Not how you want to be talked about in the media:
“When New Hampshire partisans are asked to defend the state’s first-in-the-nation primary, we talk about our ability to see the candidates up close, ask tough questions and see through the baloney. If a candidate is a phony, we assure ourselves and the rest of the world, we’ll know it,” the newspaper said. “Mitt Romney is such a candidate. New Hampshire Republicans and independents must vote no.”
Ouch!
The Other Steve
As a liberal, I for one fully support and endorse the candidacy of Mitt Romney.
Why? Because he’s going to get beaten like the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium.
Zifnab
This is the difference between being a flip-flopper and simply being labled a flip-flopper. Kerry came out of the Senate in ’04 to run as a moderate when conservatives wanted to paint him as a super-ultra-mega-fascist-liberal. So they had to invent the “flip-flop” meme to convince people that he was an uber-liberl but only in secret.
Romney is coming out of the Governor’s office running as a conservative to the conservatives and a friendly liberal to everyone else. At times I suspect he is literally talking out of both sides of his mouth.
With Kerry, I basically knew where he stood. No gay marriage, stay the course in Iraq, security of the nation first and freedom later, maybe we’ll look at those tax cuts but we don’t want to hurt the economy so we should probably keep the free money flowing, let’s not talk too loudly about abortion even though I’m pro-choice on paper (Kerry really was a shitty progressive candidate in retrospect).
With Mittens, I honestly don’t have a freak’n clue where the hell he’ll stand on anything – Gitmo, gays, guns, Iraq, or otherwise. All the Surf-Board-in-France ads in the world wouldn’t sell me for Kerry as a flip-flopper like watching Romney open his mouth concerning immigration at a Republican debate.
I don’t know who wrote up Romney’s campaign strategy, but that man should be dragged out back and shot. If Mitt wins the nomination it will be entirely because of the giant sacks of money he’s been flinging at people from the start.
Psycheout
I read this editorial yesterday and agree with it completely. I hereby nominate Mitt for a post in the private sector. That’s where he belongs.
Mike W
Perot proved you can’t buy the Presidency.
Salmon of Trout
Everyone knows that that newspaper is a communist rag.
The Grandest Panjandrum
Whoa! The Other Steve scores from Down-fucking-town.
Are you saying Mitt’s campaign is a bloody mess?
Zifnab
Perot dropped out of the race, then leaped back in again. He’s living proof that you can only be the Messiah once. And I didn’t say anything about the Presidency. Mitt’s only running for Republican Nominee at the moment.
He’s running on the “I’m Electable” platform that got Kerry so much support. So that alone should be damning him in the general. But so far he’s done a damn good job of buying himself front runner positions in a number of early states.
The Other Steve
And Patrick Dempsey proved you can’t buy love.
Punchy
It’s obvious that editorial board has a newspaper to sell.
Dreggas
Point!
Cyrus
This editorial is a good example of being right for the wrong reasons. New Hampshire needs to vote first because its residents have unique acumen and insight, gained from long experience, to tell that Mitt Romney is an unprincipled phony?
Dreggas
Cyrus,
Well they have to have some bullshit excuse as to why they have to be first so why not an ego stroke? Of course it’s an insult to their vaunted judgement to offer such an easily seen through phony you know the type, like GW Bush in ’00.
fuddmain
But, he makes great mashed potatoes.
AkaDad
In other words, N.H. is the only State capable of seeing through phony candidates. I hate the smell of arrogance in the morning.
Dreggas
Oh, and yeah I know that NH went for McCain in ’00 but really, is there a difference between Bush and McCain for actual chicanery? Maybe McCain hid it better.
The Other Steve
But would we have gotten such a close up look on Romney, if he wasn’t visiting these small towns in bumbfuck, New Hampshire?
It’s a two-way street.
Notorious P.A.T.
is there a difference between Bush and McCain for actual chicanery?
Of course there is. It’s like the difference between Bill Russell and Alonzo Mourning.
Dreggas
What the one inch height difference?
Wilfred
He’s Congressman Bob Forehead come to life.
Bob In Pacifica
As opposed to
Zifnab
McCain would have thought about his legacy on the first day, not the eleventh hour. He’d have staffed his office with mildly competent hacks, not total dumbasses. He’d have played ball with Washington insiders, cut back room deals, and generally kept the country moving, rather than stamping his foot like an 8-year-old till he got what he wanted. And if McCain won in ’00, he’d have won despite the evangelical vote, not because of it. That would have drastically changed his domestic policy.
But McCain didn’t win the primary specifically because he didn’t suck up to the right business interests and religious groups, so its almost a silly question to ask. Even if McCain had won in the primary, he couldn’t have won the general without Falwell and Bob Jones and Tony Perkins at his back. He’d have gone down like Bob Dole did, four years earlier.
Dreggas
Or he would have turned around and would have sucked up to the reich wing just like he has been now. He would have made all the public high minded speeches then turned and done the exact opposite like he has done now (torture anyone?).
As much as I liked McCain then, now I’ve had almost 8 years to see just what he’s like. He’s no different than the rest. Campaign finance reform? Only if he isn’t running.
Johnny Pez
Fortunately, Glenn Greenwald is on the case.
Short answer: worse than Giuliani.