Romney committed himself to pro choice policies and miscellaneous moderate social stands in order to run for office in Massachusetts, and with good political reason. It would be hard to imagine a pro life, anti-gay rights social conservative winning a Massachusetts governor’s race. Once elected, Romney used Massachusetts as the launchpad he intended from the start. He began the dramatic political retooling that he hopes will win him the Republican nomination, then the presidency.
In that regard, gay rights and the gay marriage issue hold similar peril for Romney. When he was running against Edward M. Kennedy, Romney said he would be a stronger advocate for gay rights than the liberal senator. Conservative critics also charge that as governor, he unnecessarily implemented same-sex marriage after the state’s highest court declared that gay couples have a right to marry. In a compilation entitled, “The Mitt Romney Deception,” Romney critic Brian Camenker holds Romney accountable for gay marriage in Massachusetts on the grounds that he “jumped the gun and needlessly advanced the homosexual agenda by granting marriage rights without a fight.”
Such critics are forcing Romney to explain what he said as a gubernatorial candidate, and why. But Republican primary voters may also give Romney credit for speaking out against his home state now, as they question how much any single Republican could do to stop the liberal tide demonstrated by the gay marriage vote.
Meanwhile, there’s some poetic justice in the fact that whenever Romney looks in the rearview mirror, a Massachusetts liberal is not far behind.
