The American Spectator

The Spectacle Blog

A Thompson opponent sends this to point out his toughening stance on immigration:

"[B]ecause we allowed ourselves to wait until we woke up one day and found 12 million illegals here, there's no easy solution. And I think that you have to realize that you're either going to drive 12 million people underground permanently, which is not a good solution. You're going to get them all together and get them out of the country, which is not going to happen. Or you're going to have to, in some way, work out a deal where they can have some aspirations of citizenship, but not make it so easy that it's unfair to the people waiting in line and abiding by the law." (Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes," 4/3/06)

Meanwhile, the Thompson folks are mum so far on any response to Club for Growth on the issue ad ban but say the other guys changed their position on campaign finance reform. [I'm lost on this defense -- so Thompson is still in favor of issue ads and McCain-Feingold??] :

WHERE THEY'VE BEEN ON CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM...Then And Now - A Study In Conflicting Statements

MITT ROMNEY

Then
1994: Romney Wanted To Abolish Political Action Committees (PACs) And Implement Campaign Spending Limits. "Romney also said he advocates spending limits on congressional elections, even suggesting that the current race against Sen. Edward M. Kennedy should have a $ 6 million spending cap...As for campaign finance reform, Romney called for abolishing political action committees and tightening regulations of the process by which limits on
campaign contributions to individuals can be legally bypassed." (Frank Phillips, "Romney, Vowing To Live It, Touts Congress Reform Plan," Boston Globe, 7/7/94)

2002: Romney Proposed Taxing Political Contributions To Finance Public Campaigns. "...he suggested an alternative funding method. Instead of providing campaign funds from state coffers, his plan would tap 10 percent of the fundraising of candidates who choose to raise money privately." (Richard Nangle, "Clean Election advocates keep pushing; Common Cause to ask Romney's assistance," Telegram & Gazette (Massachusetts), 11/14/02)

Now 2007: Romney Opposes McCain-Feingold, Calling It "One Of The Worse Things In My Lifetime." (Alexander Bolton, "Romney's About-Face On Campaign Funding," The Hill, 2/8/07)

RUDY GIULIANI

Then
2000: Giuliani Said He Was A "Very, Very Strong Supporter Of McCain-Feingold For A Long, Long Time Now." "...Giuliani is an ardent supporter of campaign finance reform as well. As he was contemplating a run for the Senate in 2000, Giuliani told Wolf Blitzer that he was a 'very, very strong supporter of Campaign Finance Reform,' adding that he'd been 'a very strong supporter of McCain-Feingold for a long, long time now.'" (Tom Bevan, "Deconstructing Giuliani," RealClearPolitics, 8/10/2006).

Now 2007: Giuliani Supported The Supreme Court's Decision In The Wisconsin Right To Life Case Which Struck Down Part Of McCain-Feingold. ("More on WRTL: Reaction Roundup," LatestPolitics.com, http://www.latestpolitics.com/blog/2007/06/more-on-wrtl.html, accessed 7/19/07).

topics:
Law, Supreme Court, Immigration