Opinion: Romney's Move To The Middle Is Nothing More Than Baseless Rhetoric
Why is Mitt Romney, the severely Conservative candidate for president, all of a sudden moving to the middle?
Watch CBS News
Why is Mitt Romney, the severely Conservative candidate for president, all of a sudden moving to the middle?
After months of failing to find a way to gain ground in the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney has hit the reset button by picking Paul Ryan as his running mate, but once the dust has settled and the Conventions are over, it is hard to see how Romney will have changed the direction of the 2012 presidential campaign.
In 2008 it seemed we had entered a new era of post-racial politics, but the dog whistle politics of the Grand Old Party has again raised its ugly head. In fact, since Obama's election the Tea Party Republicans efforts to race bait have only increased.
In an effort to distract voters from his tax records, W. Mitt Romney launched a four pronged push back yesterday. Romney's problem: each move revealed more about the problems with his floundering campaign.
Is Mitt Romney planning an October surprise of sorts for tonight? Has he been saving big policy announcements and details for the debate?
It is clear that Democrats have shown a greater propensity to spend money wisely with their campaigns and allied groups. At the end of the day, that is what America needs.
For all the billions spent by the Obama and Romney campaigns, Republican and Democratic parties, and countless outside groups, we may wake up November 7th to a Washington that is virtually unchanged.
After Mitt Romney's 47% don't pay taxes remark, Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan dubbed the Romney campaign a "rolling calamity" for all its problems and continuing self-inflicted wounds. At this point, she might have to extend that label to Republican efforts to take the majority in the Senate as they flounder and flip flop.
Romney is dragging his own campaign and every Republican down. Republican operatives and House and Senate candidates have conceded as much throughout the month of September.
If the GOP wants a candidate to "man up", they should tell Mitt Romney to grow up and stop hiding his returns and stop disparaging working Americans for meeting their tax obligations while he dodges his.
Mitt Romney, if you want to talk about mooches and freeloaders that take advantage of the system then grow a spine and show America your tax returns. Let's see what you really pay as a percentage. Let's see what deductions you take. Let's see how addicted to federal benefits you are.
The recently released tape of Romney speaking to donors at a closed door fundraiser has exposed Mitt Romney to, in fact, be the person Democrats have portrayed him to be: a rich, out of touch, arrogant man that has no respect or connection to the American middle class and absolutely no interest in making the American middle class stronger.
The idea that 47 percent of Americans don't have "personal responsibility" or "care for their lives" is shockingly arrogant, even by Mitt Romney's standards.
Romney wisely went with a safe and sure bet because Paul Ryan is a strong, conservative-approved candidate whose image is as clean as Romney's.
Republicans will continue to talk down the economy for the next two months specifically because they want the economy, and the country, to suffer in order to win an election.
Scott Van Duzer was so excited to meet the president – in spite of being a registered Republican – that he picked the president up into a bear hug that lifted him right off his feet!
The media keeps suggesting that the racism regarding candidates has to do with whites not wanting to vote for a black man, even though Barack Obama won a presidential election with a great amount of white support in 2008. What the media isn't talking about is the NBC-Wall Street survey results which say that there are basically no black supporters for the Caucasian candidate, Mitt Romney, in 2012.
Mitt Romney seems to be drinking the same Kool-Aid as some of his nuttiest supporters. Mitt Romney is silent... and occasionally joins in as his endorsers make increasingly outrageous statements against the president.
The early returns are in and, according to the Neilson rating company, the Democrats beat the Republicans... and the NFL.
In an odd turn of events, the Republicans in Tampa nominated real life versions of their cartoon versions of Kerry and Gore. Republicans thought John Kerry should be criticized for changing positions. But Kerry is not in the same league as Romney who ran as a pro-choice candidate and promised to do more for gay rights than Ted Kennedy.
Mitt Romney's economic plan basically says if you make $22.50 an hour with benefits, you make too much money; and if you make $22.5 million, then you pay too much in taxes.
Last night, Clint Eastwood produced the most bizarre and uncomfortable moments in modern convention history. If Mitt Romney cannot get his campaign right. If he cannot even get the things that he can control right, how can he make the case that he can run the country?
Republican efforts to promote hatred across racial and religious lines are heating up this electoral season. They have found a new warrior to promote the cause in Arizona, Gabriela Saucedo Mercer. Mercer has questioned whether Middle Easterners should be in the US "either legally or illegally".
The speech gave much of what Ann and Mitt Romney have been trying to reveal about themselves throughout the misleading negative campaigning of 2012 which has put them on some imaginary pedestal due to Mitt Romney's business success and extreme wealth. They, too, like most American families, have obviously experienced life's uncertain challenges intertwined with their successes.
As Hurricane Isaac threatens the Gulf again, we will see if Katrina and Isaac serve as bookends of GOP hostility to federal disaster relief. An odd stance for a party that claims to "choose life" while watching people die in natural disasters rather than provide an adequate response.
Lionel Messi scored the equalizer off a free kick in the second half before helping to set up Micael dos Santos' winner and Inter Miami beat NYCFC 3-2 at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Gabriel Vilardi tied his career high with his 27th goal of the season and won the game in a shootout, and the Jets ended their three-game losing streak by beating the Rangers 3-2 on Sunday.
Chicago police on Sunday continued to question a person of interest in the shooting that killed Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman in Rogers Park.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine was the first to sound the alarm about New York City's massive budget gap.
Two of the most storied programs in men's college basketball, St. John's and Kansas, will battle it out later Sunday.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine was the first to sound the alarm about New York City's massive budget gap.
Two of the most storied programs in men's college basketball, St. John's and Kansas, will battle it out later Sunday.
A fundraiser to save the Mermaid Parade is nearing it's goal. The annual art parade is a summertime staple in Coney Island. This year, however, it's in jeopardy.
A Monday strike deadline is fast approaching as New York University and unionized, non-tenured faculty work to reach an agreement.
The Yorktown, New York, community continues to grieve the loss of 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman.
It may not feel like spring right away, but Friday's weather does deliver a clear shift in the air in New York City.
The New York City area will be under a wind advisory Monday with periods of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms expected across the region.
The New York area is in for a mild weekend before the weather takes a turn to start the work week.
It will be rainy on Thursday morning, and the weather will change to snow as temperatures drop across the Tri-State Area.
Thunderstorms are expected in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut this weekend after severe weather hit the Midwest.
Two of the most storied programs in men's college basketball, St. John's and Kansas, will battle it out later Sunday.
A New Jersey teen attending yeshiva school in Israel is back home after a journey that took him through three countries, at times on foot.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill accused ICE of ignoring the concerns of Roxbury residents after it bought the vacant warehouse on Route 46.
It may not feel like spring right away, but Friday's weather does deliver a clear shift in the air in New York City.
Last year, electricity rates in New Jersey spiked more than almost any other state, according to a new congressional report.
Two of the most storied programs in men's college basketball, St. John's and Kansas, will battle it out later Sunday.
A Long Island teenager accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in November allegedly plotted to burglarize the victim's home.
What started as a sinus infection left a Long Island teenager fighting for his life, requiring emergency brain surgery.
Bodycam video footage of Justin Timberlake's June 2024 DWI arrest on Long Island was released to the media Friday.
It may not feel like spring right away, but Friday's weather does deliver a clear shift in the air in New York City.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine was the first to sound the alarm about New York City's massive budget gap.
Most Republicans, especially MAGA, continue to support the US action and express a lot of confidence in Trump personally.
The Supreme Court will consider whether states can count mail ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive after.
Robert Mueller served as FBI director from 2001 to 2013 and led the investigation into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Wait times aren't expected to improve until government funding is restored and TSA officers receive paychecks.
What started as a sinus infection left a Long Island teenager fighting for his life, requiring emergency brain surgery.
Older adults in New Jersey recorded the highest number of suspected overdose deaths in 2025, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
The first case of mpox clade I has been detected in New York City, health officials said Friday. Of the two types of mpox, clade I is known to cause more severe disease and death.
Heights University Hospital, formerly known as Christ Hospital, shuttered its emergency room Saturday night.
New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim is opening up about his father's Alzheimer's diagnosis in hopes of helping others struggling like him to care for their loved ones.
CBS News announced Friday that CBS News Radio will be shutting down this spring after nearly 100 years of broadcasting, citing "challenging economic realities."
Bodycam video footage of Justin Timberlake's June 2024 DWI arrest on Long Island was released to the media Friday.
Chuck Norris' family said his death at 86 was sudden, but did not share any details on the cause.
ABC has canceled its already filmed season of "The Bachelorette" starring Taylor Frankie Paul after video surfaced of a 2023 incident in which she was charged with assault.
Michael B. Jordan's best actor win at Sunday night's Academy Awards resonated at his alma mater, Arts High School in Newark.
Lionel Messi scored the equalizer off a free kick in the second half before helping to set up Micael dos Santos' winner and Inter Miami beat NYCFC 3-2 at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.
Gabriel Vilardi tied his career high with his 27th goal of the season and won the game in a shootout, and the Jets ended their three-game losing streak by beating the Rangers 3-2 on Sunday.
Two of the most storied programs in men's college basketball, St. John's and Kansas, will battle it out later Sunday.
The Montreal Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 7-3 on Saturday night.
Charlotte FC beat the New York Red Bulls 6-1 on Saturday night.
A new performing arts venue with a focus on immigrant stories is opening in Upper Manhattan this fall. CBS News New York's Noëlle Lilley got an exclusive tour of the construction that will give The People's Theatre its first home in more than 15 years.
Members of the Apollo Theater, where Kiki Shepard left her mark for 15 years, reflect on her legacy after the Harlem icon's death at age 74.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is calling on New York City to help protect the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan after a recent discovery revealed connections to the Underground Railroad.
A Harlem school is teaching students how to love, honor and care for their natural hair.
The NYC DEP has announced plans to clean Flushing Creek with chlorine, sparking outrage among some environmentalists.
The Halloween tradition strolled through Manhattan's East Village on Sunday, with furry friends dressed in colorful costumes.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Dogs got decked out for the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York City's East Village on Saturday.
Cosplayers flooded New York City's Javits Center in October 2024 for the annual New York Comic Con convention.
The mayor has a proposed $127 billion spending plan. So what should the mayor spend the money on? CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer spoke with New Yorkers.
CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer spoke with Wylde, former president of the Partnership for New York City, on how discussions of raising taxes on the wealthy impacts the business environment in the Big Apple.
Levine says the large Wall Street bonus season has helped, but the underlying challenge remains.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and Kathryn Wylde, former president of the Partnership for New York City, discuss the city's financial prospects and business climate with CBS News New York's Marcia Kramer.
The annual art parade is a summetime staple in Coney Island, but this year it's in jeopardy.