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washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog

 

Linda Rozett, the communications director for former Sen. Fred Thompson's (R-Tenn.) presidential bid, has left the campaign, according to an internal e-mail obtained by The Fix.

"It is my duty to let you know that Linda Rozett is no longer with our committee," wrote campaign manager Bill Lacy. "I will have to make a lot of tough decisions to make our venture successful, and this was one of them. Linda is a talented, professional and gracious lady who will be missed."

He added: "But in the limited amount of time we have I feel it critical to have a communications point person with significant campaign experience."

Rozett's departure follows that of press secretary Burson Snyder last week.

Leadership That Empowered Individuals

By: Tim Murphy

Townhall

Friday, Aug 24, 2007

"In April 2006, Massachusetts passed historic legislation aiming to increase dramatically the number of people covered by health insurance. While only in effect since July 2007, the early signs are encouraging. More people are signing up for affordable private insurance plans. Massachusetts is leading the way in the effort to provide all citizens the opportunity to purchase affordable health insurance. This landmark achievement is due in no small part to Governor Mitt Romney and his strong leadership, working in cooperation with the legislature.

"Fewer Republican presidential candidates are better prepared to meet our nation's health care challenge than Governor Romney. Health care is a complex issue and tackling it is no easy task, as politicians from across the country have discovered. Yet, Governor Romney brought together all sides to find a solution that at its heart advances individual choice and responsibility, and free-market principles.

"Under Governor Romney's plan in Massachusetts, state citizens are empowered to enter the private market and obtain their own health insurance. Personal responsibility is the defining principle of his plan. To facilitate movement towards a free-market, Governor Romney's reforms created a new insurance marketplace and provide subsidies to lower-income state citizens to obtain their own private plan." 

...

"Beyond this, Governor Romney took additional steps to limit government's role in health care. He vetoed a Democrat proposed $295 per employee fee for businesses that fail to offer insurance. While the State Legislature did not adopt all of Governor Romney's free-market proposals, he did make progress in helping insurers create lower-cost plans by modernizing our insurance markets." 

...

"At the heart of Governor Romney's plan in Massachusetts is a core belief that the solution to the challenge of reforming the health care system lies in private market solutions. What we have done in Massachusetts is unleash the power of competition. For the first time, many Massachusetts citizens are buying their own health care plans. This was achieved not by putting the government in the health care business but instead by empowering individuals."

Tim Murphy is the former Massachusetts Health And Human Services Secretary

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David of Elect Romney in 08: “Flip flop” whack-a-mole

"Flip flop" whack-a-mole

By David | August 23, 2007 - 6:05 pm - Posted in Analysis, Commentary, and Editorials , 2008, Competitors, Abortion Edit

Sometimes I feel like we are playing whack-a-mole (you know, the carnival arcade game) with the whole "Mitt's a flip-flopper" meme in the MSM (and from rival campaigns).

The latest concerns some comments Mitt made recently about overturning RvW and giving the Abortion decision back to the states and how that might be inconsistent with supporting the GOP platform advocating a Human Life Amendment.

Having followed Mitt closely, I think it's clear that these are not mutually exclusive, but rather two phases of a long-term change effort. Rather than just give you my opinion, however, I'll let a couple well known right-wing bloggers weigh in more eloquently.

Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic states it well:

"Mitt Romney is simply struggling to explain the Republican Party's conventional pro-life position. Which is: overturn Roe v. Wade. And then, slowly build up public support for a constitutional amendment banning abortions. ETA: 30 years or more.

This is not a flip-flop.

The reason why Romney is struggling to explain the complicated two-step is that he is relatively new to the dance. Pro-life activists who have been in the trenches for years are very comfortable with the nuance and subtlely of their beliefs and know how to translate them into morsels for the media's consumption. This measured, incremental approach — relatively new to the movement — has been successful in many ways."

Next, here's Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review:

"I know it's cool on all sides not to trust Romney, but this strikes me as no there there, despite the reporter's contention otherwise. He supports a human life amendment but lives in the incremental real world. If Roe is overturned, states will take up the issue. If Roe is overturned, it would be helpful to have a president who supports a federal ban, and who will presumably support those trying to ban abortion in their states (something worth hearing him make clear he would). Romney's position makes sense to me.

Sorry, no "waffle."

A pro-life, pro-Romney friend on the Hill sends me this:

The piece this morning is a regurgitated hit piece. The same "hit" took place on August 6 when Mitt appeared on GMA. Romney's position is quite simple: Romney says, "I am pro-life, I support a ban on all-abortions, but since that doesn't seem likely to pass, our immediate goal must be to overturn Roe V Wade and return the law to the states."

Neither of these folks is particularly known as a Romney apologist…they seem to be very fair analyses of what's going on here.

The MSM is what it is…I'm not expecting much from them. For the rival campaigns, however, my question is why don't they try differentiating themselves with positive messages regarding their competence, experience, track-record of results, etc. instead of demonstrating how intolerant the Right can be for folks who come around to our pro-life position (better late than never).

Perhaps if those things were the primary criteria for President, Mitt would clean their clocks?

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