Schweitzer (D-MT) says he could support Romney as president.

[Mass]

From a long profile in the NYTimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08governor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

Other than the fact that they grew up on farms, it’s not immediately clear what unites Schweitzer and Tester, Ritter and the Salazars. With his outspoken criticism of the war in Iraq — “I was very public before we went in that it was a bad idea, and history has borne that out,” he told me — Schweitzer has become a hero to progressives, while Ken Salazar has infuriated liberals with his support of Alberto Gonzalez’s nomination for attorney general and his endorsement of Joe Lieberman’s independent re-election bid. Governor Richardson of New Mexico suggests that such differences are evidence that the movement has no overarching strategy. “It’s happening from the bottom up,” he told me. “This is a natural evolution. It’s no grand design.” Or maybe it’s that the region’s Democrats simply don’t have many core beliefs in common. Schweitzer remains an iconoclast; he says he supported John McCain’s presidential bid in 2000, though he has since soured on McCain because of the way he has courted the religious right, and he says he is now intrigued by the possibility of a presidential run by Mitt Romney, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, in 2008. “If he gets the nomination, I might support him,” Schweitzer told me.

I know that Schweitzer has a large popularity on DU, so can somebody tell me why I should support a Democrat that does not have a better judgement than that? Fisrt, why would he not support the Democratic nominee. Second, how can he not see that Romney is just another McCain.

Cant Democrats think before they talk.

[blm]

1. It won't last - if he soured on McCain, he'll sour on Romney for sure.

.

[Mass]

4. Still a very bad sign of his judgement.

[blm]

8. True - he apparently bought the Romney as competent manager theme pushed

during the Utah Winter Olympics.

That's a typical GUY thing. Sports announcers can influence them more than PBS Frontline at any given time.

[marmar]

2. "Cant Democrats think before they talk."

Apparently not this one. I wasn't a big fan of his to begin with, and this seals it.

[Totally Committed]

5. Agreed.

Just another DINO out to out-Republican the Republicans.

I can't stand it!

TC

[endarkenment]

6. Most of us still don't understand that we are in a death match.

They are living in some post WWII bipartisan dream world of congeniality and fair play. Romney is a first class tool. He has no positions on anything that he won't change to suit his current ambitions.

[Totally Committed]

3. To know Romney is to disregard him after a closer look...

But, this statement does tend to prove the point I endlessly try and make here: DINOs are undermining and killing this Party by stupid statements like this.

TC

[rox63]

7. To know Romney is to loathe him

As the good citizens of Massachusetts have learned. :puke:

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. But Schweitzer isn't a typical DINO, it's more complex than that

I haven't followed him that closely yet, but from what I can tell he doesn't neatly fit into the standard DINO box. If anything I would say that he may have a strong maverick independent streak in him. It doesn't kill our party to have someone like that in a State like Montana where we normally have no one in office. Especially since I gather Schweitzer has taken some rather progressive stands also, not just typical milk toast conservative blue dog Democrat positions.

However, if when push came to shove Schweitzer followed through and actually did something like that, yeah that would be a sharp stab in the back. Mind you I'm not happy to see that he even said something like this off the cuff, but I suspect if Romney actually got the G.O.P. nod that Schweitzer would find some reason to back the Democrat over him. I sure as hell hope so.

[Totally Committed]

15. Tom, you know how much I respect you... and I have no doubt you believe

what you say, but ANY DEMOCRAT who would back McCain AND Romney publicly, given the climate and the circumstances this country finds itself is a DINO who is giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Period.

No more shades of gray for me. Complex Schmomplex -- You are either WITH this Party or you're not.

He's obviously not.

End of story.

TC

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. Not a problem TC, I am mostly quibbling over semantics

I think of Schweitzer more as an Independent who ran as a Democrat than as a classic DINO, that's all. He's by no means a corporate Dem, and he is not a garden variety conservative Dem either, which is why I don't see him fitting the DINO mold as I've come to know it, but I can appreciate the case for not calling him a Dem at all if he is willing to endorse Republicans for the Presidency.

[Totally Committed]

17. As someone who has lived with Romney as Govenor, I can tell you

the prospect of having him as POTUS is terrifying.

As for Schweitzer being no corporate Dem., I agree with that, but with this caveat: Not all DINOs are DLC, but all DLC are DINOs. So, there is room for us to agree there, too.

The peopl eon this board who support this man are kidding themselves if they think he's just this breath-of-fresh-air free-thinker. He's an idiot if he'd back Mittens for POTUS.

TC

[Evergreen Emerald]

9. Romeny is extremely scary

He was involved in attempting to amend the Constitution to prohibit gay marriage. Remember the hearings he chaired on that issue? He is a neo-con of the highest order and will not hesitate to do Bush's bidding.

[Toots]

11. might is a great word to use. It helps reassure Republicans yet does not

really mean that he would indeed support a Republican. It makes it seem like he is an Independent thinker and not a yellow dog Democrat. I have no worries on the matter.

[Mass]

12. Except any Democrat here in MA will tell you that Romney

is a terrible governor who put his political ambitions ahead of his state (and most independents will probably agree). The only good thing he did in 4 years was to agree not to run again.

So, there "might" be a better example for Schweitzer to tout his independence from his own party than this carpetbagger.

[SaveElmer]

13. If he is so intrigued with Republican candidates...

Why doesn't he simply switch parties....

It is this kind of stuff which irks me more than any other...

I can put up with almost any idealogical strain within the party, but when members start supporting Republicans they stop being Democrats in my book...

[Virginia Dare]

14. But most of the article talks about...

how he is out supporting other Democratic candidates?

I don't know, he seems like a bit of a hydra, I just don't know where he's coming from, unless he's trying to goad some of the potential Democratic candidates out there to court him. Maybe it's like a child crying for attention? Pretty immature, if that's the case.

:shrug:

[paulk]

18. Bush beat Kerry in Montana 59 - 39

Supporting Romney, who is viewed out west as a moderate northeasterner, isn't going to hurt Schweitzer in his home state. In fact, it will probably help him...

[Mass]

19. So ??? What is your point?

As for moderate nrtheasterner, Romney is neither from the NorthEast nor a moderate. He is as sleazy as they come.

[tritsofme]

20. Perception is 9/10 of the law

and the governor of MA, he is viewed by many as a moderate northeasterner.

[Mass]

21. And? that makes it fine for Schweitzer to endorse a Republican

for president at this point?

Should he not be better informed or not volunteer this type of validation if he does not know who Romney is. We have an election here to beat this idiot and this is less than helpful to see Romney get the endorsement of one of the Democratic new stars. If he cannot understand the rest of the country, he should just speak only about Montana.

[Alexander]

22. Romney won't get the nom, Schweitzer's playing it safe.

You think a one-term Mormon governor of Massachusetts whose father claimed he was "brainwashed" during his trip to Vietnam is honestly going to have a chance in hell of getting the Republican nomination?

No.

You know this. I know this. Brian Schweitzer knows this.

But 59% of people voted for Bush in Montana. Schweitzer only got 50% of the vote. You think maybe he's trying to peel off some of that pro-Bush support?

BTW, where's this "endorsement" you speak of? In the OP, I read that he "could" or "might" support Romney "if" he got the nomination. That's a lot different than saying "I support Romney for the nominee and for president".

That's a lot of conditions, to call that an "endorsement".

Tempest in a teapot.