By Peter J. Smith
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has tried to present himself to the Republican Party as the conservative choice for President and a staunch defender of pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family values. However Romney’s hopeful start has floundered amidst unresolved doubts over his newfound conservative ideas, egregious campaign gaffes, and an inability to project confident and firm leadership on conservative issues.
No doubt about it, the GOP requires the loyalty of its conservative base in order to win elections, and Romney must convince them that he’s their man. For Romney and his competitors to win the nomination, they must convince the indispensable conservative base: pro-life and pro-family advocates, fiscal conservatives, 2nd Amendment supporters, et al. that they can trust them with their issues.
Although Romney has out-fundraised the lead contenders to the tune of $21 million in his first quarter, the money has not translated into popular support among conservatives. Polls show Romney consistently trailing behind the non-candidate actor and former Senator Fred Thompson – who boasts a strong pro-life record in the US Senate – since speculation began that the “Law and Order” television star may run. An April 27th Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll reveals Thompson as third in the running with 17%, behind pro-abortion liberal Rudy Giuliani at 33%, and Sen. John McCain at 22%.
Romney’s biggest handicap in the primary campaign is his quite recent “conversion” on nearly every single conservative issue since he ran for Massachusetts governor in 2002. Despite what Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom may say about the governor’s four year record, Romney’s performance hardly can be called “mainstream conservative.” He campaigned as a liberal Republican and for most of his term did not govern as a conservative: fiscal, social, or otherwise.
On abortion, Romney says he experienced a conversion and is now “firmly pro-life.” Romney said he had an epiphany while researching cloning and embryonic stem-cell research in November 2004, where he realized that over 30 years of Roe v. Wade had cheapened the sanctity of life in the United States.
However, Romney favors a minimal “federalist approach” to restricting abortion, where the country would determine the fate of abortion on a state-by-state basis with abortion legal in “pro-choice” states and banned in pro-life states and has repeated this to audiences on the campaign trail.
Romney’s newfound hero, President Ronald Reagan, championed the pro-life cause in the infancy of the pro-life movement despite a hostile Congress and a largely “pro-choice” or apathetic America.
On the marriage issue, good leadership from Romney may have galvanized a waffling Massachusetts Legislature into defending their rights against the Goodridge decision, or at least force them to decide the matter and face the consequences from the voters. However, none of that happened, same-sex “marriage” has come to America, and the longer it stays the more entrenched it grows, and the more difficult it will be to eradicate it or stop its spread.
For these reasons and others many conservatives remain doubtful that Romney is capable of effectively leading and articulating conservative pro-life and pro-family principles. Perhaps Romney’s views were still evolving and his record in Massachusetts unfairly colors the sincerity of his conversion. At the same time, Romney’s campaign gaffes – mistakenly using a Castro slogan before Cuban-Americans in Miami, self-inflicted wounds over his misrepresented hunting history with gun-rights advocates, and sugarcoating his tax history in Massachusetts (he did not raise taxes, only greatly increased government fees on services) – ought to make conservatives hearken to the adage of Robert Louis Stevenson: “to tell truth, rightly understood, is not to state the true facts, but to convey a true impression.”
Conceivably Romney is now actually “firmly pro-life”, but whether he has firmly matured in these beliefs or is seasoned enough politician who can project firmness in his convictions is another matter and only time will tell – sadly, the Republican Party is rather tight on time. Still, the question remains: will the governor’s beliefs evolve any differently as President?
See previous reports in this last of a series of articles on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney
The Romney Report: An Analysis of Republican Mitt Romney’s Legacy on Life and Family
Part 1: Romney and his Pro-life Position
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07050711.html
The Romney Report: An In-Depth Analysis of Mitt Romney’s Legacy on Life and Family Continued – Part II
Part 2: Romney’s Position and History on Same-sex “Marriage”, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, “Gay” Rights
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051409.html
Gov. Romney and His Enforcement of the Pro-Same-Sex Goodridge Decision
Many conservatives repeatedly urged Gov. Romney to ignore the unconstitutional court ruling
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07051511.html