Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Politico: Romney tells donors he's unsure on entitlements fight

Which Mitt Romney will we get this year - the one who talks tough about entitlement reform in his book, or the one being described below?

Politico reports:
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney surprised donors this morning at the Harvard Club in New York with an ambivalent answer to the question of whether America is ready to seriously alter its large entitlement programs.

Romney, speaking to more than 100 donors and supporters at the private breakfast, responded to a question from his supporters on the issue.

"I don't know," he replied, according to a source in the room, before going on to warn that Social Security and Medicare are -- in the source's paraphrase -- "basically the third rails in politics and he doesn’t know if we’re going to be able to actually make a dent in reforming them."

"It was really soft rhetoric, definitely not the kind of tough talk that’s going to be necessary in a Republican primary," the source said.

(...)

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is exactly what I've been fearing from Romney.

Anonymous said...

Why would Romney give specifics now?
He's trying to raise money.

There will be a time for specifics.

Anonymous said...

'Sources paraphrase', please. Romney has talked about reforming entitlements plenty of times in recent weeks, and also in his book.

-Martha

Revolution 2012 said...

Romney is not going to blare out a promise that he can't keep.

Those that know Romney know that ALL the facts have to be analyzed before a plan can be proposed or recommended.

Something as big as this requires more effort than just a lot of "LOUD TALK" and finger pointing!

Anonymous said...

For heavens sake, he talked about reforming entitlements just a week or so ago in the last speech he gave.

Since this was a paraphrase from an anon source, call me unconvinced.

-Martha

Matt "MWS" said...

I really hope Mitch Daniels runs.

Anonymous said...

Matt, are you underwhelmed with T-Paw?

I like Daniels, too.

-Martha

Right Wingnut said...

Martha,

If this isn't true, I would expect Mitt to deny it. If he does, I'll post an update.

Anonymous said...

oh rightwing..spending your day looking for a hitpiece on romney as usual.Is that what queen palin commanded you to do on her twitter?

Anonymous said...

Geez, why can't people read?

The question was "whether America is ready to seriously alter its large entitlement programs."

His response? "I don't know". That is a perfectly legitimate response. I don't know if "America" is ready to seriously alter the entitlement programs either. Can anyone say they KNOW what Americans want? I'm glad he didn't say "Yes, I know what American wants and it is A, B, & C." Give me a break, that is what Obama has been doing.

The question should have been "Do you (Mitt Romney) want to alter the entitlement programs?"

marK said...

RWN,

And you are using a second-hand quote from an anonymous source to trash a man.

And you are fine with that?

Right Wingnut said...

Mark, see my reply to Martha.

marK said...

RWN,

Sarah Palin has denied that she ever said, "I can see Russia from my house."

How effective has it been?

Anonymous said...

I also really hope that Daniels runs. The thought of Romney as president makes my stomach feel the way it did when I was a kid and was going down the first big drop of a roller coaster.

ellie said...

And they say I'm obsessed!
I hope Daniels runs too, Dan. I like the guy, and really feel that he'd make an excellent running mate for Mitt.

Doug NYC GOP said...

Since when did Daniels, good man he may be, become the cornewrstone of resolve?

I laugh at folks who think their candidate of choice, typically in a "Saviour" role, thik their victory will unleash an era of euphoric reform and delight.

Serios people understand there are no easy answers and "I Don't Know?" is a legit response in the politial tumult.

Espousing Talk Radio Bullit points with friendly media "interviewers" isn't ballsy.

Sometimes saying "I Don't Know?" is.

Anonymous said...

I said I like Daniels, I didn't say I want him to run! Ha ha. He might make it harder for Romney, so no, I don't want him to run.

Now as far as the general point of having decent candidates from which to choose, I would like them all to be of Daniels, and Romney's caliber.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Anon, "Geeze why can't people read".

Absolutely right! The answer to the question OF COURSE is that Romney doesn't know if AMERICA is ready to cut their precious entitlements.

Thank you for making the whole non-issue clearer. I didn't read it completely, and apparently neither did RW.

The point is that Romney IS ready to tackle entitlements.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Dan, well if you like roller coasters, then I guess you're going to love Romney! ;-)

I hate roller coasters, but then the thought of Romney as POTUS doesn't make me feel that way. I would feel quite secure with Romney in office.

-Martha

Matt "MWS" said...

Martha,

I'm undecided still. But whether I end up supporting him or not, Mitch could add a lot to the debate.

Anonymous said...

Doug, Daniels has been roundly criticized by talk radio. He is only slightly more popular with those loons than Romney is.

Anonymous said...

Martha, I don't like roller coasters. Haven't ridden one in years. In particular I really don't like that feeling as I go down the first big hill.

I've always survived just fine when I've ridden a roller coaster. Maybe America would survive just fine riding the Mittster. Then again, maybe America would get stuck suspended upside down on a loop for three years as he tries to please all sides.

BOSMAN said...

Did ANYONE read the question?

" Is America ready to seriously alter its large entitlement programs?"

The answer, "I don't know".

Sure seems appropriate to me. Does Romney speak for all Americans now? The Democrats? All Republicans? It was a honest answer. Not a sound bite.

How serious America is, will be determined in 2012. Serious means a Republican Senate as well as house and a NEW PRESIDENT that knows how the economy works. Someone with a history of leading with his brain and not his mouth.

Matt "MWS" said...

Bos,

But did he say he's willing to die trying?

Hmmmmmmm?

hamaca said...

Is America ready for entitlement reform? Who knows?

Is Romney ready to implement entitlement reform? Absolutely--whether America is ready or not. Same with Daniels. Same with a couple of others.

Unlike some people here, Romney actually listened to the question and didn't just spout some general platitude like some of his competition would have.

Anonymous said...

Dan, well let's face it. The only people who have any hope of tackling the serious issues is Romney, Daniels, Barbour or maybe Pawlenty. We are not going to get anywhere with the likes of Palin, Huck, Bachmann, etc.

It's a fact that Romney is not afraid to compromise, but he also has a proven record of balancing budgets, reform, and solving problems.

So, I'll take my chances with the serious crowd, over the firebrands any day.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

@Rightwing...If all the recent allegations about Palin aren't true, I would expect Sarah to deny them. So far she's been pretty silent. If she does, I'll post an update.

Vote for intelligence, class and experience...Romney 2012!

dd

Anonymous said...

Thank you Bos. The answer is only understood by knowing what the question was. Is America ready?

Well, Romney doesn't know and neither do I but that doesn't change the fact that entitlement reform must be addressed. Romney believes it must be addressed. Whether America will be ready is unknown but their readiness is not a factor in doing it.

Lori*

Anonymous said...

1. This is POLITICO writing. They have been pretty passionately pro-Obama.

2. A secondary, anonymous source is used; and the quotes don't seem very concise.

3. The question appears to have been, "Is AMERICA ready for entitlement reform?"

"I don't know" might have been the only answer one can give at this stage of the game.

Romney is a numbers geek. He likes data and is known to spend a lot of time studying it. I think most of us fear that many people are not ready for entitlement reform. Unfortunately, we will be ready soon, or we will have no entitlements to reform. I am sure Mitt understands this. I'm sure he hopes the rest of the country will, too.

AZ

Anonymous said...

mitt is it! 2012!