Romney Flips, Flops on Issues 2, 3 in Cincinnati

By Seth Bringman on 10/25/2011 @ 2:55 PM

When Mitt Romney announced his intentions to thank Republican volunteers at a GOP phone bank supporting Issues 2 and 3 on Tuesday, Republicans expected a ringing endorsement from the professional presidential candidate.

But after reading this morning’s Quinnipiac poll, which shows that Ohioans oppose Issue 2/SB 5 by a 57-32 margin – that’s 25 percentage points – Mitt Romney sang a different tune, refusing to take a position on either ballot issue.

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern held a conference call today with state and national media denouncing Mitt’s "support" for Issue 2 and 3 and habitual flip-flopping.  Click here an audio recording of the call.

(Transcript runs through 4:19 until Q-and-A begins.)

REDFERN: “Thanks everybody for taking the time on a beautiful, beautiful Tuesday afternoon in Ohio and calling in. I want to especially thank our folks from outside the Buckeye State for joining us. For any additional information or comments, feel free to always call us here at the Ohio Democratic Party. Our communications director is Seth Bringman and can be reached here at the Party at any time.”

REDFERN: “As all of you know, former Massachusetts governor and serial flip-flopper Mitt Romney visited Terrace Park in greater Cincinnati this morning to campaign for Issues 2 and 3. It shouldn’t surprise any of us that Mitt Romney is here campaigning for Issue 3. Campaigning in Ohio against a policy he championed in Massachusetts is just the latest example of years of hypocrisy of Mitt Romney when it comes to healthcare reform. We have to come to accept this kind of flip-flopping from the former governor of Massachusetts. And today’s event is just the latest example of Mitt changing his positions to appeal to the base of the Republican Party to win the nomination.

What is more peculiar is Romney’s decision to campaign for state Issue 2.

We learned earlier this month that Governor Romney asking for Governor Kasich’s advice. Governor Kasich told the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “I’ve talked to Romney lately. He called me wanting to know what I think about xyz.” After reaching out to Mr. Kasich, Mr. Romney is now taking a detour from early primary states to campaign for John Kasich’s signature issue: Senate Bill 5. There is not much other reason for Governor Romney to be in the state. The presidential primary in Ohio is not’ til mid-June of next year. In campaigning for Senate Bill 5, Governor Romney has joined Jon Kasich’s attack on middle class Ohioans. And he’s joining a losing cause.

The fact is, Mitt Romney is embracing a Governor who is one of the most unpopular in the nation. And right so for the things John Kasich has done – including taking away labor’s seat at the table. It’s worth noting that Romney is the only Republican presidential candidate to come to Ohio to campaign in support of Senate Bill 5.

And his presence at Terrace Park today speaks volumes. If Governor Romney becomes the Republican nominee, Ohioans won’t forget that he went out of his way to campaign for a bill that takes away workers right and makes our communities less safe. Ohioans won’t forget that he went out of his way to campaign against our police and firefighters, our teachers and our nurses. Ohioans won’t forget that he has once again turned his back on the middle class.

We’ve seen time and time again how out of touch Governor Romney is with mainstream Ohio. He opposed investing in America’s automobile industry – an investment that has helped saved and create jobs right here in the Buckeye State. To this day, Romney still says it was a bad investment.

Romney now opposes the $1500 payroll tax cut for American families, something he supported until President Obama urged Congress to pass it. Romney opposes the President’s American Jobs Act, which would create jobs right here in the state of Ohio – and more than half of which is made up of tax cuts for the middle class families and small businesses. And as our middle class families suffer, Governor Romney refuses to ask the wealthiest among us – wealthy Americans like himself – to pay their fair share.

Middle class families in Ohio and across America need a champion as President. Mitt Romney’s visit today is the latest example of why he fails that test. I welcome any questions you may have.

QUESTION: You have said that Mitt Romney sort of has turned his back on the middle-class there in Ohio. As this election cycle moves forward, where do you see are some of the things the Obama administration has done to assist the middle-class there given Romney’s failures?

REDFERN: Thanks, … I appreciate the question, and you need not look any further than Youngstown, Ohio or Toledo, Cleveland. You need not look anywhere than the city of Parma. Each of those communities anymore has had a huge involvement with the automobile industry as it has a huge footprint in those communities.

Take Toledo and the Jeep plant. Chrysler in its existence today is due in large part to the leadership of President Obama and Democrats in the Congress who understood that an American automobile industry would ensure that communities in Toledo, Youngstown, and Cleveland survive and thrive. Youngstown, Ohio over the last year continues to compete with every other region in the country because it has created more manufacturing jobs – because of the General Motors plant there and the innovation that’s occurred with the Chevy Cruise. I don’t think anyone could disagree with this statement that the American automobile industry as we know it today, and the supply chain network would not exist if it were not for President Obama and the Democrats in Congress who stood up for those middle class jobs. This is the perfect example of what the president has done over the course of the last three years. Additionally, the American Jobs Act, which the President has supported so strongly and many others across this country means police and fire fighters, teachers and nurses can stay on the job in communities like Cincinnati, where Mitt Romney just visited. Those are the facts. As states and communities continue to struggle, we can’t ignore the needs of investing in infrastructure; if we ignore it, we will find that those costs will only increase over time. Protecting the middle class today in Ohio will make our state even stronger.

Any other questions?

QUESTION: I was out there this morning obviously and he said nothing about Issue 2 or Issue 3 in his remarks to the group of volunteers. He wasn’t taking questions from the media, but I overheard him talking to your counterpart Kevin DeWine and he said very clearly that, “I am not taking a position on Issues 2 or Issues 3.” He was just being supportive of the Republican Party in Ohio. What’s wrong with that?

REDFERN: Nothing’s wrong with having an evolving position on everything from the weather to the strength of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen. What is wrong is assuming that no one will notice that evolution. In yesterday’s Cincinnati Enquirer, Mitt Romney’s visit was heralded as, quote – the headline read – “Mitt Romney coming to Cincinnati Tuesday, will be backing state issues 2 and 3”. I would assume that Mitt Romney’s press spokesperson has already called the Enquirer’s press shop and called for a retraction of that headline. I assume he’s reached out to the Associated Press already and said that their headline yesterday “Romney backs Ohio healthcare bargaining issues” was in fact false. No, he didn’t call and make those objections known because the Quinnipiac poll wasn’t published yesterday, it was published this morning. And Mitt Romney understands what most of us understand today, that this issue attacking Ohio’s middle class is a loser. It’s not just a loser from a policy standpoint and the implication it has for Ohio’s middle class, it’s a loser if you want to run statewide. Hell, it’s a loser if you want to run for dog catcher. And in the case of Mitt Romney, he supported yesterday what he’s now not taking a position on today. And if you didn’t know Mitt Romney’s background, you could give him a pass. But, we know all too well what Mitt Romney’s background is. He was against the American automobile industry before he was for it. He was against Ohio State Issue 2 and 3 before he was for it, or perhaps didn’t have a position at all. That is a more convenient position to take.

QUESTION: Hi, just, so you are saying that he decided this morning?

REDFERN: That is my allegation, yeah. I mean, he is a consummate evolving politician who won’t make a decision beyond the headline of the most recent newspaper he’s read. Why on earth would he be in Cincinnati, Ohio to visit a Republican call center that is focused on turning out the vote for Issue 2 and 3 if he doesn’t have a position – If he doesn’t have a position on Issues 2 and 3? Why would any serious presidential candidate allow his press shop to cultivate the notion yesterday that he was visiting Cincinnati to support Issue 2 and 3, allow the Associated Press and the Cincinnati Enquirer to frame the visit accordingly, and then in less than 24 hours walk away from that commitment? We need not look any further than the 25-point spread that Quinnipiac announced this morning.”

OPERATOR: At this time, Sir, there are no questions.

REDFERN: Okay, thanks so much everybody for taking the time. Have a great day and feel free to call for any follow up. Thanks to everybody.

END CALL.

For more information, please contact press@ohiodems.org