Barney Frank: Dems are making a `mistake' with Romney (Dems Try to Steal Another Election)

Boston Herald | Thursday, June 20, 2002 | by David R. Guarino and Andrew Miga

[Lance Romance]

Frank: Dems are making a `mistake' with Romney

by David R. Guarino and Andrew Miga
Thursday, June 20, 2002

Democrats saw their legal challenge to Mitt Romney's gubernatorial candidacy erode further from within yesterday as one of the state's senior congressmen launched an open rebellion with party elders.

As a team of Democrat-hired lawyers finished pleading with an obscure state board to knock Romney off the ballot, U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Newton) bluntly told the Herald the party is making a ``political mistake.''

``It was a mistake to challenge (Romney) legally,'' Frank said. ``A political party shouldn't put itself in the position of looking as if it is trying to prevent an election.''

Frank, joining prominent Democrats like House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran and gubernatorial candidates Steve Grossman and Robert Reich in opposing the party hierarchy, said the challenge raised important issues but might ultimately backfire.

``They reversed the English on this and let (Romney) look like, `Oh, poor me' getting beat up on this,'' Frank said.

In closing arguments in the three-day residency case, Democrats pleaded with the state Ballot Law Commission to ``do the right thing'' and deny Romney a slot on the ballot. Insisting their case isn't a ``technicality,'' lawyers for the Massachusetts Democratic Party urged the board to stand up to public opinion and deny Romney a slot on the ballot.

``I know it is not easy to take someone off the ballot but you are not here to do the easy thing,'' the Democrats' attorney Joseph Steinfield told the Ballot Law Commission. ``You are here to do the right thing.''

Romney's attorneys fought just as bitterly, telling board members to ignore the Democrats' frivolity that presented ``no evidence'' Romney is anything but a Massachusetts resident of 30 years.

The five-member commission began its deliberations on Romney's fate mid-afternoon and, given that it will accept evidence until Monday, isn't expected to rule until the middle of next week.

[Lance Romance]

Not that Barney Frank has ever exhibited particularly good judgement skills, he's right on this one. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see the ballot commission throw this out. "Republican" is a dirty word in Massachusetts.

[JimVT]

The other day I heard Romney comment that he lived in Colorado for three years while he was involved in the US Olympics.

Are they going to count time in the armed service overseas or out of MA against candidates they don't like?

[ICE-FLYER]

Are they going to count time in the armed service overseas or out of MA against candidates they don't like?

Very good point. after all, it was Al Gore and his henchmen in law that successfully deprived the military members IN HARMS WAY of voting in their election because he knew who they would be voting for. A very sickening thing to have done. It will be years before veterans forget this. This tactic with Romney is nothing short of the same ideal.

[taxtruth]

Republican is no longer a dirty word in Ma.This state will see an end to Kennedy/Kerry era for good.

[mole]

Republican is no longer a dirty word in Ma.This state will see an end to Kennedy/Kerry era for good.

That's because they are moving to Maryland. (grumble, grumble)

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

Insisting their case isn't a ``technicality,'' lawyers for the Massachusetts Democratic Party urged the board to stand up to public opinion and deny Romney a slot on the ballot.

TRANSLATION: 'We can't beat him in an election, so please do our dirty work for us and remove him from the ballot.'

[Bill Davis FR]

the northeast has been liberal since the first national election in 1788...lol

[surrey]

My fear is that the Dems just might get away with this. They're terrified of Romney, because all of their candidates,and there are plenty of them,will have a tough time beating him.

[freeper12]

>>My fear is that the Dems just might get away with this. They're terrified of Romney,

Who cares...anywhere else inthe country Romney would be considering a Democrat...RINO

[boris]

Ah, Rear Admiral Barney Frank.

If his only crime against our nation were being the brother of the insufferable Ann Lewis, that would be enough to break out the tar and feathers...

Alas.

--Boris

[grania]

Interesting comment for someone who has no Republican competition for this next Congressional election.

[taxtruth]

Are you a taxpayer/property owner in Ma.?Do you live and work in Ma.?If ya don't,you haven't a F clue about the turnaround in the state.I have a problem with people on FR like you Bill Davis FR,you are clueless.Bill,you must live in a F cave while I sit here and fight the ELITE in Boston "MOTORMOUTH".Why don't you come up here in the NE area and fight people like Kennedy/Kerry and see how far you can go MOTORMOUTH.
Talk is cheep bigmouth when you are dealing with powerful and elite socialist.

[Lance Romance]

Yeah Bill, Why don't you just pack your bags and move to that hell-hole known as MA and find out how wonderful it is. With child molesting priests, cannibalistic child molesters and transexual child rapists set free by liberal activist judges, the BIG DIG scam and drunken Kennedy's preying on women.

Do I even need to mention the traffic, taxes and 350K dollars row houses. Trust me and stay whre you are. I moved to Georgia and it was one of the smartest moves I ever made.

[wingnuts'nbolts]

Do these same MA inhabitants view Senator Clinton of IL,
Ak, DC, a resident of NYS? Guess it is just a matter of which Party you belong to. Figures. If you are a Dem carpetbagging is OK. Otherwise, get outta town!

[Rodney King]

The reality of the situation is that MA has a residency law, and Romney clearly violated it.

[Lance Romance]

Ah another expert in residency law. I hate to break it to you, but Romney will probably win this one.

[Rodney King]

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

[1Old Pro]

and gubernatorial candidates Steve Grossman and Robert Reich in .....

Robert Reich? Whenever his name comes up I can't stop laughing.

[Lance Romance]

Have you read any of the articles from the last couple of days? The democrats case has been pretty thin.

[Teacher317]

It's rather odd that the article doesn't give some more background on the issue.