Governor Mitt Romney Offers Emphatic Support for DeMint Amendment on Spending Reform

Friday, Jan 12, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kevin Madden (857) 288-6400

Orlando, FL – Today, Governor Mitt Romney released the following statement strongly supporting U.S. Senator Jim DeMint's (R-SC) efforts to stop wasteful spending of the taxpayers' money in Washington. Senator DeMint's amendment will help reform the spending process in a way that brings more transparency and accountability.

"Senator DeMint has shown both courage and conviction for standing by his reform principles and resisting those on Capitol Hill who want to preserve the status quo on wasteful spending. Senator Harry Reid and Capitol Hill Democrats need to recognize that Washington can't continue to pile earmarks onto spending bill after spending bill. Instead, they should embrace Senator DeMint's amendment and stand up for taxpayers and fiscal responsibility."

Background Information On Senator DeMint's Reform Amendment

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) Garnered Bipartisan Support To Pass Earmark Reform. "Nine Democrats joined with Republicans in support of stricter House-passed rules on lawmakers' pet projects, known as 'earmarks' - demonstrating the fragility of the Democratic Party's thin Senate majority. ... The measure, an amendment to an ethics and lobbying bill, would have adopted a wider definition of 'earmarks' - specific projects inserted in bills – to include Corps of Engineer water projects, Pentagon weapon systems and items from other federal entities. ... 'If we're going to go through all this process, if we're going to change the laws and try to tell the American people that now you can see what we're doing, let's don't try to pull the wool over their eyes,' said Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., sponsor of the amendment." ("9 US Senate Democrats Split With Reid Over 'Earmark' Rules," The Associated Press, 1/11/07)

Research Briefing: Meet The Real Brian Camenker

Friday, Jan 12, 2007

Today, The Associated Press Profiled Brian Camenker And His Attacks On Governor Romney:

Brian Camenker Is A "Conservative Gadfly" Who Has Focused On Attacking Governor Romney And His Strong Record On Conservative Issues. "Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's political record is relatively brief – four years as Massachusetts governor and a failed campaign for the U.S. Senate. That's enough, however, for Brian Camenker, a conservative gadfly and longtime thorn in Romney's side, to write a 28-page report that portrays Romney as sympathetic to gay rights and sexual behavior that clashes with his burnished image as a defender of traditional values." (Steve LeBlanc, "Romney's Record On Gay Rights, Social Issues In Cross-Hairs," The Associated Press, 1/12/07)

-Brian Camenker Is The President Of MassResistance. (Ryan Lizza, "Urine Trouble," The New Republic, 12/25/06)

Camenker Is Not A Credible Voice And Pushes An Extreme Ideology:

Reasons to agree:

1. The Boston Globe Noted That Camenker Is "Often Lampooned By The Local And National Media." (Matt Viser, "Interviews No Laughing Matter For Local Notables," The Boston Globe, 11/10/05)
2. During An Interview On Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Camenker Was Mocked For His Extreme Ideological Views. (Matt Viser, "Interviews No Laughing Matter For Local Notables," The Boston Globe, 11/10/05)

- Click Here To View The YouTube Of Brian Camenker On Comedy Central's "The Daily Show":

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtgRNUxje00

Camenker Admits He Used To Be "A Social Liberal." "For much of my life I thought of myself as a social liberal. I voted for John Anderson for president and Michael Dukakis for governor." (Brian Camenker, "How A Good Jewish Boy Joined The 'Religious Right'," The Jewish Advocate, 12/25/96)

Camenker Has A Record Of Attacking Prominent Republicans:

In 2001, Camenker Attempted To Derail President Bush's Nomination Of Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci To Be Ambassador To Canada. "Brian Camenker, president of the Waltham-based Parents' Rights Coalition, privately met in Washington Thursday with about a dozen Republican staff members on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which would evaluate [Gov. Paul] Cellucci's nomination. Camenker said they were 'shocked' to hear about homosexual teachings in Massachusetts but nervous about how President Bush would receive criticism about Cellucci, who is not only his choice for ambassador but a longtime family friend." (Tina Cassidy, "Cellucci Foe Takes Case To US Senate," The Boston Globe, 3/3/01)

- The Boston Herald Praised The Cellucci Nomination And Called On Camenker To Stop His Attacks. "And surely between now and Cellucci's confirmation hearings someone will tell the increasingly shrill Brian Camenker of the Parents Rights Coalition to simply go to his room. ? But you can't reason with zealots and Camenker is a zealot. Cellucci is a good choice for the post." (Editorial, "Bush Chooses Well For Ottawa Embassy," Boston Herald, 2/14/01)

THE FACTS On Governor Romney's Record On Social Conservative Issues:

FACT: Governor Romney Has Said He Has Been Wrong On Some Issues In The Past And Is Not Embarrassed To Admit It.

- Click Here To View Mitt TV Video Of Governor Romney Talking About His 1994 Debate With Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

- http://mittromney.permissiontv.com/?showid=36427

FACT: Governor Romney Has Been A Champion Of Traditional Marriage And The Sanctity Of Life.

FACT: Governor Romney Is Opposed To Abortion, Except In The Cases Of Rape, Incest, And The Life Of The Mother. Like President Ronald Reagan, Henry Hyde and others before him, he has acknowledged that in the past he had this issue wrong.

FACT: As Governor Of Massachusetts, When Governor Romney Has Been Presented With Legislation On Life Issues, He Has Sided With Life.

- FACT : Governor Romney vetoed legislation that would have provided for the "Morning After Pill" without a prescription; fought the battle to promote abstinence education in the classroom; vetoed legislation that would have redefined in Massachusetts the longstanding definition of the beginning of human life from fertilization to implantation; supported parental notification laws and opposed efforts to weaken parental involvement; opposed efforts to advance embryo destructive research in Massachusetts; and has not supported public funding for embryo destructive research.

FACT: Governor Romney Fought For A Constitutional Amendment To Preserve The Longstanding Traditional Definition Of Marriage.

FACT: Governor Romney Supports The Federal Marriage Amendment, Testified Before The Senate On The Federal Marriage Amendment, And Sent A Letter To All 100 U.S. Senators Asking Them To Vote For The Amendment.

An Early Massachusetts Primary: The Campaign For Mr. Right

By: Kathryn Jean Lopez

National Review Online

Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007

...

Dwight Duncan, one of the Brownback endorsers, told NRO last week that the contention that Romney is to blame for the state of marriage in Massachusetts is really "over the top." According to Duncan, a professor at the Southern New England School of Law, "On the whole, Romney has been consistent in defending marriage as traditionally understood. Furthermore, his use of the bully pulpit and the courts has been unquestionably instrumental in getting the legislature to finally fulfill its constitutional duty and vote on the citizen-initiated constitutional amendment regarding marriage. ..."

Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, agrees: "When people ask how we can support such a switch, I ask if they ever question Teddy Kennedy's or John Kerry's switches from pro-life to pro-choice."

Mineau is among those Massachusetts social conservatives who are grateful to have had Romney in the statehouse..." According to Mineau, "For the four years of his administration, Governor Romney provided strong leadership on key conservative social issues - whether it was politically expedient to do so or not." He tells National Review Online, "I believe Mitt Romney has done an excellent job in defending traditional family values in Massachusetts despite an extremely hostile legislature and judiciary, not to mention an attorney general and secretary of state who both opposed everything the governor stood for."

It's a view echoed by Marie Sturgis, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, who says, "Having Governor Romney in the corner office for the last four years has been one of the strongest assets the pro-life movement has had in Massachusetts. His actions concerning life issues have been consistent and he has been helpful down the line for us in the Bay State."

Mineau adds, "From the onset of the infamous Goodridge court decision in 2003, Governor Romney has opposed same-sex marriage and, I believe, correctly sought to overturn it through a constitutional amendment. ..."

Mineau directly credits Romney with getting the state legislature to vote on a constitutional amendment on gay marriage earlier this month. He explains, "The court unanimously ruled on December 27 that the legislature was constitutionally obligated to vote. This ruling, coupled with the governor threatening to not sign the end-of-year legislative pay raise, resulted in the legislature passing the amendment on January 2nd, the last day of the session. This could never have happened without Governor Romney's leadership."

Mineau is among the signatories of a letter expected to be released on Thursday by a coalition of "organizations dedicated to fighting for the pro-family agenda in Massachusetts." ... Among those signing the letter are Harvard University law professor Mary Ann Glendon (who also serves as the president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in Rome).

An accompanying brief by constitutional lawyer David French, a founder of the group Evangelicals for Mitt (French also writes for NRO's "Phi Beta Cons" blog), is a longer defense of the governor's social-conservative cred. In the beginning of a six-page document French asserts: "In the midst of Governor Romney's efforts to rescue his state from a fiscal crisis and create lasting and innovative health care solutions, activist judges and a far-left legislature forced issues of same-sex 'marriage,' abortion, religious liberty, stem cell research, and gay rights into the forefront. Each time he was challenged, the Governor not only made the conservative choice, but also did so with an optimistic, unifying message. In doing so, he became a national leader on these vital cultural issues without squandering his ability to govern the Commonwealth." ...

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Join the Club: Mitt Romney and Pro-Life Conversion

By: Kate O'Beirne

National Review

Monday, Jan 29, 2007

"For decades, pro-life activists have been in the business of winning hearts and minds to their cause. Powerful arguments about the humanity of the unborn have moved public opinion, and a pro-life political force has made ambitious politicians feel the heat, whether or not they see the light. Pro-lifers' faith in the power of persuasion has been rewarded, and their political clout increased, by important converts, including Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Mitt Romney has also changed his position on abortion, but some social conservatives argue that membership in their ranks should be closed to this most recent convert with presidential ambitions.

"In 1967, Gov. Ronald Reagan signed a liberal abortion law, declaring, 'I'm fully sympathetic with attempts to liberalize the outdated abortion law now on the books in California.' Reagan later changed his mind and expressed regret for signing a measure that saw more abortions performed in California than in any other state before Roe v. Wade. He became a committed pro-life politician and backed the first pro-life plank in the Republican platform. George W. Bush ran as a pro-choice politician in his 1978 congressional campaign, but held pro-life views when he ran for the governorship of Texas in 1994. His father too once favored abortion rights, but took a pro-life position in the 1980 presidential campaign.

"When Sam Brownback was running in a GOP congressional primary in 1994, he initially rebuffed a pro-life group?s endorsement, according to a recent account in The New Republic. In that article, a former president of Kansans for Life recalls that Brownback was 'unfamiliar with the anti-abortion lexicon' 20 years after Roe v. Wade, and that Brownback described himself as 'more in line with the view of Nancy Kassebaum,' the state's pro-choice junior GOP senator.

...

"During his gubernatorial campaign, Mitt Romney won the endorsement of the abortion-rights group Republican Majority for Choice. But three years later, the group's co-chairman declared, 'We feel very betrayed.' The reason was that Governor Romney had vetoed a bill that would have allowed access to emergency contraception – the 'morning-after pill' – without a prescription. Romney had also vetoed an embryonic-stem-cell-research bill; and last year his administration issued regulations banning the creation of embryos for research purposes, calling such research 'Orwellian in its scope.'

"In an opinion article that appeared in the Boston Globe, Romney defended his veto of the emergency-contraception bill. He explained, 'The bill does not involve only the prevention of conception: The drug it authorizes would also terminate life after conception.' He faulted the bill for not requiring parental consent before allowing minors access to the pill. And he wrote, 'I understand that my views on laws governing abortion set me in the minority in our Commonwealth. I am pro-life. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother.'

...

"Romney has been stating his abortion position with the conviction of a convert, in terms that can appeal to a broad audience. Many social conservatives are persuaded that his conversion is genuine."

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