Concerns loom as conservative "frontrunner" struggles in Colorado
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
CONTACT: Joanne Kron, Executive Director at 303-991-1900
DENVER: As former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney struggled to a much weaker than expected finish in Colorado's nonbinding Republican Party caucuses tonight, ProgressNow Colorado, the state's largest online progressive advocacy organization, called on Romney to explain the many unresolved questions and contradictions brought to light while campaigning here this week.
"Colorado expects more of our elected leaders," said Joanne Kron, executive director of ProgressNow Colorado. "As Romney traveled around our state in the past few days, it's become clear to Coloradans across the political spectrum that Mitt Romney is no more qualified to be President today than he was in 2008."
Romney misses the mark on federal investments received by his own supporters. Romney's Colorado campaign received national attention after the Colorado Springs Gazette reported that the factory where Romney gave his campaign speech Saturday received millions of dollars in federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Romney's response that the millions of dollars in stimulus funds received by Springs Fabrication did not create or even preserve jobs is dubious at best--and the plant's owner admitted that this was just one of "many" government-funded contracts he routinely gets paid for. Because of this, Romney's goal of using this company as a model of "private enterprise" was hopelessly muddled.
"For future reference," said Kron, "if the Romney campaign wishes to avoid hypocritical disasters like the one he faced in Colorado Springs last weekend, they should make sure the business Romney speaks from attacking President Obama is not listed at Recovery.gov as a recipient of ARRA funds. It's very easy to check."
Romney fails to address his position on Colorado's pending "personhood initiative." Romney stated last fall that as governor of Massachusetts, he would have signed a constitutional amendment defining human life as "beginning at conception"--language very similar to the so-called "personhood initiative" abortion ban proposed in Colorado. ProgressNow Colorado's petition demanding that Romney clearly explain his views on banning abortion received several thousand signatures from concerned residents in a very short time, but Romney has avoided this question, and refused to make himself available to reporters while campaigning here.
"Romney has said that he supports the equivalent of the radical abortion ban on Colorado's ballot this year," said Kron. "Coloradans deserve a straight answer before Mitt Romney has a chance to flip-flop on the issue yet again."
Romney confused on public lands. Traveling back and forth between Nevada and Colorado in the past week, Romney told an editorial board in Reno that he doesn't know "what the purpose is" of federally-owned public land. Working with allies at Colorado Conservation Voters, ProgressNow Colorado staged a display of "Snowmen for Public Lands" outside Romney's campaign rally in Centennial Monday night. The event highlighted the 107,000 jobs in Colorado that depend on public lands, and the 97% of Coloradans who believe public lands are essential to our way of life.
"In short, while Mitt Romney hopes to recover from his poor performance in Colorado tonight," said Kron, "he faces looming problems in part based on things he said and did here in the West this past week. These problems don't bode well for the next ten months--if he even makes it that far."
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