Thursday, January 31, 2008
Romney Says McCain Out of GOP Mainstream
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Mitt Romney said Wednesday that John McCain is out of the conservative mainstream, as the rivals for the Republican presidential nomination vied for votes in next week's multistate primary.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said McCain twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts and pushed campaign finance reforms that restricted fundraising and spending. The Republican establishment embraced the tax cuts and opposed the new campaign law, which many saw as more helpful to Democrats.
"Those view are outside the view of mainstream Republican thought," Romney said in the opening moments of a debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The forum came 24 hours after McCain won Florida presidential primary despite criticisms that he is too moderate on several issues dear to party loyalists.
McCain, an Arizona senator, disputed the claims, saying "I'm proud of my conservative record." He said Romney left Massachusetts with high taxes and a large debt. "His job creation was the third worst in the country," McCain said.
Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney focus on each other in Wednesday's televised presidential debate only hours after Florida voters left no doubt that they are the two viable contenders for their party's nomination.
With Rudy Giuliani slated to bow out of the race and Mike Huckabee limping badly, McCain and Romney are almost certain to engage each other more sharply than they did in last week's rather tepid GOP forum in Boca Raton, Fla.
The stakes are especially high for Romney. The former Massachusetts governor lost to McCain in Florida and now must try to thwart his momentum with the multistate Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses next week.
In a possible prelude to Wednesday's exchanges, Romney in recent days called the Arizona senator dishonest, liberal, an economic novice and a lover of tax hikes. He sharply criticized McCain's Senate record on immigration, campaign finance laws and energy.
McCain in turn ridiculed Romney's shift on matters such as abortion rights, and said Romney had supported a premature withdrawal from Iraq.
McCain enters the debate with Giuliani's likely endorsement and a new boost of confidence for his once-staggering campaign, putting the onus on Romney to persuade GOP voters to resist a McCain bandwagon.
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Mitt Romney said Wednesday that John McCain is out of the conservative mainstream, as the rivals for the Republican presidential nomination vied for votes in next week's multistate primary.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, said McCain twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts and pushed campaign finance reforms that restricted fundraising and spending. The Republican establishment embraced the tax cuts and opposed the new campaign law, which many saw as more helpful to Democrats.
"Those view are outside the view of mainstream Republican thought," Romney said in the opening moments of a debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The forum came 24 hours after McCain won Florida presidential primary despite criticisms that he is too moderate on several issues dear to party loyalists.
McCain, an Arizona senator, disputed the claims, saying "I'm proud of my conservative record." He said Romney left Massachusetts with high taxes and a large debt. "His job creation was the third worst in the country," McCain said.
Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney focus on each other in Wednesday's televised presidential debate only hours after Florida voters left no doubt that they are the two viable contenders for their party's nomination.
With Rudy Giuliani slated to bow out of the race and Mike Huckabee limping badly, McCain and Romney are almost certain to engage each other more sharply than they did in last week's rather tepid GOP forum in Boca Raton, Fla.
The stakes are especially high for Romney. The former Massachusetts governor lost to McCain in Florida and now must try to thwart his momentum with the multistate Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses next week.
In a possible prelude to Wednesday's exchanges, Romney in recent days called the Arizona senator dishonest, liberal, an economic novice and a lover of tax hikes. He sharply criticized McCain's Senate record on immigration, campaign finance laws and energy.
McCain in turn ridiculed Romney's shift on matters such as abortion rights, and said Romney had supported a premature withdrawal from Iraq.
McCain enters the debate with Giuliani's likely endorsement and a new boost of confidence for his once-staggering campaign, putting the onus on Romney to persuade GOP voters to resist a McCain bandwagon.
