Q&A: Mitt Romney Discusses Iraq War, Reagan's Influence and Gay Marriage

Human Events ^ | 12/29/06 | Robert B. Bluey

[teddyballgame]

As he ponders whether to seek the presidency in 2008, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday took a break from his family vacation in Utah to talk exclusively to HUMAN EVENTS about the War on Terror, his conservative beliefs and the role bloggers are playing in politics. He also clarified his views on abortion and gay marriage and addressed concerns about his healthcare plan.

Romney’s term as governor ends on January 4, 2007, and he’s expected to announce his future plans shortly thereafter. Recently he’s reached out to conservatives, including National Review Online and talk-show host Hugh Hewitt to discuss his political views.

A complete transcript of our interview follows.

[JRochelle]

He claims to have been an independent during Reagan's presidency. Denied wanting to return the country to that era.

Now he invokes his name whenever he has the chance.

If you can't see the phony-balony in that, well I can't make it any clearer.

[newfreep]

I'm certainly preferring him to McCain and Guillani at this time.

Any interviews where he speaks to the types of judicial candidates he would support for USSC and Appeals?

[Unmarked Package]

An excellent article about Mitt Romney, Mister PowerPoint Goes to Washington, that I found informative has the following on the issue of abortion:

In 2005, he wrote in an op-ed in The Boston Globe that he wanted to see Roe v. Wade overturned and said states should decide on their own whether to permit abortion. “I believe that abortion is the wrong choice, except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother,” he wrote. “I wish the people of America agreed, and that the laws of our nation could reflect that view.” Earlier qualms on the right may also be offset by his aggressive opposition to the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that permitted gay marriage.

[Ragtop]

Agreed. McCain may be polling high now, but that will all change when the Democrats run "The Anoited One"-Hillary and then all of the dirt on McCain is revealed. He is a weak candidate, and yes, I get the "It's his turn" vibe that we had with Dole in 96.
Guiliani is all symbolism. He has shown great leadership, and he is in line with President with regard to the War on Terror, I think he would be a good President, but not the best. Whereas with Romney, like you said has all of the tangibles necessary to lead the country in a positive direction.
He has the lunatics on both sides scared. The MSM is already trying to sink his ship, as they feel no one should stand in the way of Hillary or Obama (should be choose to run). They know Romney is the only one that can torpedo both Hillary and Obama on the road to the White House.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I'm pullin' for him.

Ditto.

[plain talk]

He has been my choice for a while. I like the guy and believe he will be the nominee. He is a thoughtful speaker and makes sense. I think when many people compare him to Hillary they will see a far more thoughtful candidate and one who has accomplishments.

[Ragtop]

When I was growing up, I held pretty hard left beliefs. I made judgements based on emotions rather than logic. After a while, those beliefs just didn't hold water for me. My outlook completely changed.
It's completely possible that Romney's outlook has evolved over time, as everyone's has. Though in the interview he has said that Reagan has always been a hero of his. Oddly enough, I admired Reagan a lot as well, even during my "liberal days". That was one of the things that led me out of the leftist thinking. I couldn't deny my admiration for the man and justify my beliefs. Hence, I became conservative. I was awakened.
None of this changes the fact that Romney is an excellent leader with some pretty good ideas. Say what you want about ideaology, in that article he outlines some pretty good ideas concerning taxes, foreign policy and the War on Terror. All of which sound pretty good to me.

[JRochelle]

You wrote 'when I was growing up'.

In 1994 Romney was a middle-aged man; in his mid forties.

In 2002 he was in his fifties and still pro choice. That is the difference.

His views all changed with the idea of running for President.

You are right, he does have some good ideas, I just can't believe that they are what he really believes.

In 1980 GHWB was pro choice. He said he changed. He also gave us David Souter.
I put no stock in the word of any politician who changes his opinion just when it helps him politically.

[seamusnh]

I'd like to see Romney highlight what he did as a venture capitalist. When he was at Bain Capital he invested in Staples. Everyone knows Staples and can relate to its success. He should emphasize that he knows how to develop business. In MA he inherited a significant defecit and he fixed the problem without raising taxes even though he had a state legistlature (supermajorities in the state house and senate) working against him...
14 months to the NH primary...

[RGRX]

Who the H$ll is he trying to snow. Check his stance on the second amendment, this man is a liberal to the core. Also if his record in his state is so great , why are people voting with their feet and getting out?
If he has a supreme court nominee, we will end up with someone to the left of Souter.
Conservative my Foot.He's a poser.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark.

[Ragtop]

A change of beliefs can happen at any age. If you don't believe him, that's fine, you're entitled. But I happen to know the Romney family. I have lived in Utah my entire life. At one point, my brother had a band, and the keyboard player was a guy named S.P. Romney. I believe the "S" stood for Steve, but he wnated to go by "S.P.". He was a real idiot and he was only in our band for a few months before we kicked him out.
He is Mitt Romney's cousin, and had nothing good or nice to say about Mitt. This was in 2001, just when Mitt Romney cmae in and saved the SLC Olympics.
S.P. was a flaming liberal and detested his cousin for his conservative views, including abortion and gay marriage. Mitt Romney was pro-life and against gay marriage, and according to his cousin, was always like that.
Knowing what an idiot S.P. was, and how much he detested his cousin, Mitt, I figure Mitt Romney must be a pretty good guy.
S.P.'s politics didn't influence my brother and I in kicking him out of the band, he was an idiot and didn't play the keyboards very well.

[Swordfished]

Also if his record in his state is so great , why are people voting with their feet and getting out?

Any logical fallacy experts out there? Would this be considered an 'ad hoc fallacy' or just a plan old 'non sequitur'?

[Colofornian]

"abortion rights" Romeny's use of this phrase implies a certain position on the issue. His people need to fix this, ASAP. (IMO.)

Agreed. People who talk in terms of "abortion rights" usually are not systematically or practically pro-life. Pro-life folks talk about "protecting pre-born children" -- not "abortion rights."

[Unmarked Package]

"Also if his record in his state is so great , why are people voting with their feet and getting out?"

I would wager it's the high cost of housing, living expenses, and burdensome taxation that are the root causes of declining population in MA as with other states in the northeast. There are good reasons they call it Taxachusetts.

There is no way I will pin responsibility for declining population in ultra-liberal MA on a one-term Republican governor saddled with a state legislature controlled by Dems. From what I've read, Romney has made the right moves in an attempt to slow the exodus.

During a period of declining state population, in Romney's one term as governor MA added jobs, especially in the technology field. Contrast that to the same period in the state of New York where they lost 112,000 jobs since sending Hillary to the U.S. Senate despite her pledge to add 200,000 new jobs.

[myclob]

Quotes from Governor Mitt Romney about President Ronald Reagan

2004

* “It is appropriate and fitting to set aside a day to honor the memory of Ronald Reagan, who inspired the nation with his optimism and belief in the greatness of the American people. He led the nation with vision, courage and humor and defended freedom and democracy around the world.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, 06-08-2004 Press Release

* "And if you think that during the great national policy debate of the 1980's, Ronald Reagan was wrong and Ted Kennedy was right, then by all means send in John Kerry."
o Governor Mitt Romney, 09-01-2004 2002 Republican Convention

2005

* “I believe people who are in a position of visibility and leadership affect the character of young people and individuals who look to them as leaders. And in some respects just as important as their policies and positions is there character and their substance. What for me makes people like Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt and John Adams and George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan such extraordinary leaders is that they had integrity through and through. What they were on the inside and what they said on the outside was harmonious. There a lot of people like that. I think that if people try to live a very different personal life not consistent with the role they’ve assumed as a governor or senator or president, we lose something as a nation.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, The Atlantic (September 2005)

* Ronald Reagan is one of my heroes," Romney said as he praised Reagan's strategy for winning the Cold War: We win; they lose."
o Governor Mitt Romney, Source

* “Ronald Reagan is also my hero and a friend of all of ours…I believe that our party’s ascendancy began with Ronald Reagan’s brand of visionary and courageous leadership.”
o Governor Mitt Romney, Speech in South Carolina (February 2005)

* "And for all those people, for all those people like myself who yearn for world peace, don't forget that a strong America is peace's best ally. As Ronald Reagan said, he said, I saw four wars start in my lifetime and not one of them was started because America was too strong. We have a president who is committed to defending this land and to spreading liberty throughout the world and we are firmly behind him. We just had a--we recently just had a visit from Shimon Peres of Israel. He said America is unique in the world and plays a unique role. In the history of the world, he said, when wars are fought, they're fought over land and the victor takes land. But when America has been drawn into war and when millions of its sons and daughters' lives have been taken, it asks for nothing in return. No land did we take from Germany, no land did we take from Japan. In fact we invested in their countries to preserve their liberty, because we recognize their liberty and their freedom provides freedom for us and the entire world. This is a nation which is unusual in the history of the world, it is unique, and this is a nation which helps preserve the peace of the entire planet. And I'm proud and privileged to know that we have such great militrary and such great leadership carrying out and fulfilling that promise."
o Governor Mitt Romney, 06-03-2005, NH Federation of Republican Women's Lilac Dinner

2006

* "When I was running for office for the first time in 1994, I was trying to define who I was, not who I wasn’t. I was trying to define that I was an individual who had his own views and perspectives and I wasn’t a carbon copy of someone else. I’ve said since, and continue to reiterate, that one of my heroes is Ronald Reagan. I’ve been asked time and again in interviews, who are your heroes? And I mention Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower among others as some of my favorite heroes, and I feel that deeply. But I am a different person than any other person and my interest is, of course, looking forward to defining who I am. Of course, now there’s no need for me to try to define myself in reference to others. I’ve got a record. And people can look at my record and see, for instance, that when people were clamoring to raise taxes in Massachusetts, I said “no” and we held the line on taxes, and held the line and borrowing, and we balanced our budget. They can see that I vetoed literally hundreds of line items in budgets because I thought there was too much spending. They can see that I fought for better schools. They can see that I fought for a better environment. And they can recognize that a lot what Ronald Reagan was doing I’m also doing. So I’m pretty proud to follow in his legacy, if you will, recognizing, of course, that there’s some differences. He’s just a lot better than anyone else I know."
o Governor Mitt Romney, Human Events, Robert B. Bluey, 12-28-2006, http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18683

* Now of course there's some big differences between Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well. There is this affection that some people in Massachusetts have for toll booths. I don't understand it. This Memorial Day weekend my wife and I waited in the toll booth line at the Hampton tolls for just about half an hour. And I have a message for your Democratic governor. Tear down that wall.
o Governor Mitt Romney

* "Not really. Not at this stage. You know its possible that there will come some point were there is a question that galvanizes interest and there is an occasion to say something that cuts through the confusion that may develop but at this stage it is kind of hard to predict what will happen. I mean I remember in the race with Ronald Reagan, it was in his debate that he said, "I'm not going to let your youth and inexperience become an issue in this campaign". That sort of put aside his age issue. And there may well be something of that nature. I just don't think Americans will do something the constitution forbids. The constitution says that no religious test shall ever be required for qualification for office in these United States, and I don't think my party or the American people would ever do that."
o Governor Mitt Romney, discussing his religion on the Charlie Rose Show. Was asked, "John Kennedy, we remember, looked for and found a venue where he could talk about his catholic faith. The Houston ministry is a very famous speech that he gave. Would you look for and are you looking for a place were you can make a statement like this and are you looking for the right place and time?"

* "Well, I think people in this country want a person of faith to lead them as their governor, as their senator, as their president. I don't think most people care what brand of faith they have. And I don't believe that that's been an issue for me in my race for governor. It wasn't an issue, I believe, serious, for John Kennedy when he ran for president. People said oh, gosh, Ronald Reagan, he's been an actor who's been divorced, you can't elect him. Those things, I think, get swept away as people get to know the individual, understand their character, their vision, their values, and I think that's true regardless of a person's faith if they are a faithful person."
o Governor Mitt Romney, 02-27-2006 Interview with CHRIS WALLACE on FNS

Press Releases from Governor Mitt Romney about President Ronald Reagan

06-08-2004, ROMNEY DECLARES JUNE 11th DAY OF HONOR FOR PRESIDENT REAGAN

[Unmarked Package]

I had not seen these quotes before on Free Republic or elsewhere from Mitt Romney. Thank you for posting them here. It was very enlightening.

I'm impressed that a sitting Governor in the ultra-liberal state of Massachusetts would praise President Ronald Reagan in such glowing terms.

Mitt Romney is wise to have chosen Ronald Reagan as a role model and hero. It’s a check mark in the affirmative column for commitment to the conservative cause on my score sheet.

[KevinDavis]

It seems to me that he is a states right person..... I don't like abortion, but I think it should be up to the states that it should be legal or not.

[Unmarked Package]

"It seems to me that he [Mitt Romney] is a states right person..."

I'm beginning to get a sense of that too. If that's true, it suits me just fine because it more closely resembles the balance of power envisioned by the original framers of the U.S. Constitution.

Hopefully, that philosophy could influence Romney's choices for judges in the Appellate Courts and SCOTUS. The judges chosen for lower courts and the SCOTUS are absolutely critical for conservatism to make gains in the U.S.A.

I'd really like to hear more specifics on Romney's opinions about judicial appointments. That's a huge factor in my decision to support a candidate for President.

[KevinDavis]

I would also like to see his position on Space Exploration. That is another big thing for me..