Flip-floppin' Romney liked sex education just fine while running for Governor

[Bluebear]

Former Gov. Mitt Romney attacked Sen. Barack Obama yesterday for purportedly wanting sex education in kindergarten. It turns out, Romney himself once indicated support for the same sort of sex-ed approach -- "age-appropriate" -- that Obama backs. In a Planned Parenthood questionnaire he filled out during his 2002 gubernatorial run, Romney checked 'yes' to a question asking, "Do you support the teaching of responsible, age-appropriate, factually accurate health and sexuality education, including information about both abstinence and contraception, in public schools?"

The answer, pointed out by a rival campaign, was resurrected in 2005 when Romney was criticized by Massachusetts pro-choice groups when he began to push an abstinence-heavy focus on sex education. Still, his spokesman said then that he still backed a "comprehensive" approach on teaching public school kids about sex.

But last night, sensing an opportunity to burnish his cultural conservative credentials, Romney used a speech before a Colorado GOP group to light into his potential rival on the issue. "I heard a quote today from Barack Obama which puzzled me," Romney said. "He said that, 'we should have sex education in kindergarten' -- I'm not kidding you."

Except that Obama didn't exactly say that.

Rather he told Planned Parenthood at their conference yesterday that "it’s the right thing to do to provide age-appropriate sex education, science-based sex education in schools." Noting this, Romney continued in his speech, " went on to say, of course, it should be 'age appropriate.'" "How much sex education is age appropriate for a 5-year-old?" Romney asked rhetorically. "In my view, zero is the right amount." To which he got good applause that spurred his campaign to post the clip on YouTube. They also put out a release last night contrasting their record on the issue with Obama. But nowhere in the Romney record was a word about his past support for "age-appropriate" sex ed.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0707/Romney_also_once_backed_ageappropriate_sex_ed.html

[babylonsister]

1. Is every last rethug a hypocrite? Nom for disgust at them all. nt

[tanyev]

5. Best to assume they are until proven otherwise.

[skids]

2. Someone should post a "wanted to buy" ad at freakrepublic

"Wanted to buy: man size flip-flop sandal costumes used against John Kerry, for use at Mitt Romney rallies."

[Bluebear]

3. I like it. nt

[Virginia Dare]

4. Romney is no better than a snake oil salesman

if the "christian right" is stupid enough to pin their hopes on this guy, they get what they deserve. What a low life he is, and that lying shrew that is his "spokesperson" makes me want to commit violent acts against my television.

[AllieB]

6. Yup, a snake oil salesman with good hair

He is hated in MA, even by the jackasses that voted for him.