Romney: Throw Momma Off The Train

What do ALL political candidates do when someone they know might have done something that might affect their candidacy? We all know the answer - throw the bum off the train!!! Hillary Clinton's support for New York Governor Spitzer's realistic call for illegal immigration ID's got her in deep trouble in a recent debate. Behind the scenes she forced Spitzer to give up the politically unpopular idea so that her campaign could get back on track. The stumble she took over this issue seems to have led to a slippage in her lead over Senator Obama.

In Clinton's case, the ID concept (and to a lesser degree, Spitzer's reputation) was cast off. Now comes GOP hopeful Mitt Romney, who is in real damage control as he calls for Massachusetts Judge Kathe Tuttman to resign from the judiciary in his home state. Romney is concerned because he must appear tough on crime for the Republican primary voters out for red meat. He is castigating Tuttman as too soft on crime and personally responsible for the shooting deaths of two people in Washington state by a former convict who was recently freed by Judge Tuttman. Romney is trying to get ahead of this story before people realize that he himself appointed Kathe Tuttman to the judgeship while he was governor. It is one thing to bemoan the situation and another to place the entire blame on the judge who apparently was not told all the facts about the former prisoner who went on this horrific killing spree.

Romney and others like to point to their integrity and values in their public and personal lives. But straight forward and honest thinking is not an attribute that many politicians can claim. When trouble comes (as it inevitably will) on the campaign trail, Romney has shown that the shrillest and easiest way out of a mess is to remove the problem and place the blame on someone else. That Judge Tuttman is considered a tough judge means nothing if her action in this situation will cause a shadow to fall upon the perfect world that Mr. Romney is attempting to paint for himself.

All the candidates have skeletons within their own closet and among their associates. When a story comes out about past misdeeds, it is prudent upon the voter to look at the reaction of the candidate to see what values he or she truly holds dear. In this case, Romney has fallen way short of the image he wants to portray.