Opinion: Paul Weyrich liked Mitt Romney; now he doesn’t
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Paul Weyrich, co-founder of the Moral Majority, made a splash last November when he endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Now he’s part of an organized campaign urging the man who bested Romney in the Republican primaries and caucuses, John McCain, NOT to make the former Massachusetts governor his running mate.
There was no love lost -- at all -- between the McCain and Romney forces in the final stages of the GOP contest. But Romney earned some goodwill from his rival when he quickly folded up his campaign after getting waxed in Feb. 5’s Super Tuesday round of votes. And warm words the two have exchanged about each other -- as well as a joint appearance last week -- sparked speculation that they could end up as this election season’s Republican tag team.
McCain was campaigning in Prescott, Ariz., today; while there he will be greeted by a full-page ad in the local newspaper declaring Romney ‘utterly unacceptable’ as a vice presidential pick to those who signed the open letter -- social conservatives all, including Weyrich.
The ad, which those paying for it say will shadow McCain in papers in various towns in visits in the days to come, expresses skepticism about Romney’s sincerity in embracing -- while a presidential candidate -- a host of conservative positions ....
on social issues that previously he had rejected.
Says the ad:
‘To be clear, we all welcome anyone who has come around to the cause of life and family. However, Romney’s actions as governor flatly contradict both the values widely associated with his faith as well as his pro-life and pro-traditional marriage campaign rhetoric.’
A release about the ad was posted on the Christian News Wire.
Romney, in wooing social conservatives, constantly was beset with the ‘flip-flop’ criticism. Will Weyrich face a similar charge?
-- Don Frederick
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