Salon.com > What they're saying

What they’re saying: Defending Mitt

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Most mainstream Republicans backed away from Mitt Romney over his politically motivated - and erroneous - comments about the Obama administration's "disgraceful" response to yesterday's embassy attacks. Lucky for Mitt, at what might be the low point of a campaign that doesn't lack for competition, he has a few allies on the right who have gone to the mat for him:

"Gov. Romney's statement is pretty clear. If Gov. Romney were president he would be enraged at the Egyptians for tolerating the attack on the embassy. He would be offended at the Libyans for allowing -- both countries have an obligation to protect our embassies." - Newt Gingrich, on CNN.

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What they’re saying: Let Mitt be Mitt

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:45:00 +0000

Even National Review's editors, who politely asked Rep. Todd Akin to bow out of his race, probably wish they'd picked a different week for a cover story channeling the Republican Party’s misogynistic id. In the piece, Kevin D. Williamson argues that Mitt Romney should act more like a rich guy since Americans like rich guys and, get this, a number of Americans are women:

From an evolutionary point of view, Mitt Romney should get 100 percent of the female vote. All of it. He should get Michelle Obama’s vote. You can insert your own Mormon polygamy joke here, but the ladies do tend to flock to successful executives and entrepreneurs.

The paragraph continues, no ellipses necessary:

Saleh al-Rajhi, billionaire banker, left behind 61 children when he cashed out last year. We don’t do harems here, of course, but Romney is exactly the kind of guy who in another time and place would have the option of maintaining one. He’s a boss.

What they’re saying: Is Ted Cruz for real?

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:06:00 +0000

On Aug. 5, Ted Cruz, winner of the Texas GOP Senate primary, appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss his victory and the enduring strength of the Tea Party, a movement he claims to represent. Cruz, a former Texas solicitor general who over the course of the campaign received the endorsements of Sen. Jim DeMint, Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, proudly acknowledged his conservative credentials in response to Chris Wallace's questions.

Wallace: Let's look at where you stand on the issues. You want to abolish Education, Commerce and Energy Departments, TSA and the IRS. You support a flat tax and you serve Chick-fil-A at your victory party. You are pretty conservative?

Cruz: Without a doubt. And I think the American people are pretty conservative, and I'm certain the people of Texas are pretty conservative... [and] All across the country, the rest of Americans are looking at Washington and saying, what's wrong with you people? The principles that I think voters are looking for are not that complicated. It's live within your means, follow common sense principles, don't spend money you don't have. And that's what American people are standing up and demanding right now. (See the full transcript here.)