Mitt Romney endorsed Rocky Anderson for mayor of Salt Lake in 2003. Here’s the ad:

Turns out that Rocky is unhappy with Mitt now. From the Deseret News:

Anderson told host Amy Goodman, "This is not Mitt Romney. If you asked Mitt Romney, sat down and got the real Mitt Romney, first of all, he would say we never should have been in Iraq. Never would Mitt Romney and his wife — and they’re a team, believe me — they would never support the concept of kidnapping and torturing human beings. They have always stood up for human rights, fundamental human rights."

So Rocky says that the Mitt Romney we see isn’t the real one. His evil twin?

"He was very clearly supportive of Roe v. Wade," Anderson said. "He said that as he ran for governor, as he ran for senator in Massachusetts. He told me, going into that race, that Roe v. Wade is working, we need to get beyond this issue." Romney has since moved to the pro-life camp, citing a personal realization during the debate over stem-cell research.

Isn’t that kind of like what Romney told NARAL in 2002? Anyways, more Rocky:

From the war in Iraq to gay issues, Anderson said he believes Romney "has caved into his handlers" and is adopting a viewpoint that "sells to the right-wing Christian Coalition. … This is not the Mitt Romney I knew, and it really saddens me."

In fact, if not for the "flip-flopping," Anderson said he could get behind Romney’s campaign.

"He needs to be himself," Anderson said. "If Mitt Romney would be himself, true to himself, true to the people of this country, I think he would be a great president."

The Romney campaign has tried to spin this as an ideological difference. But that’s not how I read this. This is a character judgment from a self-described "great friend." And a damning one.

Categories:

Soren Dayton

Soren Dayton is an advocacy professional in Washington, DC who has worked in policy, politics, and in human rights, including in India. Soren grew up in Chicago.

1 Comment

karasoth · June 26, 2007 at 6:26 PM

Rocky is a loon… but my gut makes me think Mitt is as much of a Weasel as he is claiming

Comments are closed.