Posted on 12/26/2007 5:59:17 PM PST by CatQuilt
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Mitt Romney appeared on WRKO's Howie Carr Show just before Christmas. He was confronted by friend and colleague Gregg Jackson on his position on whether he was really against gay marriage. Romney waffled and flopped all over the place and distorted his own record on the issue.
Romney is rapidly becoming the Democrats John Kerry; something I thought couldn’t be done.
My thanks to Brian Camenker, of www.massresistance.com , for granting permission to republish his report on the Romney distortion of facts concerning gay marriage.
Below is the complete report:
Romney name-calls Gregg Jackson (WRKO host) on air, evades question on same-sex marriage On the Howie Carr show (major drive-time Boston talk show), on Friday, Dec. 21, 2007: WRKO talk show host and conservative writer Gregg Jackson called in and asked Romney some hard questions. Romney insulted him and refused to give a straight answer, changing the subject. Is this the man you want running your country? (Click on the hyperlink above to hear the entire interview.)
Transcript:
Howie Carr: Thanks for the call . . . Put on Gregg Jackson. He's from Pundit Review Radio, which can be heard Sunday night on WRKO. And he's also the author of "Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies". Go ahead, Gregg. You have a question for Mitt Romney?
Gregg Jackson: Thanks, Howie. Mr. Romney, I'm just wondering, why is it that you have claimed that you were just following the MSJC's Goodridge opinion by ordering the Department of Public Health to change the marriage certificates from "Husband and Wife" to "Partner A and Partner B" and also forcing the Justices of the Peace and Town Clerks to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies or resign when there was no specific order from the court for you to do so? I mean, I guess the question is, why did you violate your oath of office that you swore and, was it to fulfill a campaign promise to the Log Cabin Republicans not to oppose same-sex marriage?
Howie Carr: Boy, they don't like … the Log Cabin Republicans have been running ads on our radio station, Gregg, against Mitt. Go ahead, Mitt.
Mitt Romney: Gregg, I'm afraid, is slightly delusional. And let's go through this one by one. First of all, we received a request to change our birth certificates to "Parent A and Parent B" and we refused to do so. So we insisted that they not change the birth certificates. So he's got that wrong, number one. Number two, we did instruct our Justices of the Peace that they needed to understand that given the Supreme Court's decision requiring them to marry people of the same people of the same gender if so requested that they had no choice but to do so or, alternatively, they would be wise not to stay as a Justice of the Peace because they might get sued by somebody. So we were giving them the information they needed to avoid a legal condition. And finally, number three, the idea that I'm not an opponent of same-sex marriage is frankly laughable.
Howie Carr: Right.
Mitt Romney: Everybody in the entire nation knows that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court made same-sex marriage legal and that I fought it in every single way I could. I even went to Washington and testified in favor of an amendment to the federal Constitution. I helped collect signatures. I took cases to the court. I did everything in my power. And I continue to fight same-sex marriage. So it's a little silly. By the way, I'm probably the most frequently protested person by many gay groups because of my opposition to gay marriage. So to have the folks on the right wing think that somehow I was trying to promote gay marriage is actually the heighth [sic; Romney’s pronunciation] of silliness.
Howie Carr: [Goes on to the next caller.] OK. We have time for one more question. Can we take one more question . . .
Analysis:
Gregg Jackson brings up the following issues for Mitt Romney to respond to: (1) Romney changed the Massachusetts marriage certificates from "Husband and Wife" to "Partner A and Partner B" in order to facilitate same-sex "marriage". Here is the new Massachusetts marriage certificate that Romney had changed (Note: “Party A/Party B” where it used to read “Husband/Wife”.) (2) Romney threatened to fire any Justice of the Peace who refuses to perform same-sex "marriages", according to an April 25, 2004 Associated Press news article. (3) Romney held "training sessions" for Town Clerks, telling them that the law had changed and that they must perform same-sex marriages. Here are the slides from those sessions. (3) The Goodridge decision by the Supreme Judicial Court did not "order" the Governor to do anything. But Romney acted anyway. (The ruling did NOT change any laws. The Court had decided that not allowing same-sex marriage was "unconstitutional" but also acknowledged that only the Legislature could change the marriage laws. However, the Legislature did nothing.) (4) As the New York Times recently reported, Romney met with the homosexual group "Log Cabin Republicans" while campaigning for Governor in 2002. When the subject of same-sex marriage was brought up, says the Times, "according to several people present, he promised to obey the courts’ ultimate ruling and not champion a fight on either side of the issue." (“'I’ll keep my head low,' he said, making a bobbing motion with his head like a boxer, one participant recalled.")
Thus, Romney received an endorsement from the group.
Here is how Romney responded:
(1) He said that Gregg is "slightly delusional". An interesting way for a presidential candidate to respond to a media figure. (2) Instead of responding to the question about marriage certificates, he discussed what he did regarding birth certificates -- as if that's what Gregg had asked about. (3) Romney said he was just giving the Justices of the Peace "information." But according to the Associated Press report, he ordered them to resign if they refused to comply. He gave them no choice. (4) Romney claims that the SJC did "require" Justices of the Peace to perform same-sex marriages, and that the Goodridge decision made same-sex marriage "legal". In fact, the Court only rendered an opinion and suggested that the Legislature act on it. The Massachusetts Constitution does not allow the Court to either (1) make law or (2) order another branch to do anything. See legal discussion. (Furthermore, the Legislature never did change the Mass. marriage statute, which only authorizes "husband/wife" marriage.)
(5) Probably the reason that homosexual groups protest Romney so much (and not the other Republicans) is that they believe he double-crossed them (see NY Times article above). (6) Romney refers to Gregg as "the folks on the right wing." Actually, that's how he's always felt about conservatives. At least he's being honest here. (If Romney is running as a conservative, isn't that the same thing as "right wing"?)
his responses to this hostile interviewer weren’t to your liking??
You can’t ignore the fact that the state is dominated by raving democrats and even when the voters VOTE by 70% to do something, like re-institute the death penalty or reduce the state income tax, the judicial branch or the senate refuses to follow the voters’ wishes.
Mitt was protecting the liability exposure for the JOPs and you can bet that his decision was well-considered. Someone hostile to his campaign will tweak his interview to their own agenda....
Try writing Senator Kennedy or Senator Kerry about their positions on immigration (AS A VOTER IN THE STATE!) and they will send you back a form letter chastizing you for being mean-spirited and imply that you are too stupid to know what is best for you. If you call their offices to complain about their votes on immigration, they switch you over to an aide who is unintelligible because her accent is so thick. The political atmosphere in Massachusetts is rancid with hostility and arrogance. Mitt did what he could, WHEN he could.
This is proof once again that Romney is Bill Clinton with his pants up.
Brian Camenker
“I voted for John Anderson for president and Michael Dukakis for governor." Brian Camenker
Camenker is guilty of the very thing he (falsely) claims Mitt has done. “Methinks thou doth protest too much.” aptly applies. Camenker can't pass his own test. His slander of Romney says more about him than it does Romney.
Unmarked Package’s homepage addresses him more extensively.
Jay Sekulow discusses Camenker’s pattern of lying about Romney in his article SEKULOW ADDRESSES FALSE BOY SCOUT ALLEGATION
You know its bad when Camenker has to lie even more than his MSM sources.
I’m betting that 90% of the conservatives on FR started out as liberal or at least began their voting ‘careers’ as Democrats. I voted for Dukakis too for governor way back when.
Don’t you dare compare voting for a Democrat (what Brian Camenker and I did in the 70s) with the flip-flopping that Romney has done since he began his run for the Presidency.
Also, if you look at the work that Brian has done to wake up the people of Massachusetts to things like Fistgate and GLSEN, well his conservative street creds are fine with me. He has backed up his words with actions, unlike Romney.
The people who know Camenker and Romney know who the real conservative is.
“44 Pro-Family Leaders Challenge Mitt Romney’s Claim He ‘Defended’ Marriage and the Constitution”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/dec_letter/letter.pdf
It is sad and repulsive to see people lying to cover up Romney’s toxic legacy. Do your homework or sign off:
“Letter From 44 Conservative Leaders Across America Challenge Romney’s Claim he ‘Defended’ Marriage and the Constitution”
http://www.massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/dec_letter/press_release_011107.html
As long as you are intelligent enough to read the irrefutable facts you are morally responsbile to stop denying them. Please note: the document cites ABSOLUTE proof from the relevant state constitution that Mitt Romney HIMSELF violated his oath of office and illegally imposed homsexual marriage. On Sept 8 the NY Times quoted his former staff member explaining the motive: He secretly promised the homosexual Log Cabin Republicans to let the court overstep their powers under the MA Constitution and let homosexual “marriage” happen illegally.
If you have actual refutation from the relevant state constitution, great, but of course, you don’t so if you answer it will likely be more of the same nasty trash.
A governor cannot defy a Supreme Judicial Court decision. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or completely ignorant about constitutional law.
Nice try. Camenker is the one who got caught lying not Sekulow.
_________________________________________
Jay Sekulow Bio at http://www.kintera.org/site/pp.asp?c=afIKIWMGG&b=121856 Americans of Faith.org
Jay Alan Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), an international public interest law firm and educational organization. He is also Chief Counsel of the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ). An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Sekulow serves as faculty member in the Office of Legal Education for the U.S. Department of Justice where he provides legal expertise to federal prosecutors on the issue of obscenity.
Two of the landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in recent years in the area of religious liberty litigation. In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses. In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.
A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious public interest law firms in the nation. Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice specializes in Constitutional law. The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues that threaten people of faith and the American family.
The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers" in the United States (1994, 1997). He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as "The Public Sector 45" named by The American Lawyer (January/February 1997). The magazine said the designation represents "45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives." Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.
Sekulow brings insight and education to thousands of listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live, which is broadcast throughout the country on more than 500 radio stations.
A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence, and served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member. He is the author of several publications and law articles. Back to Board of Directors
________________________________
Monday, December 11, 2006
SEKULOW ADDRESSES FALSE BOY SCOUT ALLEGATION
I'm sure by now you've heard rumors Gov. Romney is not as conservative as he claims. One allegation bothersome to me was the idea that Gov. Romney somehow prevented the Boy Scouts from participating in the Olympics in Salt Lake to make a political statement. Constitutional lawyer Jay Sekulow sent me an e-mail which addresses this issue--which is just one of the many misrepresentations a group called MassResistance is circulating amongst conservatives:
Short Summary
Brian Camenker’s claim in “The Mitt Romney Deception” that “Romney Barred Boy Scouts from public participation in the 2002 Olympics” is entirely false. There are several articles that directly contradict Camenker’s conclusion. NewsMax.com, Camenker’s source, did not even claim that Romney made the decision to bar the Scouts. In fact, Romney, at least at that time, sat on the Boy Scout’s executive board. The Boy Scouts said that the NewsMax article was false. Even NewsMax admitted that the Olympic Committee said that there was an age restriction of 18 years old and up to be a volunteer. There are also inconsistencies in the two NewsMax articles, only one of which is cited by Camenker. There is also some negative treatment of the accuracy of NewsMax.com, but mostly by liberal critics. Since no major media source ran anything about this story, and the local media directly contradicted it, it appears that Camenker’s claim is false.
I. Camenker’s claim that “Romney Barred Boy Scouts from public participation in the 2002 Olympics” and his source, NewsMax.com.
Camenker does not accurately describe his own source, NewsMax.com. The NewsMax article did claim that the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Committee refused to let the Boy Scouts participate as a group. However, the NewsMax article states that the spokesperson for the Olympic Committee stated in an interview that the Boy Scouts were not allowed to participate as a group because of an age limit. The spokesperson, Caroline Shaw, went on to say:
I don’t think we’re in a position to give every organization out there official status. There’s the Girl Guides and the Girl Scouts; I don’t know, there must be at least a million youth groups out there . . . . They’re a fabulous organization, but there are a lot of great organizations out there.
She also said that Scout Leaders could apply as volunteers and the younger members “can certainly go on line and apply. That’s the one area where we are looking for younger adults and children to participate, and they can submit requests through going online to be cast members and so forth.” She even said that “I’m sure we have volunteers, a large percentage of them have been former Boy Scouts, including our president and CEO” who was Mitt Romney.
NewsMax made the bold statement that “the Boy Scouts need not apply” to be Olympic volunteers, but the article does not state why this determination was made. While Camenker blames the decision on Romney, NewsMax never states that this was Romney’s decision. It is accurate that Mitt Romney would not respond personally to either the Boy Scouts or NewsMax at the time the article was written. According to NewsMax, Kay Godfrey, professional Scout executive for the Great Salt Lake Council of Boy Scouts, stated, “For us not to be involved is discouraging, considering the Atlanta games. The Scouting council there was extremely involved.” The article did imply that one reason that the Boy Scouts were not included was because of their stance on the homosexual issue, but the Olympic committee spokeswoman denies this. The article does not state if this is the only time the Boy Scouts have not been allowed to volunteer, but it does state that they were allowed to volunteer in the games in Atlanta. NewsMax, 12/18/2000 “2002 Salt Lake Committee Bans Boy Scouts From Olympics,” by David M. Bresnahan, http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2000/12/15/214301.shtml
According to a follow-up article to the earlier NewsMax article:
Earl Armstrong, Director of Field Services for the [Salt Lake City Boy Scout] council, said “our scouts won’t be participating in any official capacity” though some did help erect temporary fencing. He first said that there was a rule prohibiting “political involvement.” When asked if that rule was an Olympic edict, Armstrong replied, “No, there is a Boy Scout rule against getting involved in ‘politics.’”
He went on to state that there was an 18 and over rule to volunteer for the Olympics. The article took a cynical stance that they did not quite believe the arguments. NewsMax, 02/07/2002 “Boy Scouts Not Welcome at Olympics,” by Dan Frisa, http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/ 2002/2/7/135258.shtml.
It is important to note that the next issue of NewMax Magazine has Rudy Giuliani on the front cover with the caption “Yes, Rudy Can Win!” in which there will be an article that the website claims “This special edition of NewsMax Magazine may become the playbook for the Giuliani presidential campaign.” See “NewsMax Magazine Get It!” NewsMax.com,
II. Refutation of the NewsMax.com Article By Mitt Romney and the Boy Scouts.
According to local Salt Lake City newspapers, NewsMax’s article is dead wrong. According to Desecret News (Salt Lake City), David Bresnahan posted the story on both NewsMax.com and InvestigativeJournal.com, but Boy Scout Officials and Olympic officials “say the report is inaccurate and maintain they have good working relationship.” Mitt Romney responded to the NewsMax.com article by stating, “it happens to be 100 percent inaccurate.” Romney also said, “We’re very pleased to have Scouts help out.”
Kay Godfrey, the spokesperson who NewsMax quoted as saying he was displeased with the exclusion announced, “We’ve [The Boy Scouts] not been excluded. . . . The report is not accurate and not true.” Both Romney and the Boy Scouts acknowledged that there is an 18 year old restriction as well as a uniform policy which excludes all uniforms. “SLOC denies snubbing Scouts over gay stance,” 12/19/06 by Lynn Arave, Desecret News (Salt Lake City), p. B1.
The same story is told by the Salt Lake Tribune, where Godfrey, spokesperson for the local Boy Scouts is quoted as saying, “This is outrageous! . . . I’ve been on the phone all day because of this. It’s created quite a ruckus, but we’ve never been told we couldn’t participate.” Godfrey claims that he does not remember ever speaking with the NewsMax columnist regarding this issue. Bresnahan responded, “I’ve got him [Godfrey] on tape in telephone conversations with me. . . . The Scouts are either trying to cover their own backsides, or they are extremely forgetful people.” In response to the uniform issue, Romney said, “We have volunteers who work for us, and they all wear the Olympic volunteer uniform . . . so all volunteers will dress the same way.” “Scout’s Honor: SLOC Says It Didn’t Bar BSA From Olympics,” by Bob Mims, 12/19/2000, Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), p. A1. See also “Mitt, Rocky say Games are for all,” 10/28/06 by Diane Urbani, Desecret News (Salt Lake City), p. A14; “Helping Hands: Utah Boy Scouts Ready to Serve During Games,” by Lori Buttars, 11/17/2001, Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), p. A1.
Boy Scouts were, in fact, allowed to help out during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympics. Lori Buttars, Helping Hands: Utah Boy Scouts Ready to Serve During Games, Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), November 17, 2001. For example, in 2001, Boy Scouts helped to get a biathlon venue (Soldier Hollow) ready for Olympic use and, several months later, were allowed to use the facility while Olympic participants practiced nearby. Rodger L. Hardy, Scouts get a taste of the biathlon at Games site, Deseret News (Salt Lake City), February 18, 2001, Pg. B06. The New York Times, in an article regarding the 2002 Olympic games states, “Organizers have even solicited the help of 200 area Boy Scouts as volunteers doing ancillary tasks.” “Swifter, Higher, Stronger, Safer,” The New York Times, January 6, 2002 Sunday, Section 5; Column 1; Travel Desk; Pg. 13. No major newspaper or magazine actually carried a story regarding the “exclusion” of the Boy Scouts from the Olympic Games.
III. Romney’s Statements on Homosexuality and the Boy Scouts.
Thank you, Mr. Sekulow. I'm sure there's more to be said about MassResistance's effort to discredit the Governor, but this gives a pretty good insight about their general credibility.
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