Flip-Flopping, Hair Muss Romney's Campaign
Posted: 2:54 pm EST February 28, 2007Updated: 6:37 pm EST March 2, 2007
WASHINGTON -- We're getting a peek into one Republican's presidential campaign -- though he'd probably have preferred to keep it secret.
The Boston Globe got hold of what is supposed to be a PowerPoint presentation from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign. And it covers a wide range of topics.For one thing, it reveals that advisers worry that Romney's hair is too perfect.There are also ideas for dealing with voters' concerns about him being a Mormon, and any perceptions that he's a "phony" or a "political opportunist."In another section, it's suggested that Romney differentiates himself from a fellow Republican, President George W. Bush, with just a single word: "intelligence."A Romney spokesman contacted by The Associated Press is declining to verify the document is authentic.
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Critics Cite Flip-Flops
There is also a growing perception that Romney has committed a few too many turnarounds.In his previous campaigns -- one for the U.S. Senate and one for Massachusetts -- Romney said abortion should be safe and legal. Now, he positions himself as strongly against abortion and wants Roe v. Wade replaced with state abortion regulations.Romney sought support from gays in his Senate race, promising better support for their causes than his liberal opponent, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Now, he campaigns hard against same-sex marriage and civil unions.Romney voted in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary for Democrat Paul Tsongas. Two years later, he said he did so because he favored the Massachusetts senator's ideas over those of Bill Clinton, and was sure President George H.W. Bush would be renominated. Now, Romney says he backed the candidate he thought might be the weakest opponent for Bush."I don't line up with the NRA," he said in support of gun control in two campaigns. Now, he is a card-carrying National Rifle Association member. He joined the organization in August.Romney used to distance himself from President Ronald Reagan. Now he casts himself as a conservative in the mold of Reagan."Romney hasn't changed his mind on an issue, he's changed it on just about every issue in this campaign, including immigration, gun control, abortion, gay rights, campaign finance reform, tax cuts, health care, stem cell research -- even his own political heroes," the Democratic National Committee chided in a news release last week.The comments are similar from conservatives."There is a sense that Romney has moved too far, too recently, on too much," an editorial in National Review, a conservative periodical, said last week. "At the moment, Romney is running on a businessman's typical theme of competitiveness along with a paint-by-the-numbers collection of conservative positions that seem to have no deeper rationale than getting to the right."Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.













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