Posted on 12/16/2007 5:07:47 PM PST by 2nd amendment mama
Maybe it was the pressure of the moment. Being under the Tim Russert spotlight can get to anyone. Under Russert's grilling about guns on this morning's "Meet the Press," former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney claimed an endorsement he'd never won.
....snip.....
"I just talked about, about guns. I told you what my position was, and what I, what I did as governor; the fact that I received the endorsement of the NRA."
The problem?
He was never endorsed by the NRA, and didn't have their official support during his 2002 gubernatorial campaign. The NRA declined to endorse in that race, as was acknowledged by Romney's spokesman this morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at blog.washingtonpost.com ...
If Huck is the eventual nominee you bet I will be there with my vote.
Beats any of the demorats by a mile and a half.
At this point we are in the primaries and we can differ on our
candidates of pereference. That is how it should be.
I have just gone through the entirety of the interview transcript. You can do the same here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22273924
Here is the relevant extract:
“
GOV. ROMNEY: That—Tim, I’ll reject that. And—because we just talked about stem cell research.
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
GOV. ROMNEY: And I described what my position was.
MR. RUSSERT: Let...
GOV. ROMNEY: I just talked about, about guns. I told you what my position was, and what I, what I did as governor; the fact that I received the endorsement of the NRA. And so...
...
It’s very very clear what is going on and the Washington Post reporter appears to have either cut/pasted an opposition email or spent zero time fact checking the transcript itself.
If you go back about 3 pages in the transcript you will see Romney talking about the illegal immigration proposals that were at that time (May, I believe) being discussed in Congress. His phrasing is “I did not endorse any of those plans. I could not support them.” His frame of mind and maybe normal speech is to equate endorsements with support.
The precise quote above makes it very clear he is talking about things he did AS Governor. Not running for Governor. After he was elected Governor. The NRA supported a bill that went through the legislative process of compromise. The fact the NRA did not endorse anyone for that Governor election is clearly not relevant at all to what is being referred to.
Guys, come on. This is shallow. If you want to attack his gun control position, attack the position he has. He says he’d sign an Assault Weapons Ban. Just like the President would.
No question.
Even his campaign admitted today that Romney didn’t get the endorsement of the NRA in 2002.
They didn’t even attempt your incredible spin.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Romney just got the ENDORSEMENT of Judge Robert Bork. I guess he’ll join the growing ranks of sellouts and liberals. :-)
And I guess the Russert interview must have gone pretty well if this is the only thing the Mitt-haters can find to whine about.
Ah, Slick Willard, the gift that keeps on giving.
Dizzy yet?
HERE is the relevant part:
GOV. ROMNEY: Just as the president said, he would have, he would have signed that bill if it came to his desk, and so would have I. And, and, and yet I also was pleased to have the support of the NRA when I ran for governor. I sought it, I seek it now. I’d love to have their support. I believe in the right of Americans to bear arms...
Slick Mitt, another liberal trying to convince us that he’s a conservative. I’m offended that he thinks that we can be so easily fooled.
That was what the question from Russert was about that Romney responded to.
Did the NRA EVER support the AWB?
If you say NO you are correct and Romney is a lier!
Up is down, black is white, lies are truth.
Did he know it was false at the time he said it?
And, I have a question for you: why did you excerpt only the section on legislation and not the section you now are all so hot and bothered about? If I were one to jump to judgment about your motives and what was going on in your head when you made your excerpts, I’d be tempted to think that you excerpted things to play a very subtle and dishonest game of gotcha.
But then, that’s only a temptation. Why, aw shucks, I’d never do a thing like suggest that you did something like that because I’d have to see inside your head and I can’t do that. But you have no problem seeing inside other people’s heads.
Because you already have your mind made up. Pre-judice, it’s called. Pre-judgment.
“War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.”
It’s my understanding Romney rec’d a B rating from the NRA for that election. Disclaimer: I have not fact checked that, but have seen it a few places. B looks rather supportive to me.
How many F’s, D’s and C’s does the NRA hand out to candidates? Whatever the number, Romney apparently didn’t get one.
You guys are completely out of control.
It is now quite normal for him.
Right. Romney told the 'truth' falsely.
“Perhaps he wasn’t lying, if he was delusional this morning and just falsely remembered what happened a scant three years ago.”
Let’s play gotcha some more. I think that he ran for governor 5 years ago. By your standards, you lied when you wrote “a scant three years ago.” By my standards, you probably miscalculated. Or the “three years” referred to the legislation, but you placed it in the context of a quote about running for governor. By your standards, you lied when you placed it in that context because by your standards, anything “false” is a lie. But by my standards, you probably just weren’t precise about whether the “scant three years” referred to 2002 running for governor or legislation in 2004. Or you just miscalculated, as we all do from time to time.
But by your own petard you are hoist to the heavens as a liar.
I would be perfectly willing to plea bargain you down to “misremembered.”
Something about glass houses and stones, I think.
Yeah sure.
You just keep telling yourself that...
Wrong. This is the relevant quote:
GOV. ROMNEY: Just as the president said, he would have, he would have signed that bill if it came to his desk, and so would have I. And, and, and yet I also was pleased to have the support of the NRA when I ran for governor. I sought it, I seek it now. I'd love to have their support. I believe in the right of Americans to bear arms...
This is the relevant quote in which Romney falsely claims to have been endorsed by the NRA. You Mitt supporters keep desperately raising the other quote as a red herring to defend your boy. Why don't you just admit that Mitt made a false claim and move on, instead of defending him with Clintonian tactics?
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