The above tabulation shows the overwhelming congressional support that Mitt Romney has gathered in his bid to be the Republican nominee. The establishment old guard really wants Mitt – seems they think it is his turn. But with Newt Gingrich's excellent performances in the last several debates propelling him into a commanding lead in many polls Mitt has once again run into a problem.
The problem for Newt is that we still keep hearing about his baggage that will supposedly weigh him down if he is the GOP nominee in the general election. Although I too am impressed with Newt in these debates I made the observation in a recent posting that in order to not be fooled again, like our country was by BO in 2008, it is best to contrast catchy one liners from debate performances (or even the entire debate performance) with years of an actual record. By this standard the only three unblemished believable candidates are Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, & Gary Johnson.
So with the above in mind I looked up some of Newt's baggage on issues for the purpose of showing what has to be overlooked, accepted, &/or forgiven by the electorate before they take a chance & vote for him. If the recent polls are correct it appears that many primary voters already are forgiving the points below – the next month will tell. This is not meant in a mean spirited way & is certainly not an endorsement for Mitt who has every bit as much baggage as Newt, if not more.
The list below is specific for Newt but many similar flip flops pertain to Mitt also - socialized medicine, carbon taxes, abortion, & second amendment rights off the top of my head. Massachusetts based Democrat strategist Mary Ann Marsh summed up Mitt when she said "I have followed Mitt Romney for 17 years & he has been on every side of every issue during that time."
Is there a difference between Newt, Mitt, & BO in the not very long run? Look @ the record below & then decide if the current GOP front runner will make the difference we need in returning our country to its founding excellence. Has he or any one else earned your vote?
---Newt's Baggage---
1. Support of TARP - Troubled Asset Relief Program
Newt switched from originally being against TARP to supporting it after some businessmen & Bernanke & Paulson convinced him to endorse it. Click here to hear Newt's account.
2. Libya Reversal
Click here to hear two very different but each just as authoritative positions on Libya. Newt speaks just as authoritatively on every issue in the debates as he did on both positions presented in the video.
3. Global Warming – Climate Change
Click here to see the famous video with Pelosi. Please notice they are sitting on a love seat - not a couch. Newt has called for more federally funded climate research & a range of tax credits for renewable energy investments.
4. Freddie Mac
In April 2007 Newt advocated Fred's business model only now to say he warned the company of big problems ahead (after collecting $1.6 million in fees over a ten year period.) Newt said he thinks "there are times you need government to help spur private enterprise & economic development....It is not a point of view libertarians would embrace but I am more in the...Theodore Roosevelt traditions of conservatism." Comparing himself to TR was exactly what BO did regarding himself in Kansas on December 6. A distinction without a difference?
5. Socialized Medicine – The race away from it
Mitt claims that Newt repeatedly favored the individual healthcare insurance mandate idea long before RomneyCare was instituted in Massachusetts. BO claims that ObamaCare is modeled after RomneyCare. Newt now says the individual mandate is unconstitutional. Who is right? More importantly - are all of them wrong?
6. Ryan Budget Plan
Although I don't agree with all of it because it is too timid Paul Ryan's budget plan has been the most courageous proposal in years. It contains one of the true ways to properly modify Medicare & change the mindset of this country for the better. Since it passed the House (not the Senate) last April Mr. Ryan has been booed @ his own town hall meetings. Newt originally criticized it as "right-wing social engineering" – he then changed his mind. Click here to hear Charles Kauthhammer discuss this & the individual mandate – better overlook Charles' prediction in the video since Newt is now the front runner.
7. The FairTax
Newt certainly knows the details of the FairTax & yet does not openly support it the way Mike Huckabee did (does) or Gary Johnson does.
I highlighted Newt in a posting dated April 14, 2010 entitled FairTax The Litmus Test when I wrote "The country is crying for the FairTax as so many people remain unemployed or underemployed. I meet them every day & my heart breaks when I consider the opportunity for life they are missing & the selfish lecherous tendencies of our elites who care nothing for 'We The People.'
"Take your pick from John Boehner to Rush Limbaugh to Newt Gingrich & everyone in between & you have to wonder why they are not for the FairTax. Or do you?"
Doug:
ReplyDeleteI support Mitt Romney for president. Michele Bachman and Ron Paul are close 2nds and 3rds.
Why Romney?
I used two main criteria:
1 – must have successful private industry economy experience
2 - *** CRITICAL *** the best person to address the following very probable scenario in 2013-14:
World economic crisis, US debt bubble burst and inflation: US inflation reaches 10% with expectations to grow quickly due to unprecedented Fed money supply growth 2009-12 and lack of US economic growth to meet demand for supply of US dollars. Total debt to annual Treasury revenues reaches 8:1 ratio. Foreign creditors balk during two consecutive weekly Treasury auctions, refuse to purchase Treasuries unless US economic and debt outlook reverse course drastically and quickly. Otherwise economic Armageddon becomes an immediate certainty.
Romney would by far be best qualified to have greatest success probability and avert Armageddon and lead the US to new economic growth minus the Nanny state baggage. Read his book ‘No More Apologies’. You will realize this man has deep knowledge how the economy works at all levels, especially international. As a VC he successfully invested in winners such as Home Depot and Staples and thus helped create thousands of jobs, And yes – he correctly jettisoned jobs that the market would soon not support (Newt – your cheap shot about this proves your economics ignorance).
Even if Romney has flip flopped on a number of issues, he has not wavered in his conviction of how to best grow the economy (and fix it). He has been a consistent conservative espousing free markets and capitalism. He understands finance inside out. We need someone like this now and not career politicians or history professors (Newt – I’ll take you over our Marxist leaning Community organizer but you do not come close to Mitt).
Doug – thanks for starting this dialog and all the details about Newt. Yes – consulting to Freddie and Fannie should have been a 1 week job at most. It was obvious by 2003 that F an F needed to deleverage promptly and to prepare for privatization.
Time for Mitt to fight hard and earn the nomination.
Best
Economics501