http://www.scribd.com/doc/78582788/M...2008-Oppo-File
From
The Blaze
Sen. John McCain made nice with 2012 Republican presidential primary candidate Mitt Romney by offering his endorsement earlier this month, but the memory of their heated 2008 competition is not too far away, as someone has made sure we don?t forget. The entire 200-page McCain campaign opposition research file on Romney from 2008 hit the web late Tuesday night, providing a handbook for journalists, the Obama campaign and the well-known anti-Romney faction within the Republican Party.
Business Insider outlined some of the most egregious Romney flip-flops uncovered in the the McCain campaign report:
(note:this fucking guy has flipped-flopped so many damn times Vbulletin would only let me post the partial list before it ran out of characters LOL. Face it GOP fucktards- if you want to be rid of Obama, Ron Paul is your only choice. Obama is going to have a field day with this haha)
1.On immigration and path to citizenship:
* FLIP: ?Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support ? for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship ? Romney said illegal immigrants should have a chance to obtain citizenship.? (Evan Lehmann, ?Romney Supports Immigration Program, But Not Granting ?Amnesty?,? The Lowell Sun, 3/30/06)
* FLOP: ?I think I?m best off to describe my own positions. And my positions, I think I?ve just described for you ? secure the border, employment verification and no special pathway to citizenship. I feel that?s the course we ought to take.? (CNN?s ?The Situation Room,? 5/22/07)
2. On Bush tax-cuts:
* FLIP: ?Romney spoke at the 10th annual legislative conference organized by U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Lowell) and met with the Massachusetts delegation. ? Congressional sources said that a point of contention arose when Romney refused to take a position on Bush?s massive, 10-year tax cut plan.? (Noelle Straub, ?Romney Talks Policy With Bush Staffers, Mass. Delegation,? Boston Herald, 4/11/03)
* FLOP: ?McCain opposed President Bush?s tax cuts, Romney noted. ?I supported them,? the former governor said.? (Lee Bandy, ?Romney Targeting McCain,? The State [SC], 2/4/07)
3. Opinion of Ronald Reagan
* FLIP: ?I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I?m not trying to return to Reagan- Bush,? Mitt Romney said during a debate with Ted Kennedy
* FLOP: ??Ronald Reagan is one of my heroes,? Romney said as he praised Reagan?s strategy for winning the Cold War: ?We win; they lose.?? (Michael Levenson, ?Romney Links Gay Marriage, US Prestige,? The Boston Globe, 2/26/05)
4) On The National Rifle Association And Gun Laws
FLIP: ?[Romney] said he will take stands that put him at odds with some traditional ultra- conservative groups, and cited his support for the assault rifle ban and the Brady gun control law. ?That?s not going to make me the hero of the NRA,? he said. ?I don?t line up with a lot of special interest groups.?? (Andrew Miga, ?Mitt Rejects Right-Wing Aid,? Boston Herald, 9/23/94)
FLOP: Romney told a Derry, N.H., audience, ?I?m after the NRA?s endorsement. I?m not sure they?ll give it to me. I hope they will. I also joined because if I?m going to ask for their endorsement, they?re going to ask for mine.?? (Glen Johnson, ?Romney Calls Himself A Longtime Hunter,? The Associated Press, 4/5/07)
5) On Whether He Even Owns A Gun (This story changed within just a few days)
FLIP: "I have a gun of my own. I go hunting myself. I?m a member of the NRA and believe firmly in the right to bear arms," Romney said. (Glenn And Helen Show, glennandhelenshow.com, 1/10/07)
FLOP: "Asked by reporters at the gun show Friday whether he personally owned a gun, Romney said he did not. He said one of his sons, Josh, keeps two guns at the family vacation home in Utah, and he uses them ?from time to time.?? (Scott Helman, ?Romney Retreats On Gun Control,? The Boston Globe, 1/14/07)
6) Is the planet warming? Mitt probably agreed with you at one time or another.
FLIP: "I think the global warming debate is now pretty much over and people recognize the need associated with providing sources which do not generate the heat that is currently provided by fossil fuels ...? (Jack Coleman, ?Massachusetts Governor Urges Use Of Alternative Energy,? Cape Cod Times, 3/14/03)
?I concur that climate change is beginning to [have an] effect on our natural resources and that now is the time to take action ...? (?Romney OK With Plan On Emissions,? Boston Herald, 7/24/03)
FLOP: ?I have to tell you with regards to global warming that that?s something, which, you?re right, the scientists haven?t entirely resolved, but no question about one thing, it?s getting warmer, and a lot of good reasons for us to use less energy, to use it more efficiently and to develop sources here in this country that could allow us to be more independent of foreign sources.? (CNBC?s ?Kudlow & Company,? 2/7/07)
?Unfortunately, some in the Republican Party are embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left. As governor, I found that thoughtful environmentalism need not be anti-growth and anti-jobs. But Kyoto-style sweeping mandates, imposed unilaterally in the United States, would kill jobs, depress growth and shift manufacturing to the dirtiest developing nations. Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore.? (Romney For President, Press Release, 2/23/07)
7) Don't Ask Don't Tell? Don't Ask Mitt Romney
FLIP: In 1994 ?[Romney] called President Bill Clinton?s ?don?t ask, don?t tell? military policy ?the first of a number of steps that will ultimately lead to gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly in our nation?s military.?? (Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray, ?Mass. Governor?s Rightward Shift Raises Questions,? The Washington Post, 12/21/06)
FLOP: ?[Romney] defended his policy switch on gays in the military. He said when he first heard the phrase ?don?t ask, don?t tell,? he thought it was ?kind of a silly phrase that didn?t make a lot of sense.? But the last 10 years have convinced him that the policy is working and there is no reason to change it, he said.? (Alexa Aguilar, ?Romney Campaigns In Chicago,? Chicago Tribune, 4/12/07)
8) Has your position on same-sex marriage changed? So has Mitt Romney's.
FLIP: When a 2002 Constitutional Amendment was proposed to ban same-sex marriage, Romney opposed it. ?Romney?s family members signed the petition to put it on the ballot ?without reading the fine print,? [Romney aide Eric] Fehrnstrom said, but he has no reason to believe they do not support it. ?Mitt did not know they signed it, and Mitt does not support it,? he said. ?As far as Mitt is concerned, it goes farther than current law, and therefore it?s unnecessary.?? (Rick Klein, ?Romney Kin Signed Petition To Ban Same-Sex Marriage,? The Boston Globe, 3/22/02)
FLOP: ?Just two weeks before lawmakers resume a Constitutional Convention to vote on a proposed ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage, Gov. Mitt Romney will stand with the supporters of the measure to call on the Legislature to back it. Romney will join petition backers in a State House press event today to urge the Legislature to pass the Protection of Marriage Amendment when the Constitutional Convention reconvenes July 12, authorizing a 2008 ballot question asking voters to define marriage as between one man and one woman.? (Kimberly Atkins and Kate Gibson, ?Mitt Joining Supporters Of Anti-Gay Wed Initiative,? Boston Herald, 6/28/06)
9) On embryonic stem cell research, Romney's still developing a fully-formed position.
FLIP: ?Speaking at a bioethics forum, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Mitt Romney yesterday endorsed embryonic stem cell research ... [Romney] endorsed embryonic stem cell research, saying the controversial science might one day help treat his wife?s multiple sclerosis in addition to numerous other degenerative diseases. ... Romney spoke extensively about his position on stem cell research, which also involves embryo destruction.? (Raja Mishra, ?Romney Endorses Stem Cell Research, Is Silent On Cloning,? The Boston Globe, 6/14/02)
FLOP: ...On Feb. 10, 2005 ... Romney came out strongly against the cloning technique ... He vowed to press for legislation to criminalize the work. Romney?s opposition stunned scientists, lawmakers, and observers because of his past statements endorsing, at least in general terms, embryonic stem cell research.? (Scott Helman, ?Romney?s Journey To The Right,? The Boston Globe, 12/17/06)
10) Money in politics? Sometimes its good, sometimes it is bad.
FLIP: ?Romney also said he advocates spending limits on congressional elections, even suggesting that the current race against Sen. Edward M. Kennedy should have a $6 million spending cap.? (Frank Phillips, ?Romney, Vowing To Live It, Touts Congress Reform Plan,? The Boston Globe, 7/27/94)
"[Mitt Romney] once touted dramatic restructuring measures such as taxing political contributions and placing spending limits on federal campaigns.? (Alexander Bolton, ?Romney?s About-Face On Campaign Funding,? The Hill, 2/8/07)
FLOP: ?Romney noted his foe from Arizona wrote the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law that restricts certain types of contributions. ?That?s a terrible piece of legislation,? Romney said. ?It hasn?t taken the money out of politics. ... (But) it has hurt my party.?? (Lee Bandy, ?Romney Targeting McCain,? The State, 2/4/07)