tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707960843925805135.post3161977639805069953..comments2023-11-02T07:21:32.077-05:00Comments on We might be windmills: Ever notice that Romney ryhmes with OMNI?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707960843925805135.post-57461765888627683732007-06-27T06:59:00.000-05:002007-06-27T06:59:00.000-05:00Cabeza,The flip-flopping thing is interesting. I ...Cabeza,<BR/><BR/>The flip-flopping thing is interesting. I think Republicans kind of shot themselves in the foot making it such a huge part of the 2004 campaign. Kerry could have done a better job dealing with it, for sure. But it really was dishonest. To accuse someone of changing positions based on procedural votes is pretty lame.<BR/><BR/>But the thing is, all politicians change position to a certain extent. Had Bush not been so hard on Kerry about the flip-flopping, maybe Romney could play it off a little better now. But since his changes of mind are on the most controversial issues, the whole flip-flop thing is really obvious. Everyone remembers 2004 and thinks flip-flop.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if part of the reason Romney seems reluctant to address religion and the church and politics clearly and put it to rest is the fact that he wants to belong to the right-wing religious club. If he disavows that his religion will guide his policy, he looks like a secular liberal, anathema to the evangelical wing.<BR/><BR/>The odd thing is, though, mormon doctrine is just as anathema to most of these people. Maybe he wants to play up the conservatism of mormons as a guarantee to the right-wing of the GOP that we won't drop the baton.<BR/><BR/>Bjorn,<BR/><BR/>I think you're right. The whole moderation thing is really the paradox of the 2-party system. Usually, only a radical can get the nomination, and only a moderate can win. So you get people trying to be radical before the primaries and then they have to make a choice between "flip-flopping" for the general election or just trying to organize the radicals even more. The first choice makes you look inconsistent and opens you up to criticism. The second leaves you less politically vulnerable but is risky, divisive and unproductive. I think one of Karl Rove's legacies to American politics is that he demonstrated the viability of option 2. You can be a radical and still win (even if you have to go to the Supreme Court to do so) if you can get enough radicals out to vote.JKChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18318850320568944070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707960843925805135.post-25736447448307756242007-06-27T00:25:00.000-05:002007-06-27T00:25:00.000-05:00I think point I is why Romney will have a harder t...I think point I is why Romney will have a harder time at the polls, even more so then the Mormon thing. People on both sides are pulling for the extremists, even if the majority is moderate, the fundies organize, and vote. I, for one, am craving some moderation.Bjorn Watlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05144413933796145344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707960843925805135.post-19390806697834412702007-06-26T23:21:00.000-05:002007-06-26T23:21:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707960843925805135.post-89368351027336248422007-06-26T14:21:00.000-05:002007-06-26T14:21:00.000-05:00This raises a lot of good points. That op-ed piec...This raises a lot of good points. <BR/><BR/>That op-ed piece from the Wall Street Journal was pretty good. What frustrates me is that it's about the third or fourth article like that that I've read--recommending to Romney and his campaign how they can better represent the man's religious views and the position of the Church when it comes to politics. But somehow, the Romney camp hasn't gotten that message. How many people need to say it in high-profile fora?<BR/><BR/>The stubborn old-guard members of the Church that think that the First Presidency really advocates any one party definitely need a swift kick in the head.<BR/><BR/>And Romney does need to stop flip-flopping.<BR/><BR/>And Ann Coulter is an idiot.<BR/><BR/>Romney's remark about doubling Guantanamo pretty much helped me make up my up-to-now undecided mind about him. Holy cow that scared the heck out of me. I can't vote for someone with a foreign/domestic policy outlook like that.<BR/><BR/>What really surprises me there, and about the Romney remake as a whole, is that the media is all a-buzz with talk about Bush's record-low approval ratings. His unsuccessful foreign policy. His tendency lately to alienate everyone. Many have remarked, including me, that the Republican Party needs to present a candidate that will bring the Party back toward the middle of the road, appeal to the swing voters, and even convince some Democrats of his legitimacy. But instead, Romney goes for the right-wing Bush supporter stance. If Romney does somehow get the nomination, I would be surprised if he wins unless he flip-flops again and makes himself more mainstream before November '08.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I can see your points about the potential benefits to the GOP and to the Church if he at least gains the nomination. And if he doesn't get it, it needs to be clearly unrelated to the question of his religion, as the WSJ notes.Cabezahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11999687733029976277noreply@blogger.com