Dems back off Romney residency challenge (Attempt to Steal Another Election Fails)

Boston Herald ^ | Saturday, June 22, 2002 | David R. Guarino

[Lance Romance]

Dems back off Romney residency challenge

by David R. Guarino
Saturday, June 22, 2002

Democrats furiously backtracked from their residency challenge to Republican Mitt Romney yesterday, changing a critical radio ad and saying for the first time they don't expect to win the case.

Scurrying in the wake of a new Boston Herald poll showing voters overwhelmingly back Romney, Democratic Party Chairman Phil Johnston rewrote an ad to say the challenge is ``not about residency, it's about honesty.''

Johnston admitted he doesn't expect the state Ballot Law Commission to knock Romney off the ballot and sources at the state party said an appeal to the state Supreme Judicial Court is now ``highly unlikely.''

Leading Democrats, pointing to the Herald poll, said it's time for the campaign to move on.

``(The poll) shows pretty much what I am hearing from the general public, that people think it's a fair issue to be raising but, ultimately, they would like to have a real debate on the issues,'' said state Treasurer Shannon P. O'Brien, the leading Democrat in the race.

``I think most people don't care about the residency question . . . it's inside baseball and, hopefully, we can get back to the issues the campaign is supposed to be about,'' added state Sen. Warren E. Tolman.

It was the first hint of criticism from Tolman and O'Brien, who still say the party was right to file the case but, with Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham, have been loath to join Democrats saying the party should back off.

The Herald poll shows 68 percent of registered voters said Romney - with homes both in Massachusetts and Utah - should be allowed on the gubernatorial ballot.

While voters split over whether it is a fair issue to raise, most respondents said Romney meets the residency requirement. Most also believe he has been truthful about his residency and taxes.

The poll, of 410 registered voters, was taken Wednesday and Thursday by Herald pollster RKM Research and Communications and has a 4.8 percent margin of error. It shows the issue hasn't hurt Romney, giving him higher popularity than he had a month ago and still giving him a comfortable win over the five Democrats.

Romney, in an interview with the Herald yesterday, said the polling data confirmed his belief that the public sees through the Democrats' political ploys.

``I think what you see is that voters in Massachusetts are smart enough to recognize that it's the issues that make a difference and they are not going to get diverted by technical attacks and fear and smear campaigns,'' Romney said.

The poll had an immediate impact at the Democratic Party.

Johnston authorized a new script for their radio advertisement, dumping an ad that made fun of Romney's responses to residency questions and hammered him on his time in Utah.

``It's clear, Mitt Romney is not telling us the truth,'' the ad says, finishing, ``We need a governor who will tell us the truth. And that just doesn't seem to be Mitt Romney.''

But, Johnston admitted, the residency claim they've trumpeted so thoroughly for weeks will fail in the end.

``We fully expect or certainly anticipate that he will be on the ballot but we felt this was an important issue to raise with the public,'' Johnston said.

``We will now have the summer and fall to talk about his lack of truth telling and his refusal to release his tax returns.''

[Lance Romance]

``We will now have the summer and fall to talk about his lack of truth telling and his refusal to release his tax returns.''

Oh the irony. Remember Bill Clinton? Barney Frank? Ted Kennedy????

[DallasMike]

...Ihis refusal to release his tax returns

And Little Tommy Daschle, too.

[Andyman]

And Robert Rieeeeee-SHUH!

[Tacis]

You don't give the democraps enough credit for their sewer based sleaziness. They are America-hating scum who want to tear down what we have done. In this case, backing off has nothing to do with seeing the error of their claim. If they conceal some information/evidence now, and if Mitt wins, they can keep him in the courts for years. The dems have had so much experience destroying an evidence trail and creating diversions, they (where is Craig Livinstone, anyway?) are great at following a paper trail, especially if it is a guy who is not an expert at hiding/misleading.

In fact, were I a Mass. Republican leader, I'd be concerned that they've backed off. A claim of disqualification after a win might be far more devistating than the disqualification of a viable candidate.