Romney says Obama is not a socialist

The Hill ^ | 03 Nov 2008 | Klaus Marre

[BGHater]

While John McCain's campaign has tried to tie its Democratic rival to socialism, one of the Arizona Republican's top surrogates said Barack Obama is not a socialist.

McCain's campaign had seized on Sen. Obama’s statements that he plans to “spread the wealth around” and sought to tie the Illinois Democrat to socialism.

But former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), while arguing that Obama’s economic plan is a “job-killer,” said Monday on CBS’s “Early Show”: “You know, I don’t think Barack Obama’s a socialist. I think a lot of his policies are inspired by the pathway [that] Europe took. I think the idea of having the government take over healthcare and raise taxes on employers is the wrong direction for the country.”

Romney, who was the GOP surrogate tasked with appearing on all of the morning talk shows, also said both candidates are “terrific men,” when asked if the country would be in good hands if the Democrat is elected.

“I’ll be very concerned about the economy for the country. I’ll be concerned that the economy will be in a slow-down or a recession for a longer, deeper period,” Romney stated. “I'll be concerned about long term, about a president who would raise taxes on businesses and, if you will, through this intimidation, impose unions on small businesses.”

[OB1kNOb]

Mitt the twit is himself a socialist, what with his Massachusetts Health Care for all plan.

My thoughts exactly. I never did understand the FReeper's thinking that supported Romney as to how they could call him a conservative when he was the main supporting cog in the Massachusetts Health Care for all wheel. No wonder he doesn't dare call Obama a socialist. That mirror would reflect his appearance too.

[Craigon]

Ok, first Romney’s underlings are rumored to be diligently working to take down Palin. Now this crap from Mitt on CBS. The former is a just a roomer, but this is in his own words. I Think I’m going to have to officially apologize for supporting him in the primary. I was wrong and you all that were bashing him were correct. I hate being wrong....

[Mitt Romney]

Mitt answered this exactly as he should have answered it. We all know that Obama is a socialist/marxist but you can't have establishment Republicans saying this because the Democrats will use this to their advantage. They would spend all day claiming Republicans are calling names and it would detract attention away from his statement about bankrupting coal.

Be smart people...we need to be playing chess and not checkers.

[Unam Sanctam]

Mitt, I voted for you in the primaries, but I think you are absolutely wrong here. Obama’s past policy statements, voting record, and associations all point to an ideological socialist.

[CanadianMusherinMI]

romney was not on any ones list here during the primaries. i do believe he holds some socialist views too.
yup, marxist! if he gets elected we can start calling ourselves the united states of americubaezuela! still i think it will be mccain palin in a landslide. early voting (last i checked) was within a point. so there are all your “i want your pie” socialist wanting voters out already. i wont vote until tomorrow, as with many i know. how many freepers waiting until tomorrow?

[PhiKapMom]

You came after me saying I wasn’t being honest about Mitt and his surrogates that surrounded him. Even today you won’t admit that Mitt is not helping McCain with his remarks. Mitt Romney is about himself and could care less about McCain/Palin or he would have done what he promised and been all over Michigan.

With help like this, McCain doesn’t need Romney’s help. Let us know when you wake up that Romney does not support McCain/Palin and thinks he should be the nominee.

I didn’t apologize that day and stand by my comments that the leakers in McCain/RNC have been Romney/Bush people. The rest of the people from other campaigns that work for McCain/Palin do not leak!

[kevao]

Obama himself is not a socialist; only his policies and ideology are socialist.

[meyer]

"You know, I don’t think Barack Obama’s a socialist..."

No, Mitt, he's not - you're a socialist. Obama's a communist.

[Colofornian]

Be smart people...we need to be playing chess and not checkers.

At the very least, he doesn't need to yap his trap one way or the other. He doesn't have to be the other party's apologist, nor does he need to be provocative (what you said about other party using this to their advantage).

[Plutarch]

Romney is getting bashed here for following the McCain line, which is Obama isn't a socialist, but his policies are way left, and harmful to the economy.

Can anyone here find a link in which either McCain or Palin directly called Obama a socialist?

McCain on Larry King ( Youtube ):

Transcript from CNN :

KING: You don't believe Barack Obama is a socialist, do you?

MCCAIN:

No.

But, I do believe -- I do believe that he's been in the far left of American politics. He has stated time after time that he believes in "spreading the wealth around." He's talked about courts that would redistribute the wealth. Watch McCain talk about Obama's policies »

He has a record of voting against tax cuts and for tax increases. And I don't think there's any doubt that he would increase spending and he would, sooner or later, we would be increasing taxes. There is no doubt in my mind that that's what his record -- 94 times he voted to cut taxes -- against tax cuts and for tax increases. He voted for -- and that's what matters. Not rhetoric. To raise taxes on individuals making $42,000 a year.

[rabscuttle385]

Is it just me or is Romney a sock puppet for liberal Democrats?

. . . . .

When is Slick Willard going to officially endorse his Marxist buddy Barry ?

RINO on RINO...couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch...

[A Strict Constructionist]

RINO ALERT... No to Romney, at anytime in the future. He has just shown that he is not capable of intelligent analysis of data. He feels, he doesn’t think.

[PhiKapMom]

I am not holding my breath as they defend Romney at every turn. This is what we have been saying for months and I, for one, am not backing down that Romney does not want McCain/Palin to win or he would have been everywhere campaigning and giving red meat like Fred and Rudy have been doing for months.

What happened to Romney helping McCain in Michigan?

[Mr Rogers]

Guess Mitt’s angling for a job with the Obama Administration.

May none of the “Class of 2008” Republicans run again in 2012 if McCain loses.

[Enosh]

“... playing chess and not checkers.”

There you have it, folks. Mitt is ‘smarter’ than the rest of us.

[redgirlinabluestate]

Hold your fire people. He is apparently in good company.

Excerpt from CNN interview with Gov.Palin:

On whether Sen. Obama is a socialist

GRIFFIN: Governor, is Barack Obama a socialist?

PALIN: I'm not going to call him a socialist. But as Joe the plumber has suggested, in fact he came right out and said it, it sounds like socialism to him. And he speaks for so many Americans who are quite concerned now after hearing finally what Barack Obama's true intentions are with his tax and economic plan.

Palin Declines to Call Obama "Socialist" in CNN Interview

Neither Palin or Romney need to stoop to the level of name calling, but both have pointed out repeatedly how Obama's policies smack of socialism.

[ari-freedom]

most of FR was for romney and virtually all of the “new” conservatives: Rush, Coulter, ingraham, etc. And if you were against Romney you “must” be anti-mormon or a single issue voter. They just didn’t want to accept the truth.
Romney was the Republican Obama. Great look, great speeches but nothing else.

[muawiyah]

Uhh, Mitt, the "pathway Europe took" was "Socialism" ~ National Socialism to be specific.

See where that led them ~ death, destruction, etc.

The Brits saw the carnage and tossed Churchill out right after the war and they adopted "Socialism". Darned near destroyed their economy before that nonsense was brought to a halt.

The rest of Europe elected Socialism off and on for most of the Twentieth Century. It was all they could do to keep up with us technologically, and then only when they could steal ideas.

Yes, Mitt, Obama is into Socialism more than a little.

This is why we didn't vote for you ~ Soft on Socialists; Not Right For Americans!

[Gummi Bear]

Okay. I get it. Mitt is looking for a position in the BUSH administration.

To think, I had no problem if he had been Mac’s VP nominee. Well, thank God that bus left the station. And I hope Mac has seen the light since adding Sarah to the ticket, because I can’t take another four or eight years of “nice”. If Mac has people in his administration that do this kind of thing, I want to see people flying out of the Oval office like used up wads of paper. I mean Fired. Done. Fini. The way Sarah would do it.

[rabscuttle385]

Is there any evidence more damning than this that proves the Mittster is not the conservative he and his surrogates on FreeRepublic claim he is?

McCain...Romney...sheesh, are there any non-RINOs in the GOP these days?