As reported at the Washington Post's The Trail, the group Republican Majority for Choice has spent $100,000 in Iowa and New Hampshire telling voters that Mitt Romney was pro-choice before he was anti-choice, and asking him to "flip-flop just one more time -- and stay there!" Who does this benefit? Pro-choice Republicans probably hope Romney voters will jump to Rudy Giuliani. But in fact, no one in the GOP field has sent more mixed messages on abortion than he, identifying himself as "pro-choice," yet repeatedly swearing to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe. If reproductive rights are important to you and you're a Republican, you might want to reconsider your party affiliation.
When plans for this ad were forged, Giuliani looked like serious competition for Mitt in Iowa. But with Huckabee's surge there, I see this ad backfiring and mostly benefiting the former Baptist minister, who stands for just about everything the Republican Majority for Choice loathes.
--Dana Goldstein
