Is Duncan ignoring the Romney record?
A lot of people may be wondering what I think of Congressman Jimmy Duncan's decision to endorse Mitt Romney for the Presidency. I must admit, it comes as a real surprise. I expected Duncan to say nice things about Romney, largely because he rarely has anything bad to say about anyone in public. An endorsement-well, I was stunned and as shocked as anyone.Duncan's political philosophy defines that of a true movement conservative. When he tells you he is anti-interventionist, he means business. As he voted against the Clinton adventure into the Balkans, he also voted against the Iraq War using the same reasoning. Jimmy Duncan doesn't just talk the pro-life talk, but he has voted that way when the opportunity has arisen. "Hypocrite" is a label that many on the Left try and apply to many conservatives, but have heretofore been unable to apply it to John Duncan, Jr.
This is why I have great trouble understanding Duncan's endorsement of Mitt Romney. Romney may now be talking a good game to conservatives about what he claims to believe, but his record, his recent record, bespeaks a man who is not pro-life, a man who doesn't know when to stop spending the people's money, a man who does not cut taxes, and a man who can't decide where he is from. Is he from Massachusetts, where he has just finished a term as Governor? Is he from Michigan, where he was born, where his father served as Chairman of American Motors and later as Governor? Is he from Utah, where his anscestors settled and were members of the Utah legislature, where he ran the Salt Lake Olympic organizing committee, and where he once pondered running for Governor?
I understand that life does change and people can and do move around. I have experienced the phenomenon in my own life. If you enjoy politics, it can certainly change your ideas and plans. At some point, however, you have to make a decision to put down roots and embrace a community and a people as your own-as something you yourself belong to and something that is at the very root of who you are. Mitt Romney is utterly rootless, and frankly he seems to have no sense of community or place. He does not strike me as the kind of man that someone like Jimmy Duncan would endorse.
What is even more shocking is that Marsha Blackburn has chosen to endorse Romney as well. Blackburn has been seen for some time as conservatives' answer to Bill Frist for the 2010 Republican Gubernatorial nomination, and is often mentioned as the darling of Tennessee conservatives. Are these people that ignorant of the Romney record?
I do not know, but what I do know is that either people are willfully ignorant, or they have voluntarily chosen to sell out. It is a sad state of affairs for the conservative movement.
Labels: Presidential Election
posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 1:11 PM
3 Comments:
Dave .. you have answered you own question . ... but you can't yet accept the answer .. but I think you will in the future . . when you come to know Mitt Romney as well as Marsha Blackburn and Jimmie Blankburn ...
You could add to these names many more .. Bopp, Hewett, DeMint, Sekulow ... all very good and smart men like yourself ... there is only one difference in your experience .. they have personally met and spoken at length to Mitt Romney ...
It was Phil Gramm who used to say "I was conservative before conservative was cool."
The most Romney can tell us is that he was conservative before he announced for President. He certainly wasn't four years ago or even two years ago...
All this proves is that he is a very good snake charmer. I'd like to be convinced that the conversion is real, but I have met lots of people in public office who supposedly "saw the light." Some of them are nice people, but very few of them have ever convinced me.
I was hoping that he would endorse Duncan Hunter from California - he's the real Conservative deal!
Go Hunter 08!
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