Associated Press
Before Rush Limbaugh "apologized" for his attacks on Sandra Fluke, Mitt Romney was asked on Friday for his perspective on the controversy. It didn't go well.
Mitt Romney steered clear of the Rush Limbaugh controversy until Friday evening, even avoiding a CNN reporter earlier in the day, when he addressed the issue after an event in Cleveland.
"I'll just say this which is it's not the language I would have used," Romney said.
That's not much of an answer. Romney and his campaign team had days to come up with a compelling response, and could have even used this as a "Sister Souljah" opportunity, distancing the former governor from the extremist wing of his party, but the best he could come up with is "it's not the language I would have used."
The most glaring problem with this is substantive -- Romney was comfortable with the attack on an innocent college student, but not the word choice? It suggests the Republican presidential candidate was comfortable with the sentiment, but not the specific language. Indeed, the follow-up question for Romney should be, "OK, what language would you have used when attacking Sandra Fluke"?
But there's a larger context to this that's worth keeping in mind: Mitt Romney appears to have a courage problem. When George Will criticized the candidate for lacking "the courage of his absence of convictions," it was an entirely fair point.
Did Romney support the "Personhood" amendment in Mississippi? He didn't want to give an opinion.
Did Romney support an extension of the payroll tax break? He preferred not to say.
Did Romney support collective bargaining rights in Ohio? He didn't want to give an opinion on that, either.
Was Romney comfortable with Republican voters booing a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq during a Republican debate? He didn't want to talk about it.
Does Romney support mass deportation of undocumented immigrants? He doesn't want to give an opinion.
Is Romney comfortable with Limbaugh's smears? He'd rather talk about something else.
There's going to come a point later this year when the Obama campaign is likely to say, "Mitt Romney lacks the courage to be a leader." And the criticism will sting because it's based in fact.
Either Romney has the guts to lead or he doesn't. He had an opportunity on Friday to step up and he blew it.
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three years in france on seven back to back deferments while his contemporaries were fighting godless communism and paying in blood. i have no question as to whether romney has courage.
Jim...unfortunately for the US, it doesn't take any courage to win a presidential election.
George W Bush was a perfect example of what office cowardly, silver spooned, politicians offspring can get elected to...sometimes TWICE!
I hope voters will "Remember in November".
Hey, he doesn't have to worry about substance here. He just has to win the Republican primary; he doesn't have to have any convictions to do that.
This lady wants to know why - if Bain owns ClearChannel - Rush hasn't been more of a moderate supporter of Romney's? Hmmm? There's wishy and then there's wishy-washy. PLUS, I just learned that Armed Forces Radio carries Rush! Can y'all believe that OUR TAX DOLLARS are used for THAT?!?!?!?! FASNSWATS all around on this one!
I sent an email to the DoD requesting that they terminate their sponsorship of The Limbaugh Show and I urge everyone to do likewise.
There's a petition to Sec Of Defense Panetta and the administration to get Rush off of our tax payer funded radio. Please sign it. 25,000 signatures are needed, so far there are 13,671.
Please sign and disseminate:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/sec-panetta-get-rush-limbaugh-armed-forces-radio-now-no-tax-money-abusive-divisive-insulting/p439GWMm
"I'm running for President, for Pete's sake!"
No wonder it was such a big deal when Romney took a firm position on the height of trees in Michigan.
and THIS is a dude that can take the 3am call?
G-T-F-O-H
This whole issue about the Iran situation right now just keeps showing how literally incompetent the Republicans really are. They are totally lacking the ability to take into consideration the cultural differences of other countries and causing more trouble than those bozos are worth. Will you Republican Politicians, especially these Republican Presidential Candidates, finally shut up for once when your doing nothing but adding more problems to a difficult situation with your nonsense and unknowing talk. Will you finally think for once, before you open your mouths?
Republican President in 2013 = War with Iran. Rinse and repeat.
The problem with the Press is, it doesn't. When Franklin Graham was asked whether he thought the President was a Christian, Graham replied, "You'd have to ask him. He says he is." When asked whether he thought the President was a patriot, Gov. Perry said, "You'd have to ask him." And, of course, they all received a pass on the President's nationality. It is sick and childish to let this game be played, but, mainly, the Fourth Estate shirks its duty when it becomes a party to it.
I will probably be drummed off this blog, but there was a time when I was considering voting for Romney. Obama has been pretty ineffectual, and Mitt is a pretty moderate guy who could get a Republican congress to go along with his ideas. Moderate is better than gridlock.
Then the campaign started and I found out that Mitt Romney is both ruthless and a total weenie. He would run over his grandmother (or at drown her in attack ads) to get elected, while at the same time he is the total lap dog of the ugly wing of the Conservative movement. How can I expect Romney to stand up to bad actors on the world stage, when he won't even stand up to the likes of Rush Limbaugh.
You wouldn't be drummed out of here but too bad you didn't know the real news about what President Obama has accomplished during his first two years in Congress..and even with the 2010 Congress he's managed to keep it goin' on.
Course' if you just listen to the profiteering "left" you wouldn't know this.. 111 & more Accomplishments, Categorized, and Linked..
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2011/09/so-that-ignorance-wont-be-reason-why.html#comment-302015019
Once Romney received Trump's endorsement his fate (and America's with it) was sealed ;o)
Where the HELL are politicians like Harry Truman when you most need 'em? George Will — GEORGE WILL?! — was the first conservative to smack Limbaugh for his heinous comments?
Remember 'Buck stops here' Harry? When WaPo's music critic, Paul Hume, criticized the singing ability of HST's daughter in a review, HST wrote to Hume (in part):
Republican pols: take note — HST stood up for his daughter. If you can't stand up to the diatribes of Limbaugh, a man who verbally and emotionally assaulted a young woman, how can you every be trusted to stand up for the American people?
More on Truman and Human here for those interested: http://www.rjgeib.com/heroes/truman/truman-daughter.html
In other political news, did you see? @GailCollins continues her streak on mentioning Romney's dog strapped to the car roof. Sigh. My heroine. http://nyti.ms/yHFCce
nd Jane Curtin parodied Point-Counterpoint. Dan would lead off with "Jane you sleazy little slut" Compare this parody with today's reality and Rush.
Politicians don't have "opinions", they have policy decisions based on polling.
You have to actually have a soul to have an opinion.
Steve, can you please become a reporter so that you can ask these excellent follow-up questions? In post after post, you bring up excellent points with relevant perspective. With your knowledge, I believe you could pick candidates' brains and get answers beyond the scripted, pandering garbage they spew day in and day out.
Steve, can you become a reporter and ask these great follow up questions? I'm tired of reporters only managing to get politicians to recite their scripted, pandering garbage.
How Mitt met his "Sister Souljah moment" and wimped.
It is so good to read you again Steve. Wishing you continued success with Rachel.
LORDAMIGHTY! Can Rachel or someone on that Super Tuesday panel PLEASE call out Republican tool Michael Steele on his relentless use of the "both sides do it" meme in re: Rush Limbaugh. No both sides do NOT "do it" with even the slightest degree of lying, hate and fabrication. Obviously the strategy is to indirectly give cover to Limbaugh, and indirectly downplay his remarks as "just part of the discourse." STOP IT. And while we're at it, in re: Olympia Snowe. No "both sides" are NOT ultra partisan. That is strictly a Tea Party besotted Republican party. I WISH! But the Dems have to suffer with both Nelsons, Landrieu, Liberman and a dozen others (such that the "60 vote super majority" was useless).