“If you come down with a case of Romnesia and you can’t seem to remember the policies that are still on your website or the promises that you made over the 6 years that you have been running for President. Here’s the good news – Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions. We can fix you up. We’ve got a cure.”
~President Obama
President Obama speaks to Fairfax, Virginia and does an excellent job of making fun of Romney’s constant flip-flopping on issues. He’s reminding voters of the evolution of the Romney campaign from being “severely conservative” to a softer, gentler Mitt Romney. Romney has tried to etch a sketch his way to the center but voters have to actually pay attention to what’s been said during the last year and a half (and their records before). Mitt Romney: man of conviction and principle.
President Obama brings up some examples:
Equal Pay for Equal Work
ABC News explains Romney’s equivocating position on this HERE. First his aid says that he would repeal the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the next day says “Romney never weighed in on” the issue. Politifact says it’s “mostly true” that Romney refused to weigh in on it HERE. Romney’s not exactly a champion for equal pay for women – let’s put it that way.
Giving Women Access to Contraception
Politifact says it is true that Romney said ”employers should be able to make the decision as to whether or not a woman gets contraception through her insurance coverage.” HERE. Romney believes it is an employers right to prevent women from having access to contraception in their healthcare plans … but somehow Viagra is definitely covered. CBS News has Romney on record saying “of course I support the Blunt amendment” HERE; this amendment would make it legal to give employers the authority to deny contraception to women if they wanted to.
Banning All Abortions
During a December 2007 Presidential primary debate hosted by CNN – a question was asked by a member of the audience. He asked, “If hypothetically, Roe v. Wade was overturned, and the Congress passed a federal ban on all abortions and it came to your desk, would you sign it? Yes or no?”
Romney’s answer: “Let me say it. I’d be delighted to sign that bill. But that’s not where we are. That’s not where America is today. Where America is is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade and return to the states that authority. But if the Congress got there, we had that kind of consensus in that country, terrific.” You can see him say it HERE.
No exceptions for rape or incest were noted. 203 Republicans voted to ban all abortions even in the case of rape or incest in July 2012 (source); do voters really think he would veto the bill that Republicans in the House tried to pass?
Tax Cuts for the 1%
In February of 2012 – Romney said, ““we’re going to cut taxes on everyone across the country by 20 percent, including the top 1 percent.” HERE. A study by the Tax Policy Center says this will raise taxes on the middle class by $3.7 trillion HERE. In the first presidential debate in October of 2012 – Romney said, “I will not reduce the share paid by high-income individuals. … I will not reduce the taxes paid by high-income Americans.” Think Progress has a great timeline of all these events HERE.
The Coal Industry
Romney stood in front of a bunch of coal miners (who were forced to be there without pay) and said “coal is good” HERE and President Obama will kill the coal industry HERE. Romney even ran ad from that photo op attacking the President on coal HERE. Contrast this new love for coal with this video where he stands in front of a coal plant and says “I will not create jobs or hold jobs that kill people. And that plant – that plant kills people.” HERE.
