Animosity toward Romney in GOP camp
At the end of the Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire this month, when the Democrats joined the candidates on stage, Mitt Romney found himself momentarily alone as his counterparts mingled, looking around a bit stiffly for a companion.I really doubt that McCain is universally liked by anyone outside his family and Lindsey Graham. He has stabbed the party in the back so many times it is hard to imagine he has not crated many more enemy's than Romney. His constant insincere use of the phrase "my friend" has got to be grating.The moment was emblematic of a broader reality that has helped shape the Republican contest and could take center stage again on Thursday at a debate in Florida. Within the small circle of contenders, Mr. Romney has become the most disliked.
With so much attention recently on the sniping between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama on the Democratic side, the almost visceral scorn directed at Mr. Romney by his rivals has been overshadowed.
“Never get into a wrestling match with a pig,” Senator John McCain said in New Hampshire this month after reporters asked him about Mr. Romney. “You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”
Mike Huckabee’s pugilistic campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, appeared to stop just short of threatening Mr. Romney with physical violence at one point.
“What I have to do is make sure that my anger with a guy like Romney, whose teeth I want to knock out, doesn’t get in the way of my thought process,” Mr. Rollins said.
Campaign insiders and outside strategists point to several factors driving the ill will, most notably, Mr. Romney’s attacks on opponents in television commercials, the perception of him as an ideological panderer and resentment about his seemingly unlimited resources as others have struggled to raise cash.
Mr. Romney’s campaign contends that the hostility is driven by the fact that he has aggressively sought to win the early primaries, setting himself up as the chief antagonist, first, to Mr. Huckabee in Iowa and then to Mr. McCain in New Hampshire.
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In stark contrast to Mr. Romney, Mr. McCain seems to be universally liked and respected by the other Republican contenders, even if they disagree with him.
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Romney is a tough competitor who is eager to deny the others' ambitions. He uses some sharp elbows in some of his comparison ads. I am sure there is also jealousy because his past success has built a fortune which helps him compete in this contest. It is, however, a fortune he earned and that is part of his resume for the office.
As this Washington Times story indicates Huckabee left his own trail of unhappy Republicans in Arkansas where he tended to pick fights with his own side. Maybe that is why he gets along so well with McCain.
It is interesting how a phrase ("effectively pro-choice") can take on a life of its own (pardon the pun) I searched the phrase, which I recalled Mitt Romney using. Funny, I assumed that it was common phraseology, but it is not - it is pure Romney.
ReplyDeleteSadly, there are millions of pro-lifers who believe that he is solidly pro-life, but I believe they are wrong. (After thousands of hours of picketing, public protest and sidewalk counseling against abortion, as well as a year in jail for my beliefs, I think I can spot a fraud.)
When Romney was campaigning as a pro-choice candidate, he claimed to be pro-life. There is a reason that he uses the phrase "effectively pro-choice" to describe himself. rather than the bare term "pro-choice". He holds to the notion that while he was actively supporting the murder of unborn children, he was still "always" pro-life (see the links below). He was either self-deceived or a deceiver and it appears that he still is.
This deception is precisely why he is not to be trusted. He has not converted - he has changed his priorities. Perhaps for political expediency (a run at the presidency) he was “effectively pro-life”. Because there is no credible reason he “changed”, there is no credible reason believe that if another opportunity to be "effectively pro-choice" comes along that he will not do that if it suits his purposes, all the while still clinging to the notion that he can be and "still is" pro-life.
Three undeniable facts.
1. "I am firmly pro-life," the former Massachusetts governor told about 100 Republicans at a restaurant here. "I was always for life."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2863443
2. This is definitely the impression his campaign wants to give.
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/5/22/90847.shtml
3. He continued to claim to his “effective” position six months after his alleged conversion in November of 2004.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxV-QNXoRIc
"A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still."