Romney on Chick-fil-A: That’s not something that’s part of my campaign; Obama ducks too

Hotair ^ | August 3, 2012 | AllahPundit

[SeekAndFind]

Via the Examiner, I understand why he punted here. His retort to Reid's tax-evasion smear last night was that it's an obvious, grotesque attempt to hand the media a new distraction from Obama's record. He just got back from a foreign policy trip/photo op that was also submerged in distractions, most notably his Olympics comments in London and his aide's "kiss my ass" comments to the press in Poland. He's just begun pushing a more positive message keyed to his biography to convince undecideds that he's up to the job. The last thing he wants right now is another distraction wrapped around his ankles, particularly on a day when the news is about the latest disappointing jobs report.

Given that the Chick-fil-A question here was packaged with another question about Bachmann and the Muslim Brotherhood, he had two dilemmas. One: If he weighs in on either, that's a story and now suddenly he's being asked about gay marriage and Islamism instead of jobs for the middle class. If you want a candidate who's more interested in culture-war issues than economic growth, try Romney 2008. Two: If he weighs in only on Chick-fil-A, the easier of the two topics, then there'll be a separate story on why he specifically ducked the question about Bachmann and he'll hear it from her supporters and from the media for dodging. He probably figured he was better off playing it safe (as usual) and passing on both. Hey — if you wanted a nominee who'd inch out on the highwire to answer any question put to him, you should have nominated Newt.

Still, hurts to know that even a tool like Mike Bloomberg is capable of offering a righteous answer on CFA when called on to do so:

Critics trying to shut Chick-fil-A because its CEO opposes gay marriage are undermining the very essence of the Constitution, Mayor Bloomberg declared today in a stirring defense of the embattled fast food chain.

“It isn’t the right thing to do and it isn’t what America stands for,” Bloomberg said on his weekly WOR radio show. “And those people who don’t like (Chick-fil-A) don’t understand their rights were protected by people who took a difficult position in the past and stood by it. They stood up so everybody else would be free.”…

“What’s for sure is that government cannot in the United States, in America, under the Constitution, be run where you have a litmus test for the personal views of somebody when they want something in the commercial world.”

Barney Frank also managed to say a word against government discrimination towards Chick-fil-A. Ah well. Maybe Mitt will get another question about this tomorrow and say something about free speech even if he ends up avoiding the subject of gay marriage. Speaking of which, enjoy the second clip below. Not sure what’s gotten into Stewart lately, but this is a rare week during which most of his big hits have been at the expense of Democrats. Exit quotation via Mediaite: “Pretty sure you can’t outlaw a company with perfectly legal business practices because you find their CEO’s views repellant. Not sure which amendment covers that, but it’s probably in the top 1.”

Update: Evidently the “evolution” is over:

Obama, already in favor of gay marriage, has little to gain by weighing in against a private company that operates primarily in red states on an issue that has already inflamed social conservatives. He has treaded lightly on the issue on the campaign trail, touting the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy but avoided new calls for legalizing gay marriage since announcing he supported it in May.

Several officials in Obama’s White House and campaign did not respond Friday to requests for comment about Chick-fil-A. And there’s reason for the president to keep the issues away from the center of his reelection campaign. Obama can’t afford to alienate religious conservatives in the black community or give blue-collar Democratic whites in Ohio and Virginia another reason to vote against him.

Not a word from the president of the United States in defense of a business owner’s right to hold the political views he prefers without fear of government retribution?

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO

[Moorings]

Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are very important, fundamental issues for me. If I don’t have those, jobs and economy don’t mean a whole lot.

[Mountain Mary]

“Romney is smart in what he is doing, namely restoring gravitas to the Presidency”

What presidency? Last I knew he wasn’t even the GOP nominee yet.

[OhioBuckeye]

It does not describe anyone on the ballot.

So don’t vote....or vote third party that ranks right up there with the public...NOT

I’m interested in removing Obama from office, not throwing a pity party because I dislike the candidate.

[OhioBuckeye]

I’ll use my caps if I so desire.

Live with it.

[OhioBuckeye]

“Apparently you haven’t figured it out yet but Mitt Romney lost to John McCain in 08. LOL”

And apparently you haven’t figured out that this is 2012 - not 2008.

[OhioBuckeye]

Mr. Romneycare?

Some people are as bad as the Left.

[napscoordinator]

You got to give up CNN.

Are you kidding? CNN did not cover a thing. I get all my news here. Maybe if you would visit here more than once a month you would not only learn something but also find out what is news.

[cripplecreek]

Some people are as bad as the Left.

Yeah we call them Romney voters because they do exactly as their masters tell them without question.

[JudgemAll]

Romney should be proud of his marriage. What is wrong with his wife?

Are Romney and Obama co=blackmailing each other regarding mixed marriage disasters and lower qualities?

[JudgemAll]

I suspecte the “classical Greek” GOP-E hates christians and they believe they are the ones who built the pyrammids and parthenon now called DC.

They are completely fooled by the Obama blackmail and production of destruction.

This is an act of God. They hate Christians.

Truth is, I believe the “you did not build that” thing was a PR job by the GOP-E helping the Obama to crush us.

The GOP-E are the most hypocritical weird bunch ever. They are trying to play it both ways, grabbing some here, and yet pleading for sanity there.

They are completely confused, stuck and thus incompentent.

Romney needs new advisors or they will pit his Mormons even against Christians, something Mormons have never done as a record of being one of the only religion founded without any bloodshed - potentialy naive as a result.

[bert]

Drivel and balderdash don’t begin to describe your post. It is beyond the pale

[muawiyah]

Funnnnnyyyyyy

[arderkrag]

What a surprise.

[muawiyah]

But in doing that ~ if in fact he is doing any of that ~ he is also ignoring the far more serious issue of FREEDOM OF SPEECH and FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE.

Just guessing he doesn't have any experience with either concept.

[OhioBuckeye]

“Yeah we call them Romney voters because.....”

I will vote for Romney because he is on the ticket and running against Obama. The “masters” are the people who vote. (see Ted Cruz victory)

So either people will vote with the majority in the national election and then work with what they have or continue to split the party, split the vote and split this Country down the seams.

I am no one’s puppet - but I will be a team player. I never was one of those people who were chosen last for a team.

[arderkrag]

Your tin foil hat is showing, but at least you’re vaguely amusing.

[muawiyah]

We do require that they ~ the gub'mnt candidates ~ are on our side eh!

Being noncommital when it comes to FREE SPEECH is rather unusual in our society. Even Obama has a position ~ he would like for us all to shut up, so we know where he stands.

You really can't be lukewarm on this particular fundamental right in this country.

Even though I find nothing whatsoever appealing with this dude, I am still startled when he seems to have no position on the elements in the Bill of Rights.

No way a knowledgeable businessman could be so unaware of such matters ~ unless, of course, he was just a face man.

[cripplecreek]

Rush was right back in december.

The Republican Party is trying to do something in this primary that is unprecedented. They're trying to split the conservative vote and win the primary with a moderate, with Romney. It's the other way around. You consolidate your base and then you move to the center in the general. The Republican establishment has decided they don't want any part of conservatism. And this is really not new. People are surprised to hear this, but the Republican Party formative event with conservatism is Goldwater's landslide defeat. That's what they think of when they think conservative. They don't think Reagan. They think Goldwater.

They believe what the inside-the-Beltway philosophy is about conservatives. They're racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe, Southern hayseed hicks. They're pro-lifers. They're embarrassing to have to go to the convention with them. And they're just embarrassed to have those kind of people in the party. They're dumb. They're not erudite. They're not educated in Ivy League schools. We'll take their votes on election day, but we really don't want to hang around with them. We don't want anybody in Washington thinking that we're really that close to them and aligned with them. So in the process -- you know, it's a very sophisticated electorate. The Republican primary voter can sense that the Republican Party really doesn't like them, really doesn't want them, thinks that they are the route to defeat. That's the problem in a nutshell. The Republican establishment thinks that a conservative nominee is the route to defeat because they think Goldwater landslides are going to happen because they believe what the popular misconception the left has created of conservatives -- they think everybody thinks that.

Rush Goes On the Record with Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteren

[muawiyah]

The party split is simple and not at all intimidating. The GOP-e is at most 15% of our voting strength, and may actually be as low as 8% if you only count Republicans who voted in primaries.

That means anywhere from 85% to 92% of the Republican party is a member of one of the various Conservative factions inside the party.

We really can afford to LOSE every single member of the GOP-e and still function as a major political party, and then where are you people going to go? Will you become another Democrat faction "Officially"?

[Cringing Negativism Network]

How about you wait to see who Romney decides to nominate as VP to decide if he’s forgotten about conservatives.

OK?

I’m personally for Palin, who in my opinion would do a (lot) toward capturing all the conservatives currently looking for, every reason to rebel.

At least wait for his VP selection.