Tonight I had the privilege of attending a dinner with Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and two or three dozen journalist types. Romney's statements were off the record but I can report the following three impressions: (1) in many ways, Romney would be an exceedingly attractive presidential candidate, (2) Romney is an instinctive problem solver and an instinctive conservative; most of the time the two sets of instincts won't collide, but the problem solver instinct is the stronger of the two, and (3) Mitt Romney is a man of real substance.Obviously, Paul isn't from around here. Man of real substance? What a hoot!
Tags: Massachusetts Mitt Romney Republican 2008 Election
That says more for the dearth of candidates than it does for Romney. Was Romney the same man of substance in 2002 when he ran for governor as a pro-choice candidate? From the Washington Post (6/11/05):
ReplyDelete"Alas, it was too good to end there. The National Review article, by John J. Miller, also noted that Romney said during his gubernatorial campaign that he would 'fully protect a woman's right to choose' abortion but now says his 'political philosophy is pro-life.' And it quoted Romney adviser Michael Murphy as saying: 'He's been a pro-life Mormon faking it as a pro-choice friendly.'"
That is just one example of how his substance has changed from when he ran for governor to his run for president. Like most candidates, he is a man of whatever "substance" will get him elected. Doesn't make him a bad guy, just another pol.