Candidates, Media Won't Stop Attacking Mitt Romney Over Abortion

LifeNews.com ^ | August 9, 2007 | by Steven Ertelt

[hardback]

Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) -- Two recent polls show Mitt Romney with a lead in the first presidential battleground of Iowa in advance of a major straw poll there this weekend. As a result, the front-runner is increasingly coming under attack from both the media and other candidates over his stance on abortion. Romney campaigned as a pro-abortion candidate who favored limits on abortions when he ran for both governor and senator in Massachusetts.

He has said he became pro-life in 2005 when confronted with the issue of embryonic stem cell research. Romney has said repeatedly that he learned how abortion cheapened the value of human life overall.

This week, Romney moved further towards the pro-life spectrum in saying he backed the human life amendment found in the Republican Party platform.

"My personal view, as the right course for us to pursue today is to see Roe v. Wade over turned, which would have the impact of allowing states to create their own laws in this regard," Romney said Wednesday.

Yet, candidates such as Sam Brownback have criticized him for flip-flopping on abortion and say his newfound pro-life views aren't genuine.

Brownback's campaign has used automated phone calls to tell Iowa voters that Romney's wife Ann once donated to Planned Parenthood.

And he's attacked Romney for previously saying he opposed a human life amendment and then apparently switching gears on that this week.

Now, Brownback's team has posted a two-minute Web video bashing the former governor for his stance on abortion.

The attacks prompted Romney to lash out during last weekend's GOP presidential debate.

"I get tired of people that are holier than thou because they've been pro-life longer than I have," the exasperated candidate said.

Today, the Boston Globe jumped in the fray with Romney and claimed he has an "honesty problem" when it comes to his abortion stance.

"Every time Romney tries to explain his evolution from supporter to opponent of abortion rights, his honesty comes into question. That's because his explanations over the years don't add up," the newspaper wrote in an editorial.

During the debate, Romney was asked to name his biggest political mistake.

"Probably from a political standpoint and a personal standpoint, the greatest mistake was when I first ran for office, being deeply opposed to abortion but saying, 'I support the current law,' which was pro-choice and effectively a pro-choice position. That was just wrong," he said.

The Globe criticized him for the answer and said that, when Romney ran for office in Massachusetts, he went well beyond supporting the state's pro-abortion laws.

"He begged voters to accept him as an embracer of abortion rights," the newspaper said.

Still, the Globe admitted, "That he is now a pro-life advocate, committed to overturning Roe v. Wade, is believable, given the political equation necessary to win the GOP nomination."

Whether the Globe is right -- that Romney's conversion is political rather than on principle -- is something voters from Iowa and other states will have to decide.

[ClaireSolt]

I sure hope Al Queda doesn’t blow up a city while we all quibble about this.

[Antoninus]

Still, the Globe admitted, "That he is now a pro-life advocate, committed to overturning Roe v. Wade, is believable, given the political equation necessary to win the GOP nomination."

LOL. Exactly. Mitt is an "I'll take whatever position is necessary to get the votes" kind of guy.

I don't trust him even for half a second.

[Badeye]

‘I sure hope Al Queda doesn’t blow up a city while we all quibble about this.’

Isn’t that the truth.

[dirtboy]

I sure hope Al Queda doesn’t blow up a city while we all quibble about this.

Considering that abortions every day kill as many Americans as al Qaeda killed on 9-11, it's hardly a quibble. But it is telling about you that you seek to downplay the debate over abortion to such.

[mnehring]

So, how do we decide if this is a CTJ issue with Romney or if it is flip flopping? Not all position changes are flip flopping, nor are all epiphanies genuine.

IMHO, while I don’t support him in the primaries, he does seem like the type of person I would give the benefit of the doubt to unless evidence shows me otherwise.

[onedoug]

...Until he gets the nomination, at least.

[JohnnyZ]

"Probably from a political standpoint and a personal standpoint, the greatest mistake was when I first ran for office, being deeply opposed to abortion but saying, 'I support the current law,' which was pro-choice and effectively a pro-choice position.

That was an outright lie.

He certainly didn't bother with any "current law" semantics when he first ran in 1994. And his stance in 2002 was far, far more liberal than he's been trying to portray it -- he even pledged his support for government funded abortion.

He even repeatedly used his relative's death to convince people how sincerely and deeply committed he was to legal abortion.

[uncbob]

LOL. Exactly. Mitt is an "I'll take whatever position is necessary to get the votes" kind of guy.

Back in 94 running against Kennedy he had a double digit lead in early polling --Giddy with the thoughts of replacing Teddy , Milt came out and stated "I don't want the support of the extremist NRA or Conservative Christian Types "(paraphrasing )

Teddy is still in the Senate

Milt is an empty suit hack politician

[pnh102]

Could it be possible that this is a genuine conversion to the pro-life position by Romney? There have been other prominent Republicans who were pro-baby killing who saw the light and became pro-life. George H. W. Bush comes to mind.

[crazyhorse691]

“That he is now a pro-life advocate, committed to overturning Roe v. Wade, is believable, given the political equation necessary to win the GOP nomination.”

---

He was the Gov of one of the most liberal states in the Union and we are supposed to believe that he misled the voters then, but, not now? I like Mitt, but, I don’t like his Clinton-like maneuvers.

[Vigilanteman]

Romney campaigned as a pro-abortion candidate who favored limits on abortions when he ran for both governor and senator in Massachusetts.

Doesn't the enemedia tell us that anyone who favors any limits is a knuckle-dragging pro-life conservative?

[Vigilanteman]

Apparently he learned something, because since that experience:

1. He rescued the 2002 Olympics from a corruption scandal.
   
2. He got elected governor of Massachusetts and cut taxes.
   
3. He's campaigned hard for other conservative candidates, unlike Fred Thompson who just showed up this spring.

Duncan Hunter is still my first choice, but I'm willing to at least give this guy a look. Despite his weakness on social issues, he does seem to have an excellent grasp of economic issues and the work ethic which will be necessary to defeat the witch, her enemedia allies and her corrupt political machine.

The same might be said of Guilani, but Romney is clearly better on the social issues and border security than Rudi.

[David In Staten Island]

To understand Romney’s abortion position, watch the YouTube video of him with Jan Michelson. Why would people find it a stretch to believe that a man who has ALWAYS been personally and morally opposed to abortion could be pro-life? My guess is that they are either un-intelligent or have a secret (or not so secret) agenda in tryint to smear the man. It would be nice if other candidates could start discussing real issues rather than creating ones like this.

[redgirlinabluestate]

Very well stated. It is a ploy to divide conservatives launched by the DNC, but picked up by the useful idiots in our own party. Sadly, it will only lead to a President Giuliani or President Clinton -- both decidedly pro-abortion.

Why ignore all THIS? Shouldn't actions speak louder than words?

[JohnnyZ]

Why would people find it a stretch to believe that a man who has ALWAYS been personally and morally opposed to abortion could be pro-life?

Because being "personally opposed" while champoining legal abortion is a preposterous position that many of the most radical pro-abortion Democrats hold.

Mitt's stated position on abortion was that it should be safe and legal, and he held to that position -- according to his own statements -- from 1970 to 2004.

Bill Clinton's stated position on abortion was that it should be safe, legal, and rare.

If Bill Clinton were to come out and say he's pro-life today, would you believe him, too?

[MurryMom]

Mitt Romney is without question the biggest and most obvious fake ever to attain public office, and that includes Jesse Ventura and Newt Gingrich. Mitt reneged on just about every position he ever held during his entire political life. The sad truth is that, to win the nomination of the clown college that is the modern Republican Party, he almost has to be an obvious fake.

[Biblebelter]

I will accept Romney’s postion change on abortion, before I accept what that weasel Brownback did on immigration which was change his vote for the record and desert the Teddy Kennedy wing of the Republican Party when he saw they were going to get defeated. As slick and a smarmy a politician that Romney might be, I can NEVER trust a weasel like Brownback who change his vote for the record on an issue like illegal immigration.

[uncbob]

Apparently he learned something, because since that experience:

Yeah he learned that he needs the NRA and Christian Conservative votes

Too bad it isn't because of principles

[redgirlinabluestate]

Mitt reneged on just about every position he ever held during his entire political life.

How untrue is that? Let me count the ways.... Look back at this campaign flyer from 1994 where Mitt held the conservative position in 23 out of 24 categories and still holds those same positions today.

The 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 that state.

Geez, the more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?