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

Hot Air ^ | August 3rd, 2012 | Allahpundit

[Third Person]

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.”

[SuziQ]

I don’t mind Mitt not getting involved in the Chick-Fil-A kerfuffle. He didn’t start it, it had nothing to do with him, and it will only serve to allow the MSM to change the subject. They want to take the focus off Obama’s failed economic policies, and Romney not taking the bait won’t let them do that.

[1035rep]

I agree.

[exit82]

Well said.

Hope others can see through the noise to understand your well reasoned points.

[Eaker]

Mitt will probably take a lot of heat here on FR for

Because Mitt is sucking up to fags?

Cut US some slack................

He isn't going to get the fag vote so why suck up to them unless he agrees with them?

[Mountain Mary]

Thanks Windflier.

[Repeat Offender]

Yeah, why would Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion be in Myth's campaign?

It's kinda hard to fit that into the same tent as freedom to sodomize other men in a public restroom, or freedom to allow militant homosexuals to define the religious institution of marriage as something other than a religious institution.

Myth is just pissed off that Wednesday proved more people will show up for a chicken sandwich than for him.

Even more unfortunate for him, is a fried chicken sandwich has more of spine than he does......and apparently can run a better campaign.

I say -

Dan Cathy for President of the United States of America

Bishop Myth Romney for president of the Taxachussetts LGBT bridge club.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

He said he would “repeal and replace”

See: HR3000-(Rep. Tom Price R-GA)

HR3000 is the "replace" I don't think there's too much there that would rankle your feathers.

[SamAdams76]

If Mittens wanted to stop at Chick this week, he could have done so,..quietly and without fanfare.

Are you serious? Romney now travels with an entourage, media and secret service detail almost as large as the president's. He can't blow his nose in public without it being reported on and you think he can stop into a Chick-Fil-A quietly and without fanfare?

I'm a fan of Sarah Palin and appreciate what she does for the conservative cause but she didn't run. As I stated before, had she entered the race, we wouldn't even be talking about Mitt Romney right now.

[Revolting cat!]

Mormons don’t eat chicken, that’s why!

[Newton]

No kidding it’s not the governments job to select businesses based on personal opinions but it is the governments job to tell you how much salt you can have, how large your drink can be and how you feed your baby. WTF?

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Any fellow conservative (and FReeper) from the state of my birth is de facto my "ilk," ma'am. ;)

[Windflier]

You’re welcome, Mary. I could not let that slide.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Pssssssst! Hey! You missed one, over here! ;)

[cynwoody]

That wasn’t my question. In most of the primaries, he didn’t get a majority of the vote. He “won” with a plurality, meaning most GOP voters wanted somebody else.

Your question is phrased in the singular, but the answer is very much in the plural. Romney got over half in a couple of dozen states, at least, although the higher percentages were mostly in the states voting later. In the end, Romney got 51.5% of the total primary popular vote, so it's not fair to say he won by a mere plurality. Lots of numbers here.

The rules were actually fairer this time around. Most states were not winner-take-all, so there was room for less popular candidates to collect delegates. For instance, I voted for Newt in Massachusetts on March 6. When I checked the results and found he got only 4.7%, I realized I should have voted for Santorum or Paul, each of whom came much closer to the 15% threshold to take a delegate away from Mittens, who got almost 72%.

Here's a map showing how the counties sorted out:

Orange is Romney's color. The darker the shade, the higher the percentage. E.g. check out Utah (LOL!).

[Brellium]

Awesome, I now have a map with yellow counties to show me where all the crazies live!

[Lancey Howard]

I understand why he is doing it, though...

Absolutely! Mittens is a "go-along-to-get-along" kind of guy who likes to "reach across the aisle"... to... "get things done".
Etc.

[Politicalmom]

BWAHAHAHAAA!!

(I’m laughing so I won’t cry.)

[Catsrus]

Why is it some people on here want Romney to “comment” on every issue going on in America?

I think he gave a perfectly good answer to the question, and avoided the onslaught from the lamestream press for his diplomatic answer.

Just because he didn’t comment on the issue doesn’t mean it should disqualify him from winning this election.

We have no other choice and I, for one, am not wasting the one vote I’m allowed by writing in someone else. By doing that- it would certainly tip the election to 4 more years of the Marxist-in-chief.

He just can’t afford to give the enemy any munition to use against him. They are doing plenty of that already.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Bye Bye Noob.

I guess you can find your "ilk" elsewhere.

Verminous little trolls such as "Justice4awe" are always happier amongst their own TrueBlue kind... such as (for instance) this chirpy little liberal apologist on said site, re: this very thread:

"Abort your baby, go ahead, you have to answer for your action, not me. If Jim Rob and Sarah Palin showed up with KoolAid in Tampa we would have the streets littered with dead Freepers. Might make the world a more sane place. I hope Jim reads this. He is nothing more than a con-man swindling his readers."

Oh, yeah. SEVERELY "conservative" foot soldiers, these sorts.

[Tennessee Nana]

you think he can stop into a Chick-Fil-A quietly and without fanfare?
__________________________________________

No I think he could have stoped into a Chick-Fil-A and he would then have made should there was lots of fanfare and PR

The only excuse he really has for not being at a CFA Wednesday is that he was out of the country...

However his campaign back here could have ordered take out for breakfast or lunch etc as others did...

and Willard could have made a statement..

But crickets...

Thats what Willard thinks of same sex marriage...

hes not against it...

Its too late now for Willard to do mop up and pretend he supports CFA...

The time to do that was Wednesday and before..