Damittscus road experience? Do tell.

Jay Bush has a nice post (here) about the "rapid response" to "The Real Romney" debate video montage mentioned below. Romney argues that people should look at his record to know what his positions are on the issues, but isn't it fair to ask what has prompted his near-180 degree turn on EVERY issue dear to Social Conservatives?

Likewise, Bill Hobbs (here) has an interesting post about this episode and notes a recent Romney speech:

Romney's recent statement to conservatives gathered at Sea Island, Ga., sums up things rather nicely regarding his changed views on such issues:

"Now, I wasn't always a Ronald Reagan conservative. Neither was Ronald Reagan, by the way. And perhaps some in this room have had the opportunity to listen, learn, and benefit from life's experience - and to grow in wisdom, as I have. My life experience convinced me that Ronald Reagan was right."

Sorry, but that seems like spin to me.

Mitt Romney's Liberal stances and view of Reagan didn't exist or even get formed in a political or ideological vacuum--they certainly weren't uttered in a vacuum. It was 1994. Clinton was President. Romney had observed Reagan, considered Reagan and then chose to pooh-pooh Reagan.

As Kleinheider says over at Volunteer Voters: "[Romney] was campaigning, in the bluest of blue states, as a Northeastern Liberal Republican" when he espoused Liberal positions.

Of course, now Romney is campaigning to be the GOP's nominee for president . . . you do the math.

UPDATE: I just read another article (here) quoting Romney as saying that he, like Reagan and Henry Hyde, changed his mind on abortion. When you're on the cutting edge of an issue, a change of heart is a little bit more believable than if you're late to the party (and it is because you were busy preparing to seek the GOP nomination).