Club for Growth critical of Mitt Romney on taxes, health care
The pro-growth conservative group Club for Growth is out with its latest "White Paper" analysis of the 2012 GOP presidential candidates sparing none of the candidates' histories for tough analysis.
The latest paper, out today, is on former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, which says "he had a mixed record on taxes." But it adds that on spending, "his record comes out more positive than negative."
In addition to taxes and spending, the white paper looks at records on free trade, entitlement reform, regulation, school choice, political free speech, tort reform, and political endorsements.
As one could imagine, the Club does not spare any punches on Romney's health care record in Massachusetts.
"Romneycare has failed to control health care costs, increased the size of government, and by its very nature introduced more government and less freedom into health care markets. Governor Romney should admit that Romneycare is a failure, and soon," it says.
Overall the Club for Growth says that Romney as president would move the country in a pro-growth direction, but he's not a perfect candidate.
"Perhaps to his consternation, he has developed an unshakable reputation as a flip-flopper.... To this day, Romney supports big government solutions to health care and opposes pro-growth tax code reform - positions that are simply opposite to those supported by true economic conservatives," says the report.
The organization, which states among its policy goals to reduce income tax rates, limited government through limited spending, free trade and deregulation, started these position papers for all the presidential candidates in 2008. So far this year, they've created papers on the other major republican candidates.
The report on Newt Gingrich looks at his career in the House of Representatives. While the report says that he has "played a leading role in the some of the most important battles on behalf of economic growth and limited government in the last quarter century," Gingrich's overall record has problems that are "frequent enough and serious enough to give pause."
"His penchant for tinkering with rewards for favored industries and outcomes shows a troubling willingness to use federal power to coerce taxpayers into his preferred direction," says the report. Overall, the club for growth expects Gingrich to lead in a pro-growth manner, but "likely with some serious disappointments and unevenness."
"Hard to pin down on his exact ideological moorings," is how the Club for Growth describes former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. "We struggle to indentify the real Tim Pawlenty...A President Pawlenty, we suspect, would fight for pro-growth policies, but would be susceptible to adopting 'pragmatic' politics that grow government," said the report.
In doing these White Papers, the Club says it is important for its members, as well as the general public, to know more about the real records of the candidates.
"We produce these detailed analyses of the candidates for President as a service for our members and the general public. The Club for Growth believes that pro-growth economic policy will lead to prosperity for all Americans, and it's important that Club members and the public are educated on the records of those who want to lead us in the future," said Club for Growth Spokesman Barney Keller.
