Slate makes an admission. Mitt Romney is not a Conservative. he’s aProgressive and one of their own!
Is Mitt Romney really a conservative? For several years, he has tried to assure Republican primary voters that he is. But in last night’s Washington Post/Bloomberg debate, he sent multiple signals that beneath his orthodox positions on many issues—unions, stimulus-bashing, corporate tax relief—lurks some liberal thinking. Here are his key moments from the debate.
1. Bailouts. Twenty-five minutes in, Romney was asked whether he would prop up the economy in a future financial crisis the way President Bush did in 2008. Unlike some other Republicans at the table, Romney agreed with Bush that “action had to be taken.” But he stipulated:
I’m not interested in bailing out individual institutions that have wealthy people that want to make sure that their shares are worth something. I am interested in making sure that we preserve our financial system, our currency, the banks … The idea of trying to bail out an institution to protect the shareholders or to protect a certain interest group, that’s a terrible idea.
Wealthy people. Shareholders. Opposing bailouts is natural if you believe in free markets. But why does it matter how rich the beneficiaries are? It matters only if you think the government should distribute money according to wealth. A reasonable position, but a liberal one.
For the sake of America and the Conservative movement, Mitt Romney must be defeated!
