The American Spectator

Yesterday I blogged on Romney's parent weekend idea that he suggested at the Club for Growth meeting. The Romney people got quite exercised and insisted he was only talking about what he had done in Massachusetts, a local program. The video from Club for Growth is out. He talks about trying to get parents involved in the schools when he was governor but then says "I propose.." and then goes on to discuss the parent training program. It is possible he meant to refer to what he had done in the past or that he misspoke or that he thought about it and said "whoops, sounds like something Hillary would suggest" and his campaign now disclaims any national plan. But the idea, even on a state level, does sound very "nannyish." Do conservatives want the government in the parenting business?

But the tape is revealing for another point, not picked up in yesterday's coverage. The last question asks him about indexing the minimum wage to inflation. He talks around it explaining that Democrats make hay out of it and ultimately he seems to favor it and says it's "going to happen any way." I blogged on this awhile back, when he answered a question at a campaign stop. Club for Growth's own Andy Roth commented: " "It's a horrible idea, even as a political maneuver. Once you give liberals an inch, they'll take a foot." After my report at the time his campaign said "Oh no, not what he wants to do."

Economic conservatives I think would prefer the answers from the Romney campaign; unfortunately I'm not sure their candidate is on the same page.

UPDATE: Romney spokesman insists he said "proposed." The tape is not great so I'll let listeners judge for themselves. What is clear is that he thinks it's a swell idea for government to teach parenting skills.