I Actually Did Vote for Gun Control Before I Voted Against It
Written by Sam on January 14th, 2007After careful consideration I think many Republicans were way too hard on John Kerry for his flip-flopping. My research and analysis has lead me to believe that he can’t be blamed for his constant 180s. I’m convinced it’s some sort of illness emanating from Beantown. Maybe it’s an airborne virus or something in the drinking water, but some kind of mental affliction seems to be plaguing our Massachusetts politicians as of late. The flip-flop disease is making its rounds and they just can’t help themselves.
The latest victim seems to be former Governor and Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-Massachusetts). In 1994 in a debate between he and Teddy *hiccup* Kennedy, Romney stood steadfast on his pro-choice position. Now as he is preparing for his Presidential bid he is making himself out to be a pro-life candidate. Change of heart or a sneaky attempt to woo more conservative voters?
In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.
“That’s not going to make me the hero of the NRA,” Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.
At another campaign stop that year, he told reporters: “I don’t line up with the NRA.”
And as the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Romney lauded the state’s strong laws during a debate against Democrat Shannon O’Brien. “We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them,” he said. “I won’t chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety.”
Today, as he explores a presidential bid, Romney is sending a very different message on gun issues, which are far more prominent in Republican national politics than in Massachusetts.
He now touts his work as governor to ease restrictions on gun owners. He proudly describes himself as a member of the NRA — though his campaign won’t say when he joined. And Friday, at his campaign’s request, top officials of the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation led him around one of the country’s biggest gun shows.
Romney says he still backs the ban on assault weapons, but he won’t say whether he stands by the Brady Bill. And after the gun show tour, his campaign declined to say whether he would still describe himself as a supporter of tough gun laws.
I’ve been giving Romney the benefit of the doubt because of the state he was governing and because of the fact that his state legislative body was over 80% Democrat. I think he may have had to cave to a great many issues to possibly make the damage being done to the state by the Democrats less than it would have been. They were easily capable of overriding his vetoes, so better to work with them and come out with a compromise that isn’t quite as bad, right?
The question now is how much latitude can we give? Romney surely must understand that if he doesn’t clearly define his positions on the issues, especially those most important to Republican primary voters, that he will take a nosedive next year. There is still plenty of time, but I am running out of the will to keep defending him.
14
PM
You know, this “I voted for … before I voted against …” nonsense is an idiotic, anti-intellectual meme that the Republicans shamelessly exploited to get ignorant fools voting a certain way. You may or may not know this, but what Kerry ACTUALLY said made complete sense if it were quoted in context.
Regardless of whether you were engaged enough to bother to understand what he said, you should be ashamed of yourself for repeating it. This is classic republican fare, though. I shouldn’t be surprised.
14
PM
You may or may not know this, but Kerry’s inability to consistently hold a position in his never-ending quest to please the most amount of people possible, with zero regard for principles or standing by his earlier actions and votes, are why that quote became so oft-repeated. The actual quote itself isn’t all that important; it’s Kerry’s history behind the quote that makes it so pertinent.
Attacking Republicans for using the quote shows either ignorance of Kerry’s commonly known “flip-flopping” or disregard towards it because no matter how much he flip-flops, surely he must be better than those evil blood-sucking Republicans. Right?
Regardless of party, I have a lot more respect for politicians with spine than for those whom change their opinions according to popular opinion.
14
PM
No, it’s not OK to maliciously misrepresent something someone says in order to make a larger point.
It’s much like Al Gore and the “Internet” thing. I bet 90% of the people in your consituency seriously believe that he claimed to have invented the Internet. Like the Kerry bit, you can make excuses about its being a joke or being emblematic of a larger point, but he never said anything resembling the meme that you trained the ignorant sheep in your party to monkey back. Make all the excuses you want — you and I both know that it was a deliberate distortion and a propoganda gimmick that insults everyone’s intelligence.
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Yeah and liberals never take quotes out of context to paint conservatives as ignorant, racists, etc, etc… ::Sarcasm off::
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There you go — Switch from defending your position to talking about something someone else did! Is this how you intended to conduct yourself in the state legislature?
I find the same garbage from the left just as repulsive: Fahrenheit-911 or Air America Radio, for example.
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PM
Look that’s not the point at all, anonymous. The fact is that the rest of us put our name out there and you may look down on us and treat us the way you do, but really none of us care. We all have jobs, school, lives, etc that are way more important than someone too scared to even post his name.
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PM
My name is Michael. I have a job. I have a life. Both are important.
Note that you once again switched from responding to the point to attacking me. Is this how you intended to conduct yourself in the state legislature when confronted with someone who made a substantive point you didn’t have a good answer for?