Mitt Romney Presidential Pretzel Candidate?

Well, this is going to be fun. Politico has an excellent article on how Romney’s stance on gay marriage equality differs from that of some of his donors:

Mitt Romney’s opposition to gay marriage, which helped  endear him to conservative activists during the dog days of the presidential  primary, puts him at odds with three of his most prominent donors, all of whom  helped fund a successful effort to legalize same-sex nuptials in New York last  year.

But the most interesting part of the article is the focus it pays to how Romeny will twist himself into a position that could appeal to both moderates and conservatives:

For instance, his language in one of the debates before the New Hampshire primary in January, while opposed to gay marriage, was less heated in its rhetoric.

To say that marriage is something other than the relationship between a man and a woman, I think, is a mistake,” Romney said. “And, the reason for that is not that we want to discriminate against people or to suggest that gay couples are not just as loving and can’t also raise children well. But, it is instead a recognition that, for society as a whole, that the nation presumably will be better off if children are raised in a setting where there is a male and a female. “

But if he does pivot on the issue beyond a rhetorical shift, Romney risks being called out for flip-flopping, a charge that has landed with resonance during two presidential runs on things like abortion rights and health care.

What could be the biggest mill stone for Romney, could be his signing of the incredibly anti-gay National Organization for Marriage Pledge, which among other things calls for the candidate to send a federal constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage should they be elected:

The NOM pledge could cause the most headaches for Romney in the general  election. Some speculated that as the general election gets underway, Romney  would gradually pivot away from the pledge as he seeks to make himself attract  to independent, swing voters. That could prove problematic as he tries to soothe  conservatives and ensure they turn out at sufficient levels in the fall.

I, for one, am looking forward with a feeling bordering on glee as to how Romney will twist and turn himself into more positions than a yoga instructor to try and satisfy all of the people all of the time.

Read the full article