Now that we can hopefully move on from Mitt Romney’s explosively devoid of truth debate performance where he conjured a look-a-like hopped up on aggressive position-shifting jujubes to great success, let’s all continue to focus on what has become the new face of the man. That face is still carved in an Etch-A-Sketch. The latest showing, his miraculous new position on abortion he laid out late Tuesday. Are we still going to call this a success?
Romney told The Des Moines Register in an interview, “There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda.”
Shake, shake.
This from the candidate who said that he would “get rid” of funding for Planned Parenthood and would appoint Supreme Court justices that would overturn Roe v. Wade. Crasstalk’s research goes a bit further and would also like to mention that in several instances within the last year Mitt Romney has come out in support of the Personhood Amendment wherein life is defined at conception, which if ever passed, could label women who choose to abort as murderers and could criminalize everything from common forms of birth control to IVF. The proposed Personhood Amendment has been labeled the most radical anti-abortion legislation on record.
Yet, this new position of Romney’s definitely flies in the face of congressional Republicans who have taken up limiting abortion as a mantle which would include his running mate, Paul Ryan, who has worked to introduce bills restricting access to abortion, the Huffington Post reports.
So what is Mitt Romney doing?
Courting undecideds by any means necessary, of course. If no more apparent than right now he’s in full “Say Anything to Get Elected” mode. He’ll just do away with all positions that he deems unattractive to the undecided voter. Poof! Just like magic. In response, the Obama campaign released this statement.
“It’s troubling that Mitt Romney is so willing to play politics with such important issues,” Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said in a statement. “But we know the truth about where he stands on a woman’s right to choose – he’s said he’d be delighted to sign a bill banning all abortions, and called Roe v. Wade ‘one of the darkest moments in Supreme Court history’ while pledging to appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn it. Women simply can’t trust him.”
And then the Romney campaign walked back his original statement:
Spokeswoman Andrea Saul told the National Review Online’s Katrina Trinko that Romney “would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life.”
Shake, shake.
To that point, in September Romney told Meet the Press:
“I hope to appoint justices for the Supreme Court that will follow the law and the constitution. And it would be my preference that they reverse Roe V. Wade and therefore they return to the people and their elected representatives the decisions with regards to this important issue.”
Shake, shake.
Romney followed up his statements Tuesday by saying that his legislation will be focused on jobs and education, when asked whether he would push for other bills on women’s issues.
“Women are frequently asking about the massive amount of debt we’re passing on to the next generation,” he told the Register.
Oh, let’s just change the subject, eh, Mitt? Shake, shake.
Planned Parenthood’s response came swiftly last night as Romney’s comments unfolded and speaks to what many women are thinking despite Mitt’s attempt at turning the page.
“Last week, Mitt Romney was dishonest about his tax plan and his Medicare plan, and today he’s being dishonest about his intention to end access to safe and legal abortion,” Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood Action Fund executive vice president, said in a statement. “Mitt Romney has been crystal clear that if he’s elected President, he will work to overturn Roe v. Wade. Mitt Romney’s views on women’s health are far outside of the mainstream, and that’s why he’s trying to hide them in the last weeks until the election.”
Pundits and the like asked last week where the questions were in the debate about women’s issues as it pertained to domestic policy? Well, Mitt Romney has just opened the door. Obama, this is another opportunity to walk right through and call him an outright liar. Romney, you’ve again given your opponent ammunition. Thanks! You’re horrible at this game, and well, at most things. You really do have to wonder if the lying is pathological. There is literally nothing he won’t say.
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