Mitt Romney's Former Intern Directly Contradicts Campaign On Gay-Rights Flyer

NASHUA, N.H. -- A former intern to Mitt Romney publicly stated on Monday that as a candidate for governor in 2002, the Massachusetts Republican did authorize and disseminate fliers championing equal rights for gay citizens.

The statement, made by the Manhattan Institute's Josh Barro to Buzzfeed, directly contradicts what Romney's top spokesman Eric Ferhnstrom told The Huffington Post on Sunday. Barro, who served as an intern on Romney's gubernatorial campaign, explained that on Pride weekend in 2002, the campaign sent about a half-dozen interns to a "post-parade festival on Boston Common" to hand out flyers proclaiming that "all citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference."

"The thing was organized by a full-time staffer," Barro added.

Ferhnstrom, who served as communications director on that same campaign, told The Huffington Post on Sunday that the Romney's election team had not been involved in producing or handing out the flyers and that the former Massachusetts governor shouldn't be held accountable for them.

"I don't know where those pink flyers came from. I was the communications director on the 2002 campaign. I don't know who distributed them ... I never saw them and I was the communications director," Ferhnstrom said.

An email to Ferhnstrom on Monday, asking for reaction to Barro's recollection, was not immediately returned.

The conflicting accounts renew questions as to just how much an evolution Romney has had on the topic of gay rights. Ferhnstrom insisted on Sunday that there had been "no evolution," that Romney has always been opposed to gay marriage and civil unions, while he is inclined to extend some legal benefits to gay couples. But on Monday, Buzzfeed also turned up an old 1994 newspaper cover, featuring then Senate-candidate Romney claiming that he would "be better than Ted [Kennedy] for gay rights."

In disavowing the 2002 flyer, Romney's campaign has managed to open itself up to an attack by the reelection campaign of President Barack Obama, which questioned Romney's rejection of the flyers' language.

"After Mitt Romney claimed he'd be a stronger advocate for gay rights than Senator Kennedy when he was running for office in Massachusetts, and one day after saying that gays should have 'full rights,' Romney's campaign today disavowed a flyer that simply said 'all citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference,'" emailed Ben LaBolt, the Obama campaign's press secretary. "What on that flyer does Mitt Romney disagree with? Does he not believe all Americans should have equal rights? Who is he trying to pander to now? This is why Americans will have trouble trusting Mitt Romney -- he doesn't keep his word."

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Comments

[Jimcracky]

02:52 PM on 01/11/2012

Romney - a politician with all the sincerity of a balloon. Which ever way the wind blows...

[Robert Lee Harrington]

11:27 AM on 01/11/2012

Romney Likes ‘Being Able to Fire People’

" former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman remarking, “It’s clear is he likes firing people, I like creating jobs.”...

"...Romney grew visibly annoyed later during the same event when Julie Kushner, the regional director of United Auto Workers, interrupted him to ask about his position on the auto bailout, saying that the move by President Obama had saved “good paying jobs.”

At one point asking Kushner, who was long-winded in her remarks, whether she even had a question, Romney became irritated when the woman continued to interrupt him.

“Excuse me, it’s my turn to talk,” he said.

“Question is how could you say those people from your state would have been better off under bankruptcy, once again number one auto company?” she questioned....

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/romney-likes-being-able-to-fire-people/



http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/romney-likes-being-able-to-fire-people/

[Razpooten]

09:01 PM on 01/10/2012

flyers proclaiming that "all citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual preference." Well my sexual preference is Neopolitan. er, oh... never mind.

[practiceempathy]

02:33 PM on 01/11/2012

I'm gay. I hate when people refer to my orientation as a preference.

For many of my younger, darker days, I very much would have PREFERRED to be straight.

It's a tough life. Thanks to other people, many of whom regularly troll here.

[Patchdee]

03:32 PM on 01/12/2012

My heart goes out to you and all people struggling against the prejudices and ignorance of the conservative movement in this country. As far as I am concerned they are a disgrace to this country and to their religion which preaches love and tolerance.

[Jayne Lyn Stahl]

07:37 PM on 01/10/2012

Romney is making the same mistake Bush pere, George H.W. Bush made, by playing to the fringe of his party. It may well cost Romney the election, too. (gawd willing)

[speedydan79]

05:44 PM on 01/10/2012

He always prided himself on his discipline and self-control. "Keep the message consistent," he kept telling himself, and soon enough everybody would believe it. So he lived his life, but one day he woke up not sure where he was or what day of the week it was or what the script was supposed to be. He looked at his face in the bathroom mirror and a feeling of panic came over him. "Who am I supposed to be today?" he shouted out, but there was no answer.

[buckeye3118]

03:22 PM on 01/10/2012

It doesn't seem to matter that PopStar MESSiah is opposed to gay marriage. But, 'the rules don't apply-a, to PopStar MESSiah'.

[Sophist FCD]

04:12 AM on 01/11/2012

Man, you guy's pet names for the president are getting seriously esoteric. Pretty soon only you will actually know what you are talking about.

[practiceempathy]

02:35 PM on 01/11/2012

Why don't you guys ever acknowlege the serious displeasure many liberals and progressives have had with the president?

Why?

It's been considerable.

You'd think you'd want to focus on that.

Like the way liberals and progressives will focus on the fact that Romney's own party doesn't even WANT him.

In other words, don't you think it's time you grew up?

Having said that, I'm sure Mr. Obama will one day come out in full evolution. He's merely playing politics, and he's apparently played you, too.

[Tony Moschetti]

12:58 PM on 01/10/2012

Here is yet another example of how far out of touch with reality, and most Americans, the media are. The NUMBER ONE issue on minds of the majority of Americans is JOBS and the ECONOMY. Yet the mindless media wants to continually talk about gay rights, contraception, and abortion!

Why? To keep the heat off their inept Messiah's massively failed economic policies! This is the media's bait and switch crap. Keep the public stirred up over ancillary issues. Everything except the most important thing, the economy!

Hopefully most have this figured out!

[Robert Lee Harrington]

11:30 AM on 01/11/2012

...Julie Kushner, the regional director of United Auto Workers, interrupted him to ask about his position on the auto bailout, saying that the move by President Obama had saved “good paying jobs.”

“Excuse me, it’s my turn to talk,” he said.

“Question is how could you say those people from your state would have been better off under bankruptcy, once again number one auto company?” she questioned....

[golden1953]

03:10 PM on 01/11/2012

Regardless of the media - mindless or otherwise - the Republicans in Congress seem determined to take action only on topics such as gay rights, contraception, and abortion. They don't want to consider anything that seriously addresses economic issues for fear the the economy's slow but steady resurgence will destroy any chances of their recapturing the White House. Maybe that's in part why the media also focuses on it.

Also, this article isn't about gay rights - it's about honesty, or lack of it.

[montn2]

11:07 AM on 01/10/2012

He is a prfessional candidate...been runing for prez forever......his lies, misstatements are finallybeing exposed and his flip flops are REAL.

[La Elle]

10:53 AM on 01/10/2012

"The conflicting accounts renew questions as to just how much an evolution Romney has had on the topic of gay rights"

I'd have to say it's more like Mittens has had a devolution on gay rights. His current stance is not an improvement over his old one.

[bluecub]

10:53 AM on 01/10/2012

Where are we when a somebody has to deny or apologize for being a decent human being?

[mo524]

11:44 AM on 01/10/2012

In America.

[sp1000]

10:46 AM on 01/10/2012

What a sad day in this country when perceived support for equal rights for gays is a liability.
We already know Romney is a Mittidiot; the "crisis management" over this issue is pathetic.

[Hugh-Gee]

10:40 AM on 01/10/2012

There's an error in this article, and it's important.
It says "By that sort of charitable math, President Barack Obama could be credited with creating over 1 million jobs even though employment overall is down about 2 million since he came to office."
For one thing, non-farm payroll has dropped from about 132.8 million (Jan. 2009) to about 131.7 million (Nov. 2011); surely by now the loss of jobs during his tenure is less than a million--far from 2 million.
Also, there was a substantial loss of jobs before the Stimulus Package and other Obama policies could take effect. This inertia could hardly be blamed on him. So it's correct to say that, under Obama's policies, the economy has gained jobs--not as many as anyone would like, and we're not out of the woods yet, as Obama has emphasized.
It would be nice if articles in the Mainstream Media and the Blogosphere reflected this reality.

[carmillivanilli]

10:33 AM on 01/10/2012

It's things like this that make me wish I wasn't paying attention.

[BenSamson4]

10:21 AM on 01/10/2012

I agree with "Tosc" absolutely 100% and for the reasons that politics are such good liars I believe this is why Romney makes the perfect Presidential candidate.

[thefacts22]

10:18 AM on 01/10/2012

I dont know if Gingrich is going to make it or not. I would rather have him, in my "modest" opinion. I mentioned since the beginning of this race, that both the RINOS and the LIBERALS are terrified of Gingrich because he knows too much of their background, the wisdom of having been there, and it gets to a point in your life that you dont longer care what they think about you. The BS of political correctness has destroyed us. He has been looking for too many years looking at the cesspool, Washington is. It will be a chance we take but now we know what HOPE and CHANGE brought to this country. Mas vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer and that was our mistake with Hope and Change..... 15 + Trillions dollars in debt and jobs in sight.

[mo524]

11:46 AM on 01/10/2012

Yep hes a liar,cheater and hypocrite everything a good republican should be not like those rinos.

[thefacts22]

12:47 PM on 01/10/2012

mo524...he is just the boy that had everything and now wants to be President very badly...All the caca is coming out and I hope that both parties have diarreah, that is why I want Gingrich...no that I believe in anyone fanatically but I do want all the dirty rags in the open. That is why he is feared..and I dont want more surprises. His company was contributing to obama.

[Joker1969]

04:38 PM on 01/10/2012

liar,cheat­er and hypocrite = Democrats & Republicans