Influential conservative Republicans, some of them allies of ex-AR Gov. Mike Huckabee, have launched an online and print advertising campaign to convince John McCain to choose someone other than Mitt Romney for president.
The group has launched an iPetition -- http://www.nomittvp.com/ -- that calls on McCain to "reject any consideration of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as a Vice Presidential running mate."
It continues: "We further urge you to only consider for Vice President an individual with a strong and consistent record of support for both the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, and the amendment of the U.S. Constitution to establish marriage as only between one man and one woman."
McCain opposes such an amendment.
The sponsors of the petition include Paul Weyrich, who endorsed Romney's campaign earlier this year, Janet Folger, president of Faith2Action, Karen Testerman, an influential social policy activist in New Hampshire, Stephen Strang, a prominent conservative who was an early supporter of Mike Huckabee's, and Matt Barber, the policy director of Concerned Women for America.
The group is paying for full-page ads that will appear in newspapers in the cities where McCain is introducing his biography. (See here.)
The ads are designed to counter the popular notion that by picking Romney, McCain would mollify social conservatives.
Romney, the ad says, "would fatally harm your appeal to voters with deep constitutionalist and
social conservative commitments." The ads allege that he lied and flip-flopped about his social conservative instincts, that he sanctioned taxpayer funded abortions, and that he fulfilled a "back door" promise to the Log Cabin Republicans [editor's note: kind of immature, right?] in refusing to order justices of the peace in Massachusetts to not marry gay couples.
Read the full letter after the jump.
We are conservatives who believe strongly in the sanctity of human life and of marriage and we recognize that the issues at stake in this upcoming election are serious and profound. Indeed, we believe the very future of America’s security, against threats both foreign and domestic, will be determined by whom America elects as President in November. Because we have invested our lives in securing a prosperous America that honors life and liberty, we must state our grave concerns regarding your pending choice of a running mate. Securing and uniting the GOP Base It is widely understood that to be successful in November you must unite all elements of the Reagan coalition. Hence, your choice of a running mate must reassure the Party’s base that their voice and values will be respected, then ignite and excite the grassroots to work hard for your election in November. FOR US THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: The unvarnished facts of Mitt Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts make him utterly unacceptable as a Vice Presidential choice. Governor Romney got no traction during the primaries simply because his recent “conversion” to conservative and pro-life principles is not credible. To be clear, we all welcome anyone who has come around to the cause of life and family. However, Romney's actions as governor flatly contradict both the values widely associated with his faith as well as his pro-life and pro-traditional marriage campaign rhetoric. As late as December (before carefully selected audiences) he stated anti-life and anti-family positions inconsistent with his previous statements. His actions as governor betray well-timed conversions as mere political opportunism, and are offensive to those who demand “straight talk” from their leaders. Mitt Romney created $50 taxpayer-funded abortions The proof is clear. He claimed to be pro-life, but by establishing taxpayer-funded abortion on demand as a “healthcare benefit” Romney achieved what no pro-abortion Massachusetts Democrat ever had! He unconstitutionally established a permanent government role on the state-run health care board for an unelected representative of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. This was after his pro-life conversion. Is it any wonder we question his political integrity? Mitt Romney illegally ordered same-sex “marriage” Governor Romney also claimed loudly to support traditional marriage. But he went far beyond the notorious Goodridge court opinion that, in brazen defiance of a state constitution which blocks judges from even hearing challenges to marriage law and policy, urged the Legislature to legalize homosexual “marriage.” The Legislature never did…but Romney didn’t wait. Fulfilling a backdoor campaign promise to the pro-homosexual Log Cabin Republicans, he illegally ordered justices of the peace to perform same-sex “marriages” in direct violation of the Massachusetts Constitution and the Legislature’s constitutionally binding statute. Is it any wonder we question his political character? [see www.undergroundjournal.net/igroops/theunderground/adminpages/Letter- To-Romney-JAN-07] Mitt Romney is unfit to be a ‘heartbeat away’ This goes directly to the heart of our concerns over Romney’s fitness to be a ‘heartbeat away from the presidency.’ When a chief executive can violate multiple articles of the oldest functioning constitution in the world and disobey statutes he solemnly swore to defend and execute faithfully, then blame judges who never even asked him to intervene, he mocks the principle of limited government and the separation of powers. He robs Americans of their unalienable right to self-government, for which so many soldiers, sailors and airmen have died. These are just two issues (there are more) that absolutely disqualify Mitt Romney as a viable Vice Presidential option. He would fatally harm your appeal to voters with deep constitutionalist and social conservative commitments. The Base CAN help you win If Governor Romney is on your ticket, many social conservative voters will consider their values repudiated by the Republican Party and either stay away from the polls this November or only vote down the ticket. For the sake of your election, the health of your party, and the future of America you must not allow the obvious electoral consequences of that to occur. The Base WILL stand on principle As citizens, activists, and leaders with our feet on the solid ground of real world Republican and Independent voters, it is our duty to alert you that the grassroots is nearing a point of breaking with Republican Party leadership on many issues, not the least of which is the relentless whitewashing of Mitt Romney as a so-called "conservative." On this we cannot be silent. Senator McCain, despite the proclamations of your surrogates we hope you will act to earn the support of the conservative grassroots in November, unite the Republican Party, and lead it to victory. However, Willard Mitt Romney is a deal breaker.
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All it means if Romney is VP is the Office of the VP will be run like it is by Dick Cheney.
The only change is in order to get a job in the administration, you are going to have to be mormon.
No big deal at all.
Posted by Salim | April 4, 2008 10:10 AM