WHY REPUBLICANS MAY NOT TRUST THEIR OWN CANDIDATE
By Don C. Reed
Want to read a 200-page “book” full of reasons not to trust Mitt Romney—authorized by his fellow Republican, Arizona Senator John McCain?
Here is the document, drawn up by the McCain campaign: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/16/1110426/-2008-McCain-oppo-research-file-on-Romney Material in this article was largely drawn from that Republican document.
ABORTION: “…Romney claimed he supported legalizing abortion before Roe V. Wade decision.” (emphasis added) “Romney: I joined my mother in 1970 when she said she was in favor of legalizing abortion.”—Scott Lehigh, Boston Globe, 10/12/94
However… “When asked if I am pro-choice or pro-life, I say I refuse to accept either label…”Glen Warchol, Salt Lake Tribune, 2/14/99
However again…“Romney now insists he has always been personally pro-life. “I’ve always been personally pro-life…” Ann-Marie Timmins, Concord Monitor, 4/4/07
Still another possibility? “Former adviser Mike Murphy (says):…(Romney)’s been pro-life … faking it as pro-choice…..”—John J. Miller, National Review, 12/14/05
STEM CELLS: During a November 9th 2004 meeting with an embryonic stem cell researcher, Romney claimed that the researcher told him, ‘We kill the embryos after 14 days.’ Romney then (said) he…had an epiphany, that…stem cell research cheapened respect for human life.
(The researcher), “Harvard’s Doug Melton, claimed Romney ‘Mischaracterized my position. We didn’t discuss killing or anything related to it. I explained my work to him, told him about my deeply-held respect for life, and explained that my work focused on improving the lives of those suffering from debilitating diseases.”
.”—Scott Helman, Boston Globe, 12/17/06
NOTE: The “embryos” referred to are microscopic cells, which would otherwise be discarded as medical waste.
One year after his supposed change of mind, Romney said he had “No ethical problem with surplus IVF embryos being used for research…” Fox News Sunday, 5/22/05
Unfortunately… In 2007 he said: “I won’t use government funds for that.”—Michael Luo, New York Times, 6/15/2007
What does this mean for his wife, Anne Romney, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an expensive, painful and sometimes paralyzing disease suffered by roughly 300,000 Americans?
https://www.brassandivory.org/2011/03/rising-price-of-ms-disease-modifying.html https://library.med.utah.edu/kw/ms/epidemiology.html
Mr. Romney knows embryonic stem cell research might help his wife.
“Speaking at a bioethics forum, …Romney endorsed embryonic stem cell research, saying the controversial new science might one day help treat his wife’s multiple sclerosis…(he promised to fight for the research) adding that ‘I’d be happy to talk to (President Bush) about this, though I don’t know if I could budge him an inch.”–Raja Mishra, Boston Globe, 6/14/02.
But now—the statement “I won’t use government funds for that,” is his most recent word on the subject.
That decision could be tragic.
Three people–my paralyzed son Roman Reed, Mrs. Romney, and a two year old little girl named Gwendolyn Strong– have related neurological conditions. The child, a friend of our family, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a paralyzing condition which often kills children under the age of two. Her SMA, Mrs. Romney’s MS, and my son’s spinal cord injury have a nerve problem called de-myelination.
De-myelination works like this: think of a plastic-wrapped electrical wire. Scrape off the insulation, and the electricity running though it will short-circuit. Similarly, the nerves in the body need insulation, a fatty acid called myelin. If nerves are de-myelinated either by spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or spinal muscular atrophy, you can have tremendous pain, even paralysis.
https://www.themiamiproject.org/Document.Doc?id=219
Embryonic stem cells might cure these conditions, by re-insulating the damaged nerves.
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/66v3f6js#page-11
If it was your loved one who had MS, and embryonic stem cell research might help her, wouldn’t you be out there fighting for cellular therapies leading to a cure?
Not Mitt Romney. Although he once supported the research, he now has to “get along” with the Religious Right in the new and ultra-conservative Republican party.
And who did he pick for his running mate? https://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-c-reed/stem-cell-research_b_1816318.html
Romney chose as VP candidate Paul Ryan, co-author (with Todd “legitimate rape” Akin) of “personhood” legislation to give every fertilized egg full legal rights in a court of law. Personhood would not only ban embryonic stem cell research, but also a woman’s right to choose, various forms of birth control including “the pill”, perhaps even the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedure itself, which has brought joy to so many childless couples.
https://www.adn.com/2012/08/25/2600019/akin-only-said-what-gop-leaders.html
VIET NAM: When America called Mitt Romney to serve in the Viet Nam war—he requested and received deferments to avoid the draft.
As the McCain campaign document says: “…Romney received a two-and-a-half-year draft deferment as a Mormon missionary, in addition to a nearly three-year student exemption…federal records show.”—Joe Battenfield, Boston Herald, 5/2/94
At the same time Mitt Romney was ducking the draft, he was also furiously denouncing those who criticized the war he would not himself fight.
While thousands of young Americans were fighting and dying in Viet Nam, Mitt Romney avoided the draft by doing religious missionary work—from a palace in Paris, France. The mansion was so luxurious it later became the embassy of the United Arab Emirates.
However, speaking of his French lodgings, Mr. Romney complains about how rough he had it, saying: “I don’t recall…having a refrigerator. We shopped before every meal….” Apparently he “does not recall” there was a “Spanish chef and a houseboy” who prepared his meals and cleaned up after him.
Is Mitt Romney someone on whom we can rely? One more quote from the Republican book:
“He (Romney) was privately against George W. Bush’s early tax cuts before he was publicly for them. He was also for gay rights before he was against them, and he supported campaign finance reform before he denounced it. Not to mention he was pro-choice before he was pro-life. He wouldn’t sign the local no-new-taxes pledge in 2002 before he signed Grover Norquist’s national one in 2007.”—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 2/9/07
When storms come, and they always do, I want someone in the White House I can trust– who will not be swayed by the winds of political expediency.