Posted on 11/03/2008 1:10:38 PM PST by 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.”
Palin and Romney are following McCain's orders on this one. They are taking a bullet for the MAC. Agree or not its the way campaigns are run. Get your message across as much as possible then right at the end act like you never said a negative word about your "esteemed and honorable" opponent. Everyone, McCain, Palin, Romney knows Obama is a socialist. But they are playing to the mushy middle. What is interesting is that on FR today emotional reaction is ruling the day over reason. I suppose everyone is tense about tomorrow.
Romney may "look" presidential, but he sounds as stoopid as obiden.
I was actually going to vote for him.
This is another proof to me most of our Republican are just wimp.
They rather be on the good side of Democrat just so they can keep their job.
See post #110, DIRT. McCain wouldn’t call him a socialist either.
Exacttly. It’s more of the divide and conquer agenda. These type of articles get written by libs and some of the freepers here lap them up.
His own policies compare to Obama’s so it doesn’t help.
Mitt is clearly campaigning for 2012 and should probably shut his mouth at least Wednesday.
There is plenty of time for him to lose yet another nomination, and he will.
Then he needs to take it out on Huckabee, as he pulled a lot of votes from him.
I think Romney is more bitter about being blown off for VP. There is no way we would even be this far ahead if Romney was the VP candidate.
"That's the problem with pubbies. Afraid to call it like it is for fear of being called racists, or bigots or homophobes."
Personally, I prefer calling a spade a spade. But until the major media is defeated, in most cases, that's the way it is.
Frankly, the term doesn't mean much to most average voters and wouldn't resonate with them anyway. But they can understand the problem with higher taxes, and the inability to be able to buy more stuff. When talking to people in my daily life, that's what I emphasize.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Really, Glenn, it’s interesting. I haven’t been around forever and I’m 60 now and in my lifetime I do not recall a presidential candidate who had a more antijob program than does Barack Obama. He plans on paying people off by giving them a check, you know, sending a check to everybody, a $1,000 check. But I think the American people would far rather have a job than a one-time $1,000 check. And his plan kills job. John McCain’s plan will actually create jobs. Barack Obama’s would take a recession and turn it into a deep prolonged recession, or worse. And, you know, I just think Barack Obama at this time is exactly the wrong course for America.
GLENN: Did you hear the — did you hear what he said in 2001? Finally the tape has been released and surprisingly not by the mainstream media, what Barack Obama has said about the Constitution? Have you read the transcripts or heard the tape?
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Yeah, I did. I heard that he again is, you know, sad that the Supreme Court wouldn’t deal with redistribution of wealth and it’s a very different economic approach than the one that’s created America as the most powerful economy and the most powerful country in the world. You know, right now, of course, no one’s thinking about redistributing the wealth because wealth is disappearing, and redistributing wealth, that was the policy that, well, that some in Europe and other places in the world adopted and it led to economic failure.
GLENN: Okay. He is saying that he’s got — Barack Obama’s saying that he’s got this jobs creation program. As a businessman, I mean, I’m a small businessman. You’ve been a large businessman your whole life. Tell me the frothing at the mouth that people, just chomping at the bit to get that $3,000 that Barack Obama will give you for every new job created here in America. That’s his job growth plan. Tell me how great that is for business.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Well, I’m afraid that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the economic risk you take in hiring additional employees, and people take that risk if they see a bright future. And if they’re looking at higher taxes for their corporation, higher taxes for them individually, if they’re looking at fees or penalties for not having a healthcare plan that Barack Obama finds acceptable and if also they are looking at new efforts to unionize small business through this card check program Barack Obama’s in favor of, they’re simply not going to be thinking about growing jobs here. I listened this morning to a CEO of a major employer. I won’t mention his name but a very large employer. He employs over 100,000 people. And he said, look, you know, Barack Obama’s policies will cause us to build plants in places other than the U.S., and it is a job-killing program. We’ve got to support a job program like John McCain’s. John McCain is talking about cutting taxes on corporations, it immediately sounds horrible to people because of the perversion that we’ve allowed to happen, you know, with our press and everything else, where corporations are evil, where rich people are evil. Explain, if you will, to you know the average person that is struggling, busting their butt. Why a corporation getting a giant tax cut, why that makes a difference in creating jobs here in America as opposed to other countries.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Well, the simple fact is that corporations can decide where they are going to reside, where they are going to do their business. And they can be here, they can be in Ireland, they can be in Canada, they can be anywhere they want in the world and right now America and Japan have the two highest corporate tax rates in the world and so as businesses think about locating a new facility or even moving their corporate headquarters, they are free to go wherever they want. They are not like U.S. citizens that don’t have citizenship in a place like Hong Kong or China or Japan. They can go wherever they want. And so if you have high taxes, high corporate taxes, you cause businesses to go somewhere else. It’s as simple as that. In Ireland, for instance, the European Union, they said, you know what, we’re going to have the lowest tax rates. And sure enough businesses flocked to Ireland. They created scores of new jobs. People had high paying jobs. It was good for the people and it was good for the government as well because they got taxes from all the people paying income taxes. The answer is always create growth, create jobs. A job is so much more of an economic benefit than is a check from government.
GLENN: Mitt, let me talk to you not about politics and no about either of the politicians. Let’s just say we’re having this conversation the day after and whoever’s won, whoever won, okay?
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Yeah.
GLENN: I said earlier this morning I believe this is the most important — and I will say this the day after the election, no matter who won. This is the most important time possibly in American history. The problems that face us, the decisions that we have to make, the time to know who we truly are and what we truly believe in, the values of America, we must reconnect with them because this is quite possibly the most important time in our country’s history. Do you believe I’m overstating that?
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: No, I actually think you’re right, Glenn. You know, in my campaign stump speech I used to say almost that, which is this is an extraordinarily critical time for our country. We face challenges from without. We face a new stronger China, we face Russia using energy to propel their new power and we face global jihad. So we face three fronts, if you will, from a national security standpoint. And then our economy is facing some tough competitive challenges. And if we become a second tier nation economically, we will have a hard time defending our freedoms. This really is a “Make it or break it” time for America.
GLENN: I know we have to let you go, you have other things scheduled but we’d love to have you back sometime this week if we could. I’d like to talk to you a little bit about the importance that Russia and Venezuela and Iran and what — everybody is looking at oil saying, oil, this is great, it’s going down. They are talking now it could go down to $46 a barrel, which would be great at the pump, but it is a colossal danger because these countries that we depend on for oil are now becoming extraordinarily unstable economically. Could we spend some time with you maybe later this week if we can get the schedules together?
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: I’m out campaigning for John McCain but we’ll keep in touch.
GLENN: Okay, thank you very much.
GOVERNOR ROMNEY: Thanks, Glenn.
Only today? That's true EVERY day on EVERY Romney thread and whenever Romney's name is mentioned.
Romney is not a candidate like The Senator and The Governor.
He is not held to their standard, and he can’t hide behind it.
He seems to have no political ‘sense’.
Though, granted, this isn’t a big deal- it’s just stupid of him.
Mitt is toast.
Governor Romney sure sounded conservative to me. A well done interview by our brother conservative, Glenn Beck, btw! : )
Vomit.
Now why would "the Hill" try to single out Romney the day before the election on this one?
They obviously know Palin and McCain have said the same thing as Romney. The Hill is trying to divide the GOP base. Romney came in second. If it was Fred, Duncan or even Huck who came in second instead they would have some article singling them out showing how they are divided from McCain/Palin.
Dick Morris and Mark Moulitsas (from the KOS) among others are the contributors to "The Hill" The author of this article "Klaus Marre" has already publishing other divide and conquer the GOP articles this past week. http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/ensign-mccain-makes-senate-races-more-difficult-2008-10-27.html
Last weeks anti-Palin rumors are wrong as well. They turned out to be Nicolle Wallace a former Bush aide who worked for CBS. The anti-Fred rumors from the primaries were not a former Romney aide either but a former McCain staffer Mike Murphy.
Romney, Palin are both on message. Now you may disagree with the "my opponent is really honorable" message the last few days before the election. But the messengers Romney & Palin are not the enemy. Klaus, Dick, Mark and Obama are.
If Romney is flying on the McCain/RNC Learjet and campaigning on their behalf then he is beholden to their talking points.
And, secondly, it was NOT stupid. Calling people names when you are trying to attract dems and indies is not helpful at this point. That would be stupid. Mitt's careful explanation of how Obama's socialist-leaning policies will affect people's lives, destroy jobs and lead to a deeper recession was a much more effective way to reach real people.
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.
While both may be declining to call Obama a socialist, Palin makes it clear that she believes he is a socialist. Mitt really pussyfoots around the issue, which I think is a mistake. In politics, short, clear statements generally have a greater impact than long, involved statements. Apparently, Sarah realizes this and as a result is a better politician. It's also my impression that she is a more honest politician. Skirting around an issue seems manipulative to me.
I know some here have said that Mitt and Sarah are doing the work of McCain. While that may be so, how they are doing it indicates to me that Sarah will be a better candidate in 2012, and would be a better president than Mitt.
ROTFLOL!
Obamination is without doubt the most evil man to ever run for the presidency of the US. He is a radical marxist, radical terrorist lover, radical racist whitey hater, radical death/abortion promoter, radical liar, radical and shameless lawbreaker. And more.
And Romney nauseates me even more than before with this “they’re both terrific” crap. He’s either lying to look nicey nice (which is disgusting enough) or he really believes it (drunk on the purple liquid in which case he needs immediately psychological intervention.)
What are you talking about??? Romney has been all over the place campaigning for McCain/Palin and other Republicans. He missed the birth of his most recent grandchild yesterday. To characterize it the way you've been characterizing it, is a bold faced lie.
Furthermore, his people aren't working for the McCain campaign. It was Nicole Wallace from the Bush administration who then worked for Katie Couric and then went to work for the McCain campaign, who's been the source of the leaks and spiteful commments against Governor Palin.
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