Weekend Open Thread

Welcome to your weekend open thread. It looks like maybe the groundhog was right this year – perhaps we’re getting an early spring. I’m hopeful anyway.

Multiple-Choice Mitt rewrote portions of his book to make himself into a Teapublican. He’s now a stimulus-hating, health care repealing genuine Tea Party patriot and Constitution hugger.

As the Boston Phoenix reports, there are two significant changes: The book no longer offers even a qualified defense of the stimulus, and now it makes sure the reader knows that Mitt Romney really hates “Obamacare,” even though it’s basically a national version of Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts healthcare plan.

The first rewrite excises a relatively even-handed assessment of the 2009 economic-stimulus package. In the original, Romney wrote that it “will accelerate the timing of the start of the recovery, but not as much as it could have.” The paperback pronounces the stimulus “a failure,” and blasts Obama’s “economic missteps” with conservative red-meat language — for example: “This is the first time government has declared war on free enterprise.”

The other major change comes in a chapter on health care. In the original hardcover, Romney tried to carefully distinguish between the Massachusetts law and the national version that was nearing passage as he wrote.

But the Massachusetts model has become Romney’s bête noire among conservatives, who loathe the national reform they call “Obamacare.” The rewritten paperback swings much harder, proclaiming that “Obamacare will not work and should be repealed,” and “Obamacare is an unconstitutional federal incursion into the rights of states.”

Other additions in that section blame the Massachusetts legislature for altering his plan, and the current Democratic administration of Governor Deval Patrick for botching the implementation.

Romney also added a new introduction in which he babbles about the Founding Fathers and literally uses the word “Constitution” 11 times. Romney’s spokesman explained the alterations by saying “[a] lot has occurred over the last two years, and these updates reflect those happenings.” The man is amazing.

You have to admit, that’s pretty bold. Do you have any doubt that if he manages to win the nomination that he doesn’t turn back into a “pragmatist.”

It’s interesting watching establishment Republicans get eaten by the fringe. Orrin Hatch crashed a Tea Party meeting last week and he also tried to walk back his TARP vote.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) participated at a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference yesterday afternoon, and he had to know a question on the financial industry bailout was coming.

It’s a shame he didn’t prepare a better answer.

Mr. Hatch said he voted for it to keep the country from slipping into a depression — and said he would do so again if he had to be the deciding vote — but acknowledged that he now felt sorry that he had voted for the bill.

“All I can say is, there aren’t many people who will say, ‘I’m sorry.’ I’m one who will,” Mr. Hatch said.

A simple apology might have worked under the circumstances. Hatch cast a vote, he regrets it now, and he’s sorry.

But that’s not what Hatch said, exactly. The senator apologized for the vote, but also said that without the rescue package, “I believe we would have gone into a depression.” The Republican added, “I probably made a mistake voting for it.”

So, Hatch is now sorry he stopped a depression. Republicans trying to square reality with their base usually just decide to ignore reality. A few braver ones try to explain reality (most of them lost). Hatch is trying to explain reality while ignoring it at the same time.