Romney Is Attacked by His Father’s Longtime Aide
A longtime aide to George W. Romney issued a harshly worded critique  of Mitt Romney,  accusing him of shifting political positions in  “erratic and startling ways” and failing to live up to the distinguished  record of his father, the former governor of Michigan.
Walter De  Vries, who worked for the senior Mr. Romney throughout the 1960s, wrote  that Mitt Romney’s bid for the White House was “a far cry from the kind  of campaign and conduct, as a public servant, I saw during the seven  years I worked in George Romney’s campaigns and served him as governor.”
“While  it seems that Mitt would say and do anything to close a deal – or an  election,” he wrote, “George Romney’s strength as a politician and  public officeholder was his ability and determination to develop and  hold consistent policy positions over his life.”
Mr. De Vries’s  stinging assessment was contained in a nearly 700-word essay that he  distributed to a small group of journalists with whom he has spoken over  the past year. He said it was an outline for a book that may or may not  be published. A spokeswoman for the Romney campaign declined to  comment.
 
 A registered  independent, who said he voted for Barack Obama in 2008, Mr. De Vries  has previously expressed reservations about Mr. Romney’s political  postures in interviews, but never with such sweep.
In a telephone  interview, he said he was motivated to write the essay by “an  accumulation” of  Mr. Romney’s actions, like his comment about 47  percent of Americans and his decision to campaign with Donald Trump.
Mr. De Vries said he was annoyed by Mr. Romney’s repeated references recently to his father as inspiration and influence on him.
“I just don’t see it,” he said. “Where is it? Is it on issues, no? On the way he campaigns? No.”
Mr. De Vries continued, “George would never have been seen with the likes of Sheldon Adelson or Donald Trump.”
(Mr. Adelson, a casino magnate, is a major donor to the “super PACs” that support Mr. Romney.)
Mr.  De Vries, who said he wished to the see the Republican Party return to  its moderate roots, said he intended to vote for Mr. Obama on Election  Day.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2...longtime-aide/