Mitt Romney Chickens Out On Ohio Public Employee Union Ballot Question

We're going to nominate this guy? Really?

Behold this profile in cowardice.

Campaigning in Ohio today, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stopped by a Republican Party phone-bank making calls in support of Gov. John Kasich's government union reform referendum, but refused to endorse the actual referendum. CNN's Peter Hamby called the scene an "incredible moment in politics."

Kasich already signed his government union reforms into law in March of this year, not long after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker won his battle against government unions. But Democrats, with the help from the AFL-CIO, placed a referendum on next week's ballot Issue 2, that would repeal the new law. A vote for the referendum would keep the law, a vote against would repeal.

Romney's spokesperson says he thinks voters should decide the matter without outside interference.

Actually, it turns out, he explicitly supported the measure before he decided not to say anything about it.

Forget the flip flopping. This is just pathetic. if he doesn't think outsiders should get involved why go to the phone bank at all? Oh right, he wants people to think he supports it but wants to be able to say he didn't. That makes "leading from behind" seem downright courageous.

Is the GOP really going to nominate someone so cowardly he won't take a clear stand on one of the top issues of the day for conservative voters? Well, unless Perry can forcefully, articulately and effectively sell and defend his economic plan, it seems so.

One problem Mitt has is that some folks may vote for him in the general (if he gets there) because it's about Anyone But Obama. But the question has been, will people volunteer for him and do the other things that help put a candidate over the top. Why would Republicans in Ohio who are working their butts fighting the good fight here come out and work for a guy who won't support them?

(Note: Ace posted this for me but I had reworked some of the post after putting it in draft. I reposted it to reflect my final version)

posted by DrewM. at 03:26 PM

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