January 14, 2007
GUN GRABBER TO ANKLE GRABBER IN ONE FELL SWOOP:
Romney retreats on gun control: Ex-governor woos Republican votes (Scott Helman, January 14, 2007, Boston Globe)
Former governor Mitt Romney, who once described himself as a supporter of strong gun laws, is distancing himself from that rhetoric now as he attempts to court the gun owners who make up a significant force in Republican primary politics.Posted by Orrin Judd at January 14, 2007 2:13 PMIn 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.
Well, he has had "come to Jesus" moments on abortion, gay marriage and now guns. Those are 3 of 4 major domestic issues that GOPers care about.
Remind me, how does one spell "pander"?
Posted by: Bob at January 14, 2007 3:44 PMFlip-flop. flip-flop.
It is not enough to pose with a Hanoi John dead goose just before the election. Even if this guy were not a cult member, he cannot be nominated.
Gun people have long memories. Furthermore, the "Assault" "Weapons" "Ban" is still a big issue. Because the gun rights movement is committed to the position that guns laws are ineffective or counter-productive, as the defunct federal ban was ineffective, we recognize that every "common-sense" measure necessarily has "loopholes" to be closed by the next "common-sense" step, and the next.
Furthermore, we want to keep moving forward, with support for civilian marksmanship, ranges, hunting-based conservation, carry rights, and self-defense law reform. Romney can't hide and therefore he can't run.
Posted by: Lou Gots at January 14, 2007 3:53 PM
I suppose Romney could say that he supported them because he thought they'd make a difference, but it turned out they didn't. Isn't that the case?
Posted by: PapayaSF at January 14, 2007 4:01 PMTo keep the comment within the range of the decorous, it is enough to observe that this flip-flopping shows the candidate as one not to be trusted.
The reason the gun rights movement rolls forward from victory to victory is that we care a great deal about our issue, and we care about it all of the time. With the exception of a handful of exrtremists, the gun-grabber side is weakly and intermittently supported.
Thus a flip-flopper cannot be trusted to weather such short-lived storms which may arise just after an assassination or tragic mass murder. We cannot trust Romney to stay the course after such an incident, nor can we expect him to advance gun rights. He may pander to one side today, and another tomorrrow.
Posted by: Lou Gots at January 15, 2007 8:50 AM