MITT ROMNEY'S IN GOOD COMPANY

The Concord Monitor Attacked Ronald Reagan, George Bush In 1980
"[The] Monitor endorses the candidacy of John B. Anderson… He has proposed a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline… He favors both the Equal Rights Amendment and the windfall profits tax on the major oil companies." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

The Concord Monitor Editorial Board Recently Personally Attacked Gov. Romney:
UPI Headline: "Liberal N.H. Newspaper Slams Romney." "Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden told CNN the criticisms were taken in stride. 'The Monitor's editorial board is regarded as a liberal one on many issues, so it is not surprising that they would criticize Governor Romney for his conservative views and platform,' Madden said." ("Liberal N.H. Newspaper Slams Romney," United Press International, 12/24/07)

FLASHBACK: The Concord Monitor Endorsed Moderate John Anderson In The 1980 GOP Primary:
The Monitor Praised Anderson For His Liberal Positions. "[The] Monitor endorses the candidacy of John B. Anderson… He has proposed a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline… He favors both the Equal Rights Amendment and the windfall profits tax on the major oil companies." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

FLASHBACK: The Concord Monitor Personally Attacked Ronald Reagan In 1980:
The Monitor Attacked Reagan's Ability And Capacity. "Ronald Reagan – The former California governor is simply too old (69), too doctrinaire, too inexperienced in the intricacies of the federal government. We gravely question his capability to withstand the daily physical and emotional battering that the nation's chief executive must endure." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

The Monitor Attacked Reagan For Supporting "A 19th Century Economic Philosophy." "Reagan espouses a 19th century economic philosophy shared by less than one-third of the national electorate. He opposes the Equal Rights Amendment, President Carter's embargo on grain shipments to the Soviet Union, the proposed windfall profits tax on major oil companies, implementation of the Panama Canal treaties, and he has favored simultaneously additional defense spending and a tax cut." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

The Monitor Claimed Reagan Was "On The Side-Lines Of Contemporary American Thought." "Though personable, [Reagan] is on the side-lines of contemporary American thought, and he could not win a national election if he won the GOP nomination." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

FLASHBACK: The Concord Monitor Also Attacked George H.W. Bush:

The Monitor Attacked Bush For Having Most Of The Same Conservative Beliefs As Reagan, Like Cutting Taxes And Increasing Defense Spending. "George Bush – The former director of the CIA, two-term congressman from Texas in the 1960s, onetime Republican national chairman and first U.S. envoy to mainland China has both magnetic appeal and organizational and leadership talents. He is widely regarded as a moderate. He is not. He shares most of Reagan's political beliefs, his stand on the ERA being one of the notable exceptions. He also favors a tax cut and an increase in defense spending at the same time." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

The Monitor Claimed That Bush's Positions Needed Far More Scrutiny. "Bush's articulation of his positions on major issues is fuzzy and sometimes evasive. He can mesmerize an audience, seeming to say much while actually saying little. Bush has campaigned for the GOP nomination, mostly in New Hampshire, for more than 20 months. Despite this, he needs additional scrutiny." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)

The Monitor Questioned Bush's Credentials. "Bush's highly-vaunted Washington experience is more noteworthy for its breadth than for its depth. He is a shiny new political phenomenon, following the Iowa caucuses, and we want to hear from him a fuller articulation of his positions on a broad range of national issues. We hope he survives the New Hampshire primary and submits his thinking to more searching examination in the primaries to come." (Editorial, "For The GOP: Anderson," Concord Monitor, 2/21/80)