Source:  GOP presidential contenders drift to the right – Politics – Decision 2012 – msnbc.com.
Mitt Romney is about to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination today. He seems to be the most creditable candidate in the Republican field but that is not saying much. Given his flip flops there is no way I would ever trust him as my president. Here is a quote from the above article:

Romney, who leads in most polls, has rejected his earlier stands supporting abortion rights, gun control and gay rights. He says his 2006 law requiring Massachusetts residents to obtain health insurance was right for his state at the time, but he has condemned the Obama-backed mandate that would cover all Americans.

Here is a guy to spent much of his time as governor making sure that the people of his State all had access to medical care. Then a few years later, for political expediency, he said all that was a mistake. Healthcare should be a privilege for those who can afford it, not a right for everyone according to the 2011 version of him. This is a very base issue for me and it was for also for him for at least a time. If he “changes his mind” on so many issues how can I ever trust him to hold to anything he says on the campaign trail or to even believe that he has ANY core beliefs?

As the old campaign tactic used against a previous Democratic candidate says:

He was for these things before he was against them:

• Healthcare for all
• Abortion rights
• Gun Control
• Homosexual rights

I personally don’t fall on the same side on all these issues but I would not change my attitudes about them just to get more people to like me. Of course Mr. Romney dropped all these beliefs in order to get the big bucks from the Republican establishment required to run for office. Is there any thing that Mr. Romney holds as the foundation of his belief system? I was not a fan of Mr. Reagan but at least he didn’t waffle from his ultra conservative beliefs. He was for his view of “family” even those his personal family was a shambles.  He was a “don’t do as I do but do as I say person” throughout his political life. At his core I think Mr. Romney is a centrist Republican who is trying to align himself with the radical right fringe who now control his party.  If only he had the courage to stand up for centrist belief he might get my vote. Someone is going to have to get the guts to move the Republican establishment back to the center of American politics. They can only cling to the right edge of the cliff for so long.  But given his current attitude Mr. Romney is just not about to be that person.

But what do I know…..