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Romney: Man of Pastel
National Review Online ^ | June 6, 2012 | Michael Tanner

Posted on 06/06/2012 2:17:12 PM PDT by neverdem

Now that Mitt Romney has officially clinched the Republican nomination, most of the political Right has rallied around him, out of antipathy for President Obama if for no other reason. Recent polls show that if the election were held today Romney would receive 90 percent of the Republican vote, and three-quarters of the vote from self-described conservatives. One can expect even more conservatives and Republicans to “come home,” as the bitterness of the primary season fades, and the contrast with Obama becomes clearer. 

Yet, for anyone concerned with the size, cost, and intrusiveness of government, dark clouds continue to hang over the Romney campaign.

For example, if as is often said, “personnel is policy,” Romney’s decision to name former Utah governor Michael Leavitt to lead his presidential transition team is particularly disturbing, especially since Politico reports that Leavitt may become White House chief of staff if Romney wins.

As George W. Bush’s Secretary of HHS, Leavitt was a principle architect of the Medicare prescription-drug benefit, which created the first new federal entitlement program since the Great Society. And Leavitt continues to call the program “a success,” despite the fact that it will add as much as $17 trillion to Medicare’s unfunded liabilities.

As governor, Leavitt was a tax-and-spend liberal. During his ten years in office, real spending per capita rose by nearly a third. Leavitt pushed for higher taxes on Internet sales, gasoline, and cigarettes. And, as head of the National Governors Association, he lobbied for a federal law to allow states to tax out-of-state Internet companies. He also blocked several attempts by the Utah legislature to cut taxes, including a $25 million state income tax cut in 2001. Between 1996 and 2002, Leavitt never received a grade higher than “C” on Cato’s Fiscal Report Card, and twice earned a failing grade. In 2000, he ranked below Vermont’s Howard Dean, and, in 2002, he scored lower than 7 of 16 Democratic governors.

Of even greater concern, Leavitt has spent the last two years lobbying on behalf of Obamacare. Leavitt’s company, a Utah-based consultancy called Leavitt Partners, has raked in huge profits helping states set up exchanges under the law. In fact, Leavitt’s firm has doubled in size over the two years since the health care law was signed. And, Leavitt hasn’t just made money from Obamacare grant money, he has used his influence to urge state lawmakers to set up exchanges. He has publicly said that he opposes repeal of at least this portion of the new health-care law. Given Romney’s rather spotty history on the health-care issue — to be charitable — Leavitt’s appointment is not a great sign. 

And, as if this wasn’t enough cause for concern, as EPA administrator, Leavitt was an early advocate of cap-and-trade legislation. He was also an enthusiastic backer of numerous other job-killing environmental regulations. Indeed, it’s hard to find a big-government policy over the past two administrations, that Leavitt didn’t support.

Of course, Leavitt’s appointment is not the only reason why advocates of limited government remain uneasy with a Romney candidacy.

For example, while Romney speeches have generally been excellent on the need to cut spending and reduce the deficit, he has still not provided much in the way of specifics about what he would actually cut. We know that he would not cut defense — indeed, he wants to increase it. Taking defense off the table means that cuts in other areas will have to be deeper. Yet, in an interview with Time magazine, Romney said “If you take a trillion dollars for instance, out of the first year of the federal budget, that would shrink GDP over 5 percent. That is by definition throwing us into recession or depression. So I’m not going to do that, of course.”

As the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein noted, “You couldn’t have gotten a clearer definition of Keynesian budgeting from Obama.” 

Finally, it is worth noting that Romney continues to hold the door open for a potential Value Added Tax (VAT), a hidden form of national sales tax embedded in the production process. In an interview last December with the Wall Street Journal, Romney suggested that he might consider a VAT as part of a larger tax reform. The Journal describes Romney’s position on a VAT this way (emphasis added): 

he ‘doesn’t like the idea’ of layering a VAT onto the current income tax system. But . . . philosophically speaking, a VAT might work as a replacement for some part of the tax code, ‘particularly at the corporate level’ . . . .What he doesn’t do is rule a VAT out.

Unlike a national retail sales tax, a VAT is hidden, making it particularly insidious. One only has to look to Europe to see how quickly a VAT would become a cash cow for the government, and would wreck economic growth. Yet, to this day, despite repeated opportunities to do so, Romney refuses to rule out a VAT. 

It is traditional for candidates, once they’ve secured the nomination to reposition themselves to appeal to the political center. But, with Romney, it is less a question of repositioning than questions about his core convictions.

In a campaign that calls for bold colors, Romney remains a man of pale pastels.

Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and author of Leviathan on the Right: How Big-Government Conservatism Brought Down the Republican Revolution.



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: romney4deathpanels; romney4dnc; romney4gaymarriage; romney4illegals; romney4morefees; romney4moretaxes; romney4msm; romney4obamacare; romney4romney; romney4romneycare; romney4sharia; romney4tarp
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If Romney tries to govern like a RINO, he's going to run into two walls, the Tea Party and the bond market. Our credit has already been downgraded.
1 posted on 06/06/2012 2:17:18 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem
If Romney tries to govern like a RINO,...

He knows nothing else.

He has been a socialist liberal his whole political career and people don't change over night.

He'll get an atta' boy from the ABO crowd however and that will give him confidence to maintain the status quo as a socialist.

2 posted on 06/06/2012 2:24:12 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: neverdem
"Now that Mitt Romney has officially clinched the Republican nomination, most of the political Right has rallied around him, out of antipathy for President Obama if for no other reason."

I think most Freepers would agree that there is no reason to elect Mitt Romney, other than the fact that Obama is so fiercely despised.

3 posted on 06/06/2012 2:26:22 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: neverdem

Romney will be what he has always been a liberal, evidenced by who he primarily surrounds himself with.
Why would anyone expect anything else?


4 posted on 06/06/2012 2:26:38 PM PDT by svcw (If one living cell on another planet is life, why isn't it life in the womb?)
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To: neverdem

RINOmney is a vapid dork.

He’s nothing but Obama lite.

Just wait.


5 posted on 06/06/2012 2:30:17 PM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: neverdem

2010 - 2012 was all about the GOP neutralizing the Tea Party. That is a fait accompli. The math, however, will remain.


6 posted on 06/06/2012 2:30:22 PM PDT by Psalm 144 ("I'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am." - Willard M Romney)
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To: svcw

I won’t be voting for the Socialist. See tagline.


7 posted on 06/06/2012 2:30:33 PM PDT by Uncle Miltie (The Presidential Race is about the relative light reflectivity of your Socialist Slavemaster.)
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To: neverdem

America cannot survive a Maobama victory in November - this would be the coming nightmare:

1. Amnesty for 30-40 Million ILLEGALS
2. The ILLEGALS officially join the DNC/Socialist party
3. SCOTUS Kennedy would (by hook or crook) be replaced with another Socialist who rejects the Constitution
4. Socialists control SCOTUS
5. The Constitution becomes totally meaningless
6. The DNC/Socialist party remain in power forever
7. America falls to Communism
8. Elections, if any, become like Venezuela’s - total fraud

Romney, OTOH, gives a a 4-year breather, and then we primary his a$$ out in 2016 with a true Conservative.

BOTTOM LINE: Maobama CANNOT be allowed to win and not voting for the GOP nominee, even if it’s MUTT, is supporting Maobama!


8 posted on 06/06/2012 2:43:31 PM PDT by newfreep (Breitbart sent me...)
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To: wardaddy; Joe Brower; Cannoneer No. 4; Criminal Number 18F; Dan from Michigan; Eaker; Jeff Head; ...
Future tense, X: The fourth revolution

Thermodynamics of Global Warming

Looking at Bloomberg’s Soda Ban Through a Doughnut Hole

New Documents Show Senior DOJ Officials Were Informed of Gunwalking in Fast and Furious

Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.

9 posted on 06/06/2012 2:44:11 PM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
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To: neverdem
I think I still agree with Ronnie:

"Our people look for a cause to believe in. Is it a third party we need, or is it a new and revitalized second party, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but BOLD COLORS which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people?"
From Ronald Reagan's 1975 Speech To CPAC

10 posted on 06/06/2012 2:45:42 PM PDT by LTC.Ret (You'd think I would know better than to volunteer!!! www.sendmetocongress.us)
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To: neverdem
Romney will split the party open. There is no way only 10% are refusing to vote for Romney. Not voting for Willard is NOT about sour grapes because our candidates did not win! It's about who romney is. He is not who the eleftist gop tries to protray him as and he is NOT conservative. Someone said its about his religion. You don't have to be a Christian to be prolife and against gay marriage and adoption, cap n trade, against vat tax....yes many question his wisdom and character in believing he is a god. But take his religion out and he's a lousy liberal candidates anointed by eleftist who appointed themselves to have unelected power over the great unwashed. If they think it's about newt or Rick or whoever, they are only lying to themselves.
11 posted on 06/06/2012 2:48:51 PM PDT by Linda Frances (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness)
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To: Uncle Miltie

Agreed.


12 posted on 06/06/2012 2:51:53 PM PDT by svcw (If one living cell on another planet is life, why isn't it life in the womb?)
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To: neverdem

13 posted on 06/06/2012 2:52:22 PM PDT by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: svcw

14 posted on 06/06/2012 2:54:53 PM PDT by American in Israel (A wise man's heart directs him to the right, but the foolish mans heart directs him toward the left.)
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To: EGPWS; svcw
He has been a socialist liberal his whole political career and people don't change over night.

He'll get an atta' boy from the ABO crowd however and that will give him confidence to maintain the status quo as a socialist.

Check "Future tense, X: The fourth revolution." It's linked in comment# 9.

The socialist agenda is running out of other peopple's money. Interesting times are almost upon us. Look at Greece.

15 posted on 06/06/2012 2:57:26 PM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
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To: newfreep

“...not voting for the GOP nominee, even if it’s MUTT, is supporting Maobama!”

Apparently, not all conservatives support your guy. Nor do they support Obama. No sale.


16 posted on 06/06/2012 2:59:37 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion ("I'm comfortable with a Romney win." - Pres. Jimmy Carter)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

My “guy” was the chick from Alaska.

Congrats for supporting Obama’s communist coup!


17 posted on 06/06/2012 3:03:40 PM PDT by newfreep (Breitbart sent me...)
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To: neverdem

Milt Romney ruined the GOP in 2008,
and by Soros, he will do it again in 2012.


18 posted on 06/06/2012 3:04:46 PM PDT by Diogenesis ("Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. " Pres. Ronald Reagan)
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To: neverdem
Never liked Romney but can't wait to see Obama sulking on that inauguration stage.
19 posted on 06/06/2012 3:10:24 PM PDT by toddausauras (FUBO x 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000)
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To: neverdem; SoConPubbie; svcw; Zakeet; Nachum; Jim Robinson
WOW! I can't believe that article is from the Romney campaign's house organ, National Review.

Methinks Michael Tanner's byline won't be seen there often...if ever again.

20 posted on 06/06/2012 3:12:56 PM PDT by greyfoxx39 (Until the 52K LDS missionaries claiming Christian faith is bogus quit, I will post LDS truth.)
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