Romney sits out anti-union fight in Ohio Terrace Park, OH - Campaigning Tuesday in the Buckeye state, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declined to weigh in on a controversial state ballot measure that calls for the repeal of a recent law that limits collective bargaining rights for public employees. Romney visited a Republican call center in Terrace Park, where volunteers were contacting voters and urging them to vote in favor of keeping the law on the books. The former Massachusetts governor declined to take position on the issue, saying he was unfamiliar with the details. "I'm not speaking about the particular ballot issues," Romney told a crowd outside the call center. "Those are up to the people of Ohio. But I certainly support the effort of the governor to rein in the scale of government." It was a distinct change in tone for Romney, who took an aggressive stance in support of a similar anti-union measure in Wisconsin earlier this year. In February, he weighed in in support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill to limit collective bargaining rights for public employee unions in that state. "Liberal big government interests are fighting efforts to rein in out-of-control public employee pay and benefits in Wisconsin," Romney said then. "It is critical that we stand with the Wisconsin GOP as it stands up for the rights of the taxpayer." A new Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed that a majority of Ohio voters, 57 percent, favor repealing the law. Among Ohio Republicans, however, 59 percent say the law should be retained. Beyond limiting collective bargaining rights for unions, the law requires public employees to pay at least 15 percent of their insurance premiums and 10 percent of their pensions. Kevin DeWine, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party, said Romney's visit was unrelated to any ballot initiatives. "It was most just a chance to say 'thank you' to the grassroots volunteer for the work they're doing this year and next," he said. The campaign of one of Romney's main rivals for the Republican nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, lambasted him for failing to strongly endorse the Ohio law. Perry spokesman Ray Sullivan said in a statement, "Mitt Romney's finger-in-the-wind politics continued today when he refused to support right-to-work reforms signed by Ohio Governor John Kasich - reforms Romney supported in June. Americans are tired of politicians who change their beliefs to match public opinion polls. ... Mitt Romney needs to realize that when you try to stand on both sides of an issue, you stand for nothing."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66828.html Mitt Romney supported Gov. John Kasich laws in June By JONATHAN MARTIN | 10/25/11 2:59 PM EDT Updated: 10/25/11 5:07 PM EDT In a visit to Ohio today, Mitt Romney declined to state on his position on a high-profile referendum there on the new state law that curtails the bargaining rights of public employee unions. But earlier this year, Romney indicated support for the reforms signed by Gov. John Kasich. "My friends in Ohio are fighting to defend crucial reforms that the state has put in place to limit the power of union bosses and keep taxes low," Romney wrote on his Facebook page in June. "I stand with John R. Kasich and Ohio's leaders as they take on this important fight to get control of government spending. " The website is devoted to advocating for "Issue 2," the ballot measure which would ratifiy the collective bargaining legislation passed earlier this year. If the referendum fails, the law would be overturned. Polls show that the measure is likely to be rejected by Ohio voters on Election Day next month. Appearing today at a GOP phone bank near Cincinnati, Romney told reporters that he wouldn't indicate his position on the referendum. "I am not speaking about the particular ballot issues," Romney said, according to CNN. "Those are up to the people of Ohio. But I certainly support the efforts of the governor to reign in the scale of government. I am not terribly familiar with the two ballot initiatives. But I am certainly supportive of the Republican Party's efforts here." The former Massachusetts governor may have been hesitant to weigh in because of the other major ballot measure Ohio voters will vote on next month: an initiative to bar local, state and the federal government from compelling individuals or employers to purchase health care coverage. That, of course, hits close to home for Romney.
So now that the anti union bills are unpopular and likely to be repealed Romney no longer supports them :eek: :eek: :eek:
I dont see a flip. Perry is complaining that Romney did not "strongly" endose ther law. Romney's statement about Wisconsion is almost the same as his comments about Ohio. It seems the whole basis of this article is the conclusion of Perry about Romney. That Romney could more strong then he is about the law
When he thought the Ohio law was popular in June "My friends in Ohio are fighting to defend crucial reforms that the state has put in place to limit the power of union bosses and keep taxes low," Romney wrote on his Facebook page in June. "I stand with John R. Kasich and Ohio's leaders as they take on this important fight to get control of government spending. " Now that it is no longer popular (along with the Ohio Gov) "I'm not speaking about the particular ballot issues," Romney told a crowd outside the call center. "Those are up to the people of Ohio. "