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May 21, 2005
In Which I Give Backhanded Praise to Mitt Romney
I've taken some shots here at our handsome Republican Governor. And I totally reserve my rights to do so again. But, for all his rhetoric and puffery, Mitt really hasn't been able to cause real panic in the Commonwealth. Stem cell research is continuing, the wingnuts are displeased, and the sky has still failed to rip open and rain down brimstone since gay marriages started last year.
So we'll continue to watch Mitt, but you have to concede he's been Mostly Harmless as governor. Not so in Maryland, where Gov. Robert Ehrlich just waved a scythe through a whole bunch of recent legislation. He vetoed a bill that would make certain employers (read: Walmart) spend more on health benefits, then vetoed a raise in the minimum wage (Walmart health plan: don't get sick!)
And then the topper: he vetoed a bill that would allow -- not gay marriage, not civil unions -- but just a few basic rights to gay couples that registered with the state. In his veto message, Bob the Impaler said he is
sympathetic to the needs of mutually dependent couples and [wants] to support compassionate efforts to expedite health-related decisions for Marylanders in need
The bill he killed would have
granted nearly a dozen rights to unmarried partners who register with the state. Among those: the right to be treated as an immediate family member during hospital visits, to make health care decisions for incapacitated partners and to have private visits in nursing homes
I guess I just don't see how prohibiting those things resembles in ANY FREAKING WAY AT ALL "sympathy to the needs of mutually dependent couples".
So Mitt, thanks for lacking the power, if not the resolve, to be as bad as this guy.
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