Centerfield

Ahhhhhhh, Mitt Romney. Venture capitalist. Mormon. Gay marriage foe. Apple polishing Presidential aspirant. And centrist? I do NOT effing think so, Matt.

This was a quid pro quo--Kerry agreed not to cross the pickets, and the union agreed not to disrupt the convention. What was Kerry supposed to do, cross the picket lines for the first time ever and open himself up to a world of grief?

This move was VERY presidential. Kerry had the choice of offending 16% of the country, or offending a roomful of mayors. I wonder how many people were offended by this move. Not many, I bet. Anyone know how many times a President has crossed a picket line?

As someone who has seen it from both sides, I'd hold off on that "outdated" idea, too. On the wane right now, for sure, but give it some time. I'm a little more cynical than you on the long term prospects of corporate entities continuing to offer good faith employment in the absence of collective bargaining.

Sorry... In Massachusetts Romney is a right wing nut, everywhere else pro-civil union, pro-choice, pro-gun control, fiscally moderate (barely) means centrist. Anywhere but the Northeast and he would be a Democrat. I didn't say he wasn't a politician.

Ask any business or government executive (not elected) if Union practices are outdated. If you find one that says they are not, I will shut up. Organized labor is an archaic, dying movement that has simply refused to change with the time, which is exactly why the President of the SEIU is calling for the disolvement of the AFL-CIO, and drastic reforms to improve competitiveness. Give it time? It has been over twenty years since the labor movement has seen an increase in membership!

Kerry is supposed to lead, like Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt did when they threatened to break strikes, like John F. Kennedy when he threatened to throw their boss in jail, like George W. Bush did when he outlawed federal labor agreements that have done nothing but screw the American taxpayer.

Kerry did exactly what he accuses Bush of doing on a regular basis... He cowered to a special interest, nothing more and nothing less. If I hear him one more time say that Bush is a President of the special interests I am going to throw up.

Matt, if you think that Mitt Romney is actually "pro" civil unions and "pro" choice(as in in favor of allowing abortions without further restrictions), you are either very gullible, not a close watcher of Romney, or both. He's not very fiscally moderate, either. Fiscally, he's agressively conservative, as his background in finance would suggest. While other GOP governors raised taxes during the recent downturn, Romney did not, and instead slashed aggressively. Not that he was wrong, but he was NOT moderate or centrist in his approach.

Not a centrist, instead Romney is merely savvy. He clothes himself in centrist robes when there is no cost to his core values or current plans. He has learned to grin for the cameras, say nice things, pick his battles, and stick in the knife when opportunity arises. The "picking battles" part is the most important. If he doesn't think he can win or isn't ready for the fight, he smiles and couches his views in vagueness and platitudes. Not that there is anything especially surprising in this from a politician.

In fact, your Masachusetts diagnosis has it exactly backwards. Romney was only able to win as a GOPer because he cagily moderated his rhetoric. Of course he looks like a centrist to GOPers based on what he has said while trying to govern here. He had no shot otherwise. He had wanted "elected to major MA office as a GOPer" at the top of his resume for well over a decade" because of his aspirations. Just wait 'til he takes the national stage, when there will be no mistaking his true colors. He's not a centrist socially, he's devout and a real family-values guy. Make NO mistake about this.

And he's not a centrist fiscally either. He's an aggressive budget-cutting small-government wall street monkey. Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with that. Sometimes it's just what a state needs. But don't mistake him for a centrist on fiscal issues. He's so tough on money that any suggestion that he's not to the right of at least 9 out of 10 people is absurd.

Okay, okay... Admittedly you would know more about the man then I would.

"...the union represents the interest of... well... themselves.

I am not anti-labor..."

How about 'labor-neutral'??? (kidding!)