I think so. From an interview today:
“Recognize this is the decision that will be made by the Supreme Court,” Romney told CBS. “The Democrats try and make this a political issue every four years, but this is a matter in the courts. It’s been settled for some time in the courts.”
Thanks for stirring leadership Mitt. Romney’s political wimpiness on this issue threatens to sink the ticket.
Of course, many conservative and Republican friends will point out, “This election isn’t about abortion, this election about the economy.”
I have news for you. For a certain block voters who the GOP needs to win to take the Presidency that every year if they will vote, they will vote on the basis of these cultural and social issues regardless of what else is going on.
Every year when the GOP turns off social conservatives, things end up not going well. In 1996, Evangelical Turnout was down. In 2000, we ended up counting hanging chads in Florida because 2 million less Evangelicals than Karl Rove counted on showed up at the polls. In 2008, not even Sarah Palin could get religious conservatives in the polls in force. Only in 2004, when social conservatives were engaged by the marriage issue have Republican won a solid majority in the past 20 years.
Like I said, Republican friends will argue with my post, but the folks who they need to argue with aren’t listening to them, they’re not reading blogs, they’re not listening to talk radio. These social conservative voters are listening to Governor Romney and he just told them, “You might as well not bother to show up on election day.” And that’s how you get 4 more years of Barack Obama.