Obama aide David Plouffe laid it out on Meet the Press: "[Romney] has no core. . . . He was supportive of doing things like a cap-and-trade agreement; now he doesn't think that climate change is real. He was to the left of Ted Kennedy on gay-rights issues; now he wants to amend the Constitution to prevent gay marriage. He was an extremely pro-choice governor; now he believes that life begins at conception and would ban Roe v. Wade. Issue after issue after issue, he's moved all over the place. . . . If he thought it was good to say the sky was green and the grass was blue to win an election, he'd say it."
This brings to mind the old line about how Kerry was "for" an issue before he was "against" it - and vice versa. The Bush administration's aim, in 2004, was to frame that election not as a referendum on the incumbent, but as a character choice between Bush and a foe devoid of authenticity. The Obama administration figures that Romney will be the nominee, and clearly believes he is grist for Kerryification.
Perhaps so. Romney's waverings and reversals are too numerous to list here, but here's my latest favorite: Back in June he said, "I believe, based on what I read, that the world is getting warmer. And, number two, I believe that humans contribute to that." But 10 days ago he said, "We don't know what's causing climate change on this planet."
Meanwhile, a report surfaced Thursday that the guy who now styles himself as an avowed foe of abortion was actually quite the opposite while running for governor in Massachusetts in 2002; he reportedly promised abortion-rights activists that if he ever gained clout in the national GOP, he would fight to soften the antiabortion platform by doing battle with the avowed foes of abortion.
