Brownback Campaign Rips Romney on Boy Scouts Position

CBN ^ | 7/22/07

[bnelson44]

The Brody File is the first to receive a press release that will go out later today from the Brownback campaign.

It is a frontal assault on Mitt Romney.

Basically, the Brownback campaign is blasting Romney for his past comments about the Boy Scouts. You can read the press release below.

The title is as follows:

Romney Hostile to Boy Scout Leadership and Principles: Supports Gay Scout Leaders, was Cold to Scout Participation in Olympics.

Here's the entire press release:

In his 1994 Senate race in Massachusetts and later as CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee, Mitt Romney opposed Boy Scout officials who wished to prevent gay men from becoming troop leaders and was hostile to Scout participation in the 2002 Olympics.

In a 1994 debate with Ted Kennedy, Mitt Romney offered his support for gay scout leaders:

"I feel that all people should be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts regardless of their sexual orientation."

The comments from Romney, who holds a law degree, came six years before the June 2000 Supreme Court ruling that allowed the Boy Scouts to bar troop leaders based on sexual orientation. The ruling cited the constitutional rights of freedom of association and speech.

Later in 2000, facing pressure from gay rights activists, Romney was cold toward overtures from Scout leaders who wished to participate in Olympic activities.

"At a recent training event for Scout leaders, Marty Latimer, chief Scout executive for the council, revealed that the Scouts are no longer welcome. 'We don't understand what's wrong. They just don't want us and won't talk to us,' said Latimer. He told NewsMax.com that Mitt Romney, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee, has not returned phone calls from a number of Scout officials who have tried to obtain clarification."

Romney's openness to gay scout leaders conflicts with the Scout Oath, which requires Scouts to be "morally straight."

"What part of morally straight doesn't Mitt Romney understand?" said Larry Cirigiano, a Catholic activist in Massahusetts. "Boy Scout 'leaders' are supposed to be role models. Open homosexuals should not be leading young Boy Scouts anywhere."

Senator Brownback has always supported the right of the Boy Scouts of America to determine the best leaders for young scouts.

The Brownback campaign then directs people to a YouTube clip of a 1994 U.S. Senate debate where Romney talks about this. You can watch it here.

Let me say a few things.

First of all, this Boy Scout story has been talked about at the grassroots level before but this is the first time that a rival campaign has brought it up and made it an issue. It makes sense that the Brownback campaign would do this.

The operatives within the campaign do not like Romney.

They feel he is disingenuous on nearly every issue. Brownback needs to do well in the upcoming Iowa Straw Poll to begin to break out of the second tier. You can bet that the campaign will be spreading this Boy Scout information to the conservative Iowa voters where family values are important.

We will try and get a response from the Romney campaign today. In the past, The Brody File inquired about the Governor's position on this issue but never got a response.

Is this a big deal to you? The Brownback campaign thinks it's important but what say you?

[redgirlinabluestate]

Below is the response from Kevin Madden, spokesman for Governor Romney's campaign:

"Governor Romney has been the most prominent, leading advocate of the family values platform in this campaign. His consistent advocacy on these issues has resulted in an important growth of support for our campaign. Some other campaigns will resort to negative attacks and distortions which is an unfortunate reflection on their campaign's conduct. Governor Romney has been a supporter of the Boy Scouts and has said he supports their right to decide scouting policies." In their release, the Bownback campaign said, "Senator Brownback has always supported the right of the Boy Scouts of America to determine the best leaders for young scouts."

Well, the last line in Kevin Madden's statement seems similar to what Brownback is saying as well. Is there any difference between the two?

Guess not.

[bnelson44]

Mitt Romney’s 1994 debate against Sen. Ted Kennedy. Watch the Republican presidential wanna-be as he tries to convince the audience that he is more pro-choice and pro-gay than a Kennedy. There’s also an interesting exchange where Mitt says that gays “should be allowed” to serve as Boy Scout leaders. At the time he served on the board of directors of the Scouts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI

[redgirlinabluestate]

You are reaching pretty far back. Why the worry? Seems a little desperate since we don't have to rely on what he said 13 years ago while trying to get elected in a liberal state. We can review what he actually did while governor during the last few years. Romney's Conservative Record as Governor For Review

Nonetheless, even back in 1994 -- if you want to go way back -- Romney maintained conservative positions on a majority of issues.

A campaign flyer unearthed from the 1994 race lists a side-by-side comparison of positions between Romney and Kennedy for 24 election issues. Images of the front and back of the flyer are available on the web. A closeup of the flyer with the candidate comparison on the issues is shown below:

Romney held the solid conservative position for 23 of the 24 issues listed; the only exception being the pledge to maintain the status quo in Massachusetts regarding a woman's right to choose. A pro-choice position in Massachusetts in 1994 was a socially moderate stance accommodating the large majority opinion of voters in the state. Romney did not run to the left of Kennedy. One moderate position does not a leftist make.

[bnelson44]

It is a pretty big deal to those of us involved in Scouts. And if a man is willing to sell the Scouts out to get elected, it sure tells a lot about his moral character.

Again, if he has changed his mind and now doesn’t want homosexual Scoutmasters, it would be pretty easy for him to say so. My guess is that he has not changed his mind.

[CheyennePress]

Actually, Romney did maintain the status quo in Mass regarding abortion.

A law, being an instrument of change, breaks the status quo. And thus Romney kindly vetoed every single “instrument of of change” the Mass legislature sent him with regards to abortion. ;)

[AppyPappy]

But Romney is on public record favoring inclusion of open homosexuals in scouting.

Correction: It is no longer about favoring inclusion. It's about forcing inclusion. That's Romney's stand.

Ironically, the BSA has put so many safeguards in place, you could almost drop the exclusion these days. I don't think that is a good idea but they have done a good job protecting the kids.

[PJ-Comix]

And Romney’s going nowhere fast.

Which bleacher seat do you want during the Romney inaugural parade?

[elpadre]

I don’t consider this release as throwing dirt.

There is a big difference between verbally assassinating a candidate and getting out the history and facts so that the people can make an informed decision.

We need a complete and true picture of every candidate on both sides. Where do they stand on each of the important issues of the day?

As a former Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster in my younger years this information is all I need to cross him off my list.

[samtheman]

Actually, my appraisal of Romney’s chances is headed north, along with my opinion of the guy. He’s still not my first choice, but I like him better today than I did last week.

[JakeS]

Time to bump this back up to the top.