It is now accepted ideology that Romney moved to the Center in last week's debate. In reality it's really that he gave the same-Right wing- positions a more moderate hue. Indeed, what Romney is certainly qualified for is the job Grover Norquist needs done. He is a Republican with working digits who can sign the Right wing legislation coming from the Republican Congress to end the New Deal.
Ezra Klein points out that that passes for a moderate Republican today is constantly being revised Rightward.
"As the Republican party has moved to the right in recent years, so too has our standard for what counts as a moderate Republican. These days, if you’re willing to admit that President Obama was probably born in the United States, that the U.S. Treasury probably shouldn’t default on its debts, and that someone, somewhere, might occasionally have to pay taxes, then congratulations, you’re a moderate Republican!"
"The fact is that a moderate Republican today is an arch-conservative from only a few short years ago. A moderate Republican today tends to believe the individual mandate is unconstitutional, even though moderate Republicans came up with the idea in the early-90s. A moderate Republican today thinks the jury is still out on global warming, even though moderate Republicans were leading the charge to do something about it during George W. Bush’s administration. A moderate Republican today believes we should make all of the Bush tax cuts permanent even though moderate Republicans were trying to make the Bush tax cuts smaller in 2001 and 2003, when the country was much better positioned to afford tax cuts."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/08/moderate-mitt-isnt-so-moderate/
He's right that about the constantly shifting Center. But what really bothers me is that many actually think Romney changed his positions at the debate, that he really has given up on Right wing positions for more moderate positions. And there is no truth in it. It's all just packaging.
He still plans his big tax cut for the rich he just renames it a tax plan that gives nothing to the rich-without changing the actual plan. He claims it won't cost $5 trillion based on secret deductions he will close in his secret tax plan that will only be known after he's elected.
In the debate he also deliberately gave the false impression that he will protect those with pre-existing conditions which his campaign than had to walk back.
He tried to take credit for passing the same healthcare law in Massachusetts as the President's law, even though he also in the same breath vows to repeal it. Apparently the Obama team is compiling a list of missed opportunities from that first debate. It's an amazing list. It seems like any Democrat in the country would want such a list to take Romney down with.
Yet the President gave him a pass. Biden will set the table for him this week, but Obama will have to also call Romney on it next Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment