Mitt Romney's Flip-Flops

The Democratic National Committee has issued a news release detailing what they term "turnarounds" in views expressed by Republican presidential wannabe Mitt Romney.
Of course, we all know them as "flip-flops," but the Dems wouldn't be caught dead using that term after what happened to John Kerry.

We have no such qualms, so here are Mitt's Flip-Flops as presented by the DNC.

On Campaign Finance Reform:
Old Mitt: Proposed "Taxing Political Contributions," "Publicly Funded Campaigns," "Spending Limits" And "Abolishing" PACS. During his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Romney "proposed taxing political contributions to finance publicly funded campaigns," while during his 1994 Senate campaign Romney "publicly advocated placing spending limits on congressional campaigns and abolishing political action committees (PACs)." [The Hill, 2/8/07]
New Mitt: Campaign Finance Reform "One Of The Worst Things In My Lifetime." "While several Republicans who attended the Republican Study Committee (RSC) retreat greeted Romney's remarks on abortion with skepticism, his condemnation of changes to campaign-finance rules struck a positive chord with the entire audience. Romney specifically criticized the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act sponsored by his rival for the GOP presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). 'Referring to the bill, [Romney] called it 'one of the worst things in my lifetime,'' one conservative Republican said. Romney also has criticized McCain on campaign finance while stumping in South Carolina, where President Bush turned the tide against McCain in the 2000 GOP presidential primary." [The Hill, 2/8/07]

On Taxes:
Old Mitt: Romney Refused to Sign "No New Tax" Pledge. When he thought he needed to look more moderate to get elected governor in 2002, Romney's campaign mocked the pledge as "government by gimmickry." [Boston Globe, 1/5/07] As governor, Romney drastically raised fees and taxes.
New Mitt: Signs Pledge to Hide Tax Raising Record. This month, Romney signed the same "no new tax" pledge he refused to sign in 2002 to hide the fact that under his failed leadership, Bay Staters saw their tax burden increase by more than 5 percent, and Romney's cuts to local communities sent Massachusetts property taxes to their highest level in 25 years. [Massachusetts State-Local Tax Burden Compared to National Average (1970-2006), The Tax Foundation; Quincy Patriot Ledger, 12/16/05]

On the Bush Tax Cuts:
Old Mitt: Refuses to Publicly Endorse Bush Tax Cuts. Romney refused to endorse tax cuts at the heart of President Bush's economic program in 2003. Romney's spokesperson said that it's "just not a state matter." [Boston Globe, 4/11/03]
New Mitt: Brags About Support for Bush Tax Cuts. During a November 13, 2006 press conference held in Arizona, Romney outlined differences between himself and McCain. Romney said "he was quicker than McCain to endorse President Bush's tax cuts." [East Valley Sun, 11/14/06]

On Guns:
Old Mitt: Romney Bragged That His Views on Gun Control Were "Not Going to Make Me the Hero of the NRA." In 1994 and 2002, Romney supported the Brady Bill and the assault weapons ban, even bragging that his positions were "not going to make me the hero of the NRA." As governor, Romney signed a 2004 law making Massachusetts the first state to pass a permanent assault weapons ban. [Boston Globe, 1/14/06]
New Mitt: Emphasizing New Pro-Gun Stances, Misled The Voters About Whether He Himself Is A Gun-Owner. On January 12, Romney tried to highlight his newfound support for gun owners by heading to Orlando to tour one of the country's largest gun shows with Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. On Wednesday he told the online The Glenn and Helen Show that states should "continue to ease regulations on gun owners" and claimed "I have a gun of my own." Later, Romney was forced to admit to reporters in Orlando that he in fact did not personally own any guns. [Boston Globe, 1/14/06]

On Abortion:
Old Mitt: Courted Endorsement From Pro-Choice Groups in 2002. During his 2002 campaign for governor, Romney reached out to Republican Majority for Choice to ask for its endorsement and later issued a press release highlighting that endorsement. Romney also completed a Planned Parenthood questionnaire in Apr '02, saying "yes" to a question about whether he supported "the substance of" Roe v. Wade, "yes" to "state funding of abortion services through Medicaid for low-income women" and "yes" to supporting "efforts to increase access to emergency contraception." Romney said on a NARAL questionnaire, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." [Weekly Standard, 2/5/07].
New Mitt: Views Have "Evolved." "Romney says his anti-abortion views have 'evolved and deepened' since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic stem cell research. 'In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead -- to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,' Romney wrote in an opinion piece in Tuesday's Boston Globe.' He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the 'one size fits all' precedent of Roe v. Wade. [newsmax.com, 7/27/05, emphasis added]

On Gay Marriage:
Old Mitt: Opposed Federal Marriage Amendment, Promised to be Stronger Leader on Gay Rights Than Senator Ted Kennedy. Romney once opposed a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage and pledged to provide "more effective leadership" on establishing "full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens" than Senator Ted Kennedy. [Boston Globe, 10/17/94]
New Mitt: Supports Constitutional Amendment, Even Worked to Block Same-Sex Couples From Adopting. Romney told the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit that he as "was unequivocal" on gay marriage, saying: "I opposed then, and do now, gay marriage and civil unions." [Newyorktimes.com, 1/28/07] Romney also now supports a constitutional amendment on marriage and tried to allow religious agencies to block adoptions to same-sex households. ["Transcript of Romney Address to Liberty Sunday," EvangelicalsforMitt.com, 10/16/06; Boston Globe, 3/16/06]

On His Political Heroes:
Old Mitt: Distanced Himself from Reagan in 1994 & 2002. Romney once claimed to be "an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush" who was "not trying to return to Reagan-Bush." [Boston Globe, 1/19/07]
New Mitt: Takes Every Opportunity to Call Himself a Reagan Republican. Romney now calls President Reagan his "hero" and praises "Ronald Reagan's brand of visionary and courageous leadership." [Boston Globe, 1/19/07] Romney even cited President Reagan in explaining his decision to flip-flop on abortion during a speech to the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit, saying: "On abortion, I wasn't always a Ronald Reagan conservative. Neither was Ronald Reagan, by the way." [Newyorktimes.com, 1/28/07]