Not again…
This time, sources have been dug up that apparently show Mitt Romney has also flip-flopped on English only in the classroom.? (Hat tip to Caucus Cooler)
In 2002, apparently Mitt Romney, while running for Massachusetts Governor, refused to endorse a ballot issue that would have replaced bilingual education with English-only education.
Today, Mitt Romney told a crowd of Dubuque, Iowans that he now supports English immersion, stating: “If kids in this country want to be successful in this country, they need to speak the language of this country.”
Is there anything else?? If so, Romney needs to get it all out of the closet and out of the way ASAP.? It can’t be good for Mitt’s candidacy to continually receive this slow, steady feed of newly discovered Mitt-flops each week.
January 26th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Awesome!
This is Mitt-Flop #780,595. I wonder what he’ll flip-flop on next. At this rate, how long until he reveals that his middle name is really Reagan?
January 26th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Whether or not Romney endorsed the ballot issue in 2002, he actually signed into law a program which ended bilingual education in Massachusetts. There’s quite a difference between approving of a constitutional solution to a problem (via a ballot initiative) and approving of a law addressing the same issue.
January 26th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Here are the FACTS and some more of Romney’s words everyone seems to fond of. “The voters have spoken loud and clear on the issue of bilingual education. We need to respect the wishes of the people of Massachusetts and recognize that immersion creates a level playing field in our classrooms that allows non-English speakers to succeed,” Romney said. Mitt Romney, Source: 05-01-2003 Press Release
“Voters in Massachusetts approved a ballot initiative for English immersion in 2002, the same year Romney was elected.
Romney vetoed legislation the next year to soften the law and allow bilingual education to continue, but his veto was overridden.”
January 26th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Here are the FACTS and some more of Romney’s words everyone seems to fond of. “The voters have spoken loud and clear on the issue of bilingual education. We need to respect the wishes of the people of Massachusetts and recognize that immersion creates a level playing field in our classrooms that allows non-English speakers to succeed,” Romney said. Mitt Romney, Source: 05-01-2003 Press Release
“Voters in Massachusetts approved a ballot initiative for English immersion in 2002, the same year Romney was elected.
Romney vetoed legislation the next year to soften the law and allow bilingual education to continue, but his veto was overridden.”
I’m not going to bother to present a long argument detailing how absurd these charges are. Those at the CaucusCooler are either mis-informed, or being willfully deceptive.
January 26th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
Read the link below and you will find that Romeny campaigned vigorously in 2002 for English immersion against his Democratic challenger.
This sounds like another smear attempt by the McCain crowd. You guys must be really getting nervous about Mitt. I don’t blame you
http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/1102/1102englishimm.htm
January 26th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
After about 3 minutes, I found the specific article that the Caucus Cooler referenced, it also has some interesting notes about the “no new taxes” pledge too:
From the 4/10/02 Boston Herald
January 27th, 2007 at 1:43 am
LJ, you’ve mentioned the tax pledge before in your littany of complaints against Romney. Hasn’t this one been settled on this very site?
Romney wasn’t willing to sign the pledge in 2002 for his term as Governor…seems reasonable considering that the state was in a financial crisis. He then pulled the state out of a $3 billion deficit and into a $0.7 billion surplus without raising taxes.
Now Romney’s willing to sign the no-new-taxes pledge with respect to his potential term as President in 2008. Different year. Different office. Different budget. Are you actually of the opinion that this is a flip-flop, or are you just yanking Romney’s leg?
January 27th, 2007 at 2:08 am
murphy,
Are you actually of the opinion that this is a flip-flop, or are you just yanking Romney’s leg?
More or less yanking his leg on the no new tax thing. I could care less about it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun. It’s a testament to Romney that “Mitt-flop” has because such a buzzword these days. Even when he might have a perfectly reasonable justification for changing a position, it automatically gets deemed a flip-flop. In today’s sound byte culture, that’s going to be very hard to combat.
January 27th, 2007 at 2:22 am
Yes, it’s probably quite a bit of fun for ya’.
The only downside will be if folks look at some of the examples of “Mitt-flops” and get the impression (rightfully so!) that so much of this is just “gotcha” hype that there’s no merit.
January 27th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Oh, and speaking of the “gotcha hype”…what happens if that line of attack on Romney gets stale? The abortion one looks like it will run out of gas in a few months, and that was the only real flip anyway.
Do you realize how long it’s been since anyone on this site gave Romney a hard time for something he did while in office? Several months?
January 27th, 2007 at 3:02 am
murphy,
what happens if that line of attack on Romney gets stale?
I doubt that will ever happen. Romney is a gift that keeps on giving. But remember, a little bit over half the country has never heard of Romney. That’s a blessing and a curse for him. He can shape his public persona, but it seems as if his rivals and critics have been defining it for him. That’s why you see in every single article on Romney at least one reference to his past flip-flops, either real or perceived. As the 2008 season kicks into high gear, more and more people are learning about the candidates. If the public gets their first impression of Romney as a flip-flopper, that could be fatal. Perhaps that’s part of why his poll numbers have increased 2% in the past 6 months.
Do you realize how long it’s been since anyone on this site gave Romney a hard time for something he did while in office?
You mean he actually did something while in office?
January 27th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I’m Mitt Romney and I have no idea what language America should speak.
January 27th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Unless he campaigned against the ballot measure or condemned it in general, I don’t see how this is a flip-flop. He signed the law and vetoed an attempt to weaken it. I would like to see more information and sources on this. If he simply refused to endorse the measure, that sounds like the actions of someone who supported the measure, but wanted to pick his battles. Keeping your message focused is important in politics.