Posted on 12/20/2007 9:26:28 PM PST by Ol' Sparky
Mitt Romney has been caught in yet another lie. Only yesterday Romney’s claim of not supporting Planned Parenthood abortion mills was abruptly smashed by a photograph surfacing of him at one of their fundraisers in 1994. Today, it’s Romney’s claim that his father “marched with” famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
During his “I’m a Mormona but it doesn’t matter” speech, Mitt Romney claimed he saw his father, George Romney, marching with MLK during a 1968 civil rights march through Grosse Pointe, Michigan. It was a stirring account of the efforts of his father to show that the Romney family have always reached across ecumenical lines.
Only one little problem… it never happened.
Today The Phoenix is reporting that the details of Romney’s claim just don’t match up with reality. What we end up with is just one more wild lie by Mitt Romney who will say anything at all that he thinks will help him win the nomination… even if it isn’t true.
Here’s the details according to The Phoenix.
In the most-watched speech of his political career, speaking on “Faith in America” at College Station, Texas, earlier this month, Mitt Romney evoked the strongest of all symbolic claims to civil-rights credentials: “I saw my father march with Martin Luther King.”
He has repeated the claim several times recently, most prominently to Tim Russert on Meet the Press . But, while the late George W. Romney, a four-term governor of Michigan, can lay claim to a strong record on civil rights, the Phoenix can find no evidence that the senior Romney actually marched with King, nor anything in the public record suggesting that he ever claimed to do so.
Nor did Mitt Romney ever previously claim that this took place, until long after his father passed away in 1995 — not even when defending accusations of the Mormon church’s discriminatory past during his 1994 Senate campaign.
So, what did the Romney campaign say about the specifics?
Asked about the specifics of George Romney’s march with MLK, Mitt Romney’s campaign told the Phoenix that it took place in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. That jibes with the description proffered by David S. Broder in a Washington Post column written days after Mitt’s College Station speech.
And what do they base this claim on?
Broder, in that column, references a 1967 book he co-authored on the Republican Party, which included a chapter on George Romney. It includes a one-line statement that the senior Romney “has marched with Martin Luther King through the exclusive Grosse Pointe suburb of Detroit.”
OK, but did MLK ever even have a march in Grosse Pointe?
But that account is incorrect. King never marched in Grosse Pointe, according to the Grosse Pointe Historical Society, and had not appeared in the town at all at the time the Broder book was published. “I’m quite certain of that,” says Suzy Berschback, curator of the Grosse Pointe Historical Society. (Border was not immediately available for comment.)
Berschback also believes that George Romney never appeared at a protest, march, or rally in Grosse Pointe. “We’re a small town,” she says. “Governors don’t come here very often, except for fundraisers.”
Ooopsie! It’s all just another Romney lie.
There is also no record of George Romney himself ever claiming to have marched with MLK.
It gets even worse for Mitt. There was an MLK march after the date the Romney camp claims Gov. George Romney took his stroll with the civil rights leader, but even if the Gov. marched then (and there is absolutely no newspaper or TV accounts that he did) Mitt could never have “seen” his father march because he was in France on a Mormon mission at the time.
And, Mitt Romney would not have known about the event, let alone had a chance to “see” it. He was at that time in the middle of his two-year mission for the Mormon church in Le Havre, France. By his own description and others’, he was cut off from virtually all contact with his family; and at the time, King’s Grosse Pointe appearance was no more than local news.
It all comes down to another Romney lie. After all, as the paper says:
Had George Romney ever marched with Martin Luther King Jr., it almost certainly would have been documented. From the mid-’50s through 1962, Romney was one of the country’s most prominent business leaders — for him to travel South for a civil-rights march would have been remarkable. From January 1963 on, as governor of Michigan and a presumed Presidential candidate, Romney was one of the most visible political figures in the country.
What will it take for Romney supporters to realize that their guy is a liar?
Like Clinton, he lies like he breaths and he will continue to because he has his whole political life.
I'm almost feel sorry for Rudy Giuliani. The only difference between him and Romney is that Romney lies more. Romney shouldn't be rewarded for that. He should suffer the same fate Giuliani is heading for -- to an also-ran in the polls.
Isn’t this about the third time you’ve posted this today?
It’s getting old.
The same story, while from different sources, doesn’t need to be posted six different times.
This is a multiple repeat post. Sparky may be a secret sock puppet.
Translation: The Lion roars for big Myth.
Yes , but it must be noted that Romney is a hybrid of Klinton / Kerry ... lies and flip flops
It’s the first time I’ve heard it and I’ve been online most of the day.
I am sure you roar for your candidate....otherwise you wouldn’t be trashing Mitt all day.
Either wake up or lay off the hooch.
Hey at least we know where Rudy truly stands on the issues. Rudy is up front about his Liberalism ....Romney Otoh ..well ....
I guess that is why all the major conservatives are endorsing Romney. Geez....you people are looking dumber every day.
Almost forgot, fake but accurate......
LOL
I saw this on Hannity and Colmes tonight. It’s really disgusting. Mitt is not only slick—he’s a liar.
“photograph surfacing of him at one of their fundraisers in 1994”
Folks have published photos of him LIVING IN FRANCE!!!!!!!!! I mean, he SPEAKS FRENCH!!!!!!
And this guy wants to be the CIC?
/s
You people ? Who do you mean ? Thompson supporters ? People that know Romney is a lying flip-flopper ?
First time I've seen it, so I'm glad it's being reposted. Romney is nothing but a flip-flopping liar who will say or do anything to get elected. He's an empty suit who needs to be exposed far and wide. The country and the Republican Party don't need this weasel in office.
I see a lot of Judases for Joe Isuzu Romney, but I haven’t seen any Conservatives.
Of course, this is funny, but then it's not. Surely he knew this would be checked. Just like the NRA endorsement that never happened. Why does he do this? Whether it's pathological lying or just desperation, it's very disturbing. And yet there are those who keep saying we should trust that this man means what he says about all the changes in his stated policy since he was in office. Why? Voters need to have something concrete to base their faith upon. Romney has given us no reason at all to believe anything he says.
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