Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Flip-Flopping Like a Clubbed Seal

Yesterday the man who has called Mitt Romney out for his flip-flopping more than any other candidate dropped out of the race and then almost inexplicably gave his endorsement to the man he has maligned over and over again (see previous post). And yet the reality is that most of Huntsman's attacks are  based on easily verifiable information. While I have often critiqued those who think a politician should be steadfast and stubborn in adhering to their beliefs throughout their careers -- even as the world changes -- it is fair to argue that someone whose core principles seem to blow with the wind is not necessarily someone we can count on to represent the interests of the Nation in a strong and coherent manner. And there is plenty of evidence from Huntsman and others that Romney is indeed a flip-flopper of the first order. In fact, he seems to change his position on key issues so often and radically it almost seemed like a new word should be coined to describe it. Maybe we should just give him the credit he deserves and just call it "Romneying" from now on. We might have to wait until the election cycle is over, but I think it has a nice ring to it and is quite clear in its implications.

As to those charges from Huntsman and others, the Washington Post had a great post in its "The Fix" section yesterday, replete with plenty of video clips to bring  the story alive: WP. I think the most interesting theme emerging from this nomination period is that the candidate being picked by the GOP could come out of the primary season so beat up he becomes easy fodder for the President, who can use many of the charges levied falsely against the last two losing Democratic nominations. In any case, I congratulate the GOP for continuing to beat up their heir apparent and hope they continue to do it right up to election night!

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