It took a while, but Mitt Romney finally made up his mind and condemned the debt ceiling agreement on Monday, saying that it “opens the door to higher taxes and puts defense cuts on the table.” His own state’s Republican party, however, came down even harder on Democratic politicians who voted against it.
“Voting to send our country into default represents the height of irresponsibility, and these lawmakers owe their constituents an explanation for their incredibly reckless decision,” Jennifer Nassour, chair of the Massachusetts GOP, said in a statement. “Massachusetts voters deserve more than blind ideology and a total refusal to compromise.”
Nassour’s position makes sense within Massachusetts: the party’s only federal lawmaker, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), voted for the deal and has generally positioned himself above the partisan fray to win over Democrats and independents. That puts him on very different footing than former Massachusetts governor Romney, who needs to tack right in order to compete for conservative votes in presidential nomination primaries around the country.
Despite their divergent paths on the debt ceiling vote, Brown and Romney actually share a spokesman in Eric Fehrnstrom. He does not appear to have issued any statements to the press on behalf of either on their final decisions, which would seem appropriate. But still: awkwaaaard.
