Pull out the hip waders, folks, 'cause it's just gettin' deeper and deeper...
Via David Codrea comes this, from the Boston Globe:
Former governor Mitt Romney, who once described himself as a supporter of strong gun laws, is distancing himself from that rhetoric now as he attempts to court the gun owners who make up a significant force in Republican primary politics.
In his 1994 US Senate run, Romney backed two gun-control measures strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups: the Brady Bill, which imposed a five-day waiting period on gun sales, and a ban on certain assault weapons.
"That's not going to make me the hero of the NRA," Romney told the Boston Herald in 1994.
At another campaign stop that year, he told reporters: "I don't line up with the NRA."
And as the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Romney lauded the state's strong laws during a debate against Democrat Shannon O'Brien. "We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them," he said. "I won't chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety."
Today, as he explores a presidential bid, Romney is sending a very different message on gun issues, which are far more prominent in Republican national politics than in Massachusetts.
He now touts his work as governor to ease restrictions on gun owners. He proudly describes himself as a member of the NRA -- though his campaign won't say when he joined. And Friday, at his campaign's request, top officials of the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation led him around one of the country's biggest gun shows.
And via THR, we have this from Newsmax:
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney touted his conservative credentials at a gun show in Orlando, Fla., Friday, where he met with a GOP-friendly crowd in an effort to garner support for his 2008 campaign.
"I support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms as guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution," said Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.
Granted, I don't really find any of this surprising, as we all know by now that politicians will say just about anything to get elected. I do, however, find it quite insulting. It seems like just about every leftist politician who tosses his (or her) hat into the ring every four years pulls crap like this.
"I support the Second Amendment."
Once again, we have a politician mouthing empty platitudes, as even a cursory glance at Mr. Romney's record, and his rhetoric, clearly shows he favors all sorts of infringements on our right to keep and bear arms. He supports the Brady background check and the "assault weapons" ban, even going so far as to sign a bill passing such a ban in Massachusetts that pretty much mirrored the now-expired federal AWB. As the Globe quotes Romney as saying as the GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2002, during a debate against Democrat Shannon O'Brien, "We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts; I support them. I won't chip away at them; I believe they protect us and provide for our safety." I do not think the Second Amendment means what Mr. Romney thinks it means.
Why, oh why do these elitists continue to insult our intelligence so? Contrary to the media-driven perceptions, gun owners are not stupid. We do keep up with the issues, and we are quite politically astute. We know empty platitudes and pandering when we hear them, and here's a clear-cut case of just that.
I may well be preaching to the choir here, but Mitt Romney sure as hell is not a supporter of the right to keep and bear arms as envisioned by our Founding Fathers in accordance with the laws of nature and the principles of true liberty and freedom. As Bruce said, with friends like these, who needs enemies?
And, like David Codrea, I'd like to know -- what in the bloody hell is Wayne LaPierre doing escorting him around? Somehow I think I already know the answer, and it's quite disheartening to say the least.
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