Mitt Romney Won't Tell Super PAC To Stop Negative Ads: 'This Is Politics'

Just one day after declaring that he can't tell the super PAC supporting him to stop running negative advertisements, Mitt Romney declared that he could publicly tell the super PAC to stop, but he won't because, "this is politics."

Appearing on Fox News Wednesday morning, Romney responded to a question about whether he could publicly condemn the negative advertising run by Restore Our Future, a super PAC run by some of his former aides. Romney responded, "Obviously, there are these coordination rules, you're not allowed to coordinate, but I'm sure I could go out and say, 'Hey please don't do anything negative.' But you know, this is politics, and if you can't stand the heat in this little kitchen, wait until the Obama's Hell's Kitchen turns up the heat."

"Look, this is a time when we have to be able to stand up, defend ourselves," he continued. "I've done the hard work of raising money for ads, and the speaker came after me pretty aggressively in his attacks. We're going to respond, and we've got an ad campaign in my campaign that's positive, but this super PAC that's been organized, it has to do what it does on an un-coordinated basis."

On Tuesday, Romney stated on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that he could not tell Restore Our Future to stop running the advertisements attacking his opponent Newt Gingrich because it would be illegal for his campaign to coordinate with the super PAC. "Super PACs have to be entirely separate from a campaign and a candidate," he said. "I'm not allowed to communicate with a super PAC in any way, shape or form. ... If we coordinate in any way whatsoever, we go to the big house."

Restore Our Future is currently pummeling Gingrich with negative ads across Iowa and in Florida. The group has already reported spending $2.51 million to attack Gingrich and estimated on Dec. 8 that they would spend up to $3.1 million in Iowa.

As HuffPost reported on Tuesday, Romney has taken different positions on Restore Our Future. After offering words of support and appearing at a donor event for the group earlier in the year, Romney declared on Tuesday, "We really ought to let campaigns raise the money they need and just get rid of these super PACs."

 

 

Comments

[DeeKres]

04:50 PM on 12/22/2011

Shocked that Romney has two mouths and two messages or maybe more. He just will say anything to get this position. Apparently, he has no shame. Money on the backs of others was just not enough.

[clonemastr]

12:11 PM on 12/22/2011

Gotta love those circular firing squads!!!

[RepublicanDepression]

12:45 AM on 12/22/2011

Huff Post missed another great Romney Flip-flop:

Romney once said the Iraq war was the right decision even after we knew they had no WMD.

Now Romney is saying that we would not have gone in if we knew there were no WMD.

And he falsely claimed UN support! Now that's a CAIN -sized gaffe!

[john rajah]

02:21 AM on 12/22/2011

Many Republicans claim Iraq War ll had UN sanction.

Their ignorance is shocking.

This war cost us 4,500 US dead,30,000+US maimed,100,000+US PTSD,USD800billion(much of it to organisations such as Haliburton).

160,000+ Iraqis have been killed,1 million maimed,and Shiites,Sunnis and Kurds are at each other's throats.

NOW,ON TO IRAN.

[john rajah]

04:41 PM on 12/21/2011

Super PACs are people too

[sarabono]

03:08 PM on 12/21/2011

He cant tell the super pac to do anything. For him to do so would be a violation of Federal Election Law. He can't even talk to the pac.

[j1ggy]

05:18 PM on 12/21/2011

You don't have to talk to get your supporters, whom you do fund raising events, to say the negative things you want said but don't want the voters to see your deceptive ways. Super Pacs are just an extension of the candidate being backed with a prescriptive mission, goal and message. Romney is doing what most people recognize as plausible deniability.
J1ggy

[DestinyKid]

02:43 PM on 12/21/2011

Some people never change - Mitt is a flip flopper and will always be.

[alpacaman1]

01:42 PM on 12/21/2011

Still flip flopping, as usual.

[ahlesa4]

01:37 PM on 12/21/2011

So he said Obama's "hell's kitchen" when talking about this

which was a total surprise to me as I earlier this year read him say that he does not swear and saying H-E-double hockey sticks is the closest he has ever come.

a meaningless lie, yes, but it is just amazing how often he does it.

[pinouye]

08:10 PM on 12/22/2011

Is it a swear word? No, it is not!

[arecibo48]

01:15 PM on 12/21/2011

There is no way a rich man is going to tell the super pacs supporting him to stop negative ads.

[sarabono]

03:09 PM on 12/21/2011

He can't. It is against Federal Election Law for him to have any contact with an outside Pac.

[pinouye]

08:10 PM on 12/22/2011

Let's see what Obama does during the General election...

[arecibo48]

10:56 PM on 12/22/2011

You want to see what the President will do; however, you have nothing to say about that and appear to be more concerned about what the President will do. What's the story?

[bk1]

01:00 PM on 12/21/2011

Go Mitt, Go. Everyday you spend in front of the camera advocating your approach as just politics is another day that takes President Obama closer to reelection. Try to ride this dead horse all the way to the White House.

[CitizenPane]

12:46 PM on 12/21/2011

"...he can't tell the super PAC supporting him to stop running negative advertisements...but he won't because, "this is politics."
Hey Mittens, the American people don't want to hear or see negative advertisements. We want to hear solutions, strategies, a basic understanding on your part of the situations and issues that face this Nation today.
Get with the times. Negative ads and blasting the personal character of your opponents is old school, so last election. I will personally mute every political ad that comes on the tube.

[j1ggy]

12:43 PM on 12/21/2011

Yeah this is politics alright. Romney is playing the game so many of us independents dispise. The ads do little to resolving the issue differences based upon principles and beliefs. Romney's statement reaks of political rancor to get elected which frustrates voters. A candidate should be able to stand on their character and experience. Romeny by not stepping up and decrying against negative ads demonstrates his real character which is not presidential. J1ggy

[emmanuel kalu]

12:42 PM on 12/21/2011

is this the mitt that said any GOP candidate would be a better president than obama. mitt you can't be trusted, your policies move to whatever fit your desire that day. mitt also want all super pac to be ended. how about you lead by example, end your super pac that is taking money for the rich corporation to attack the working people. Mitt you are not fix to govern and the country has soundly rejected your ideas.

[mm3264]

12:42 PM on 12/21/2011

The Republicans wanted this. The Republicans pushed for this. The Republicans have A Supreme Court judge bought and paid for by Koch vote for it and now they are whining about it?

And anyone who doesn't think the candidates control the superpacs are lying to themselves or are out of their minds.

[The Refudiator]

12:37 PM on 12/21/2011

"Obviously, there are these coordination rules, you're not allowed to coordinate"

Mitt will rue the day he made that comment. When the campaign email records are , hacked ,leaked or subpoenaed we will find Willards greasy e-fingerprints all over them.