Quote Of The Day - Here and Now Edition

May 13th, 2011

Ah, the flip-flop. It's one of those thing that political junkies such as myself can never get enough of. Whether they are from ideological friend or foe, they are always good fun. This, however, rises to the level of the colossal. 

It is that most delightful of things, the single sentence logical collapse.

"Our plan was a state solution to a state problem and his was a power grab by the federal government." 

-- Mitt Romney attempting to differentiate between his health care plan the Affordable Care Act.

Media On Libya - First, Flip. Then, Flop

March 27th, 2011

I had been considering the right wing's wild flip-flopping on Libya. As if there needed to be any more parsing of statement's from craven opportunists like Newt Gingrich. Horsey has a great cartoon that sums it all up better.