Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Our governor's ability to hoodwink the national media continues to astound me. Today, the LA Times gives Mitt the star treatment [sub. req.] heaping on the praise while noting that Romney's Mormonism will be a liability in '08. And--like innumerable previous articles--this one totally misreads the significance of Romney's ability to get elected in Massachusetts. Here's the lede: In seeking a presidential candidate for 2008, why would Republicans look further than the governor of Massachusetts?
Tall
and urbane, Mitt Romney has a prime political pedigree, an unblemished
personal life and the cool confidence of a CEO. He is a conservative
Republican who won easy election in a fiercely liberal state — then
streamlined Massachusetts' government and enacted the country's most
sweeping healthcare overhaul. [Emphasis added]
Then, a few paragraphs down: After a breakfast here for Iowa Republicans, Romney admitted in an
interview that he would have been "a lot smarter to stay in Michigan"
if he had foreseen his plunge into GOP politics.
OMFG. First off, by saying Romney "admitted" this alleged fact, Times reporter Elizabeth Mehren is basically telling us she's not going to critically assess the claim in question. That's bad enough, but MEHREN'S OWN LEDE shows Mitt's argument is bogus. By making MA his presidential springboard, Mitt got one of his big presidential talking points: I succeeded in that wacky liberal ghetto! What was Mehren thinking? And where were her editors?!? Finally, it cannot be emphasized enough that Mitt's victory in Massachusetts is far less impressive than he claims. Republicans have had a stranglehold on the Corner Office since 1990. Why people insist on overlooking this is beyond me. Chalk it up to Mitt's Harold Hill-like powers of persuasion.
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