In Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's first Congressional campaign video -- a 30-second spot posted on YouTube -- he tells viewers that he is "still the conservative fighter who stood up to Obama over border security. And I'm still the pro-life candidate who will fight for new jobs and against increasing the national debt."
Pro-life?
Flip-floppin' Babeu must've ripped a page from presidential candidate Mitt Romney's playbook -- that is, before he stepped down as co-chair of Romney's Arizona campaign amid allegations that Babeu's attorney made threats of deportation against Jose Orozco, a Mexican national who was the sheriff's lover and campaign volunteer for several years.
Campaign video after the jump.
An article in Boston Phoenix, published in January 2000, makes reference to Babeu's first flip-flop on abortion.
"Babeu, a county official, had challenged Democratic incumbent John Barrett to run for mayor of North Adams. He defeated Barrett in a primary, but [former Boston Lieutenant Governor Jane] Swift endorsed the Democrat, who then won the election. Some familiar with the race say that Swift picked Barrett, who remains loyal to the lieutenant governor, because Babeu was too right-wing. Yet Babeu, who was an ally of former treasurer Joe Malone, says he is pro-choice and pro-gay-rights (though he concedes that he was pro-life at age 18). Babeu blames Swift for his defeat."
And then, there is another piece on publiceye.org from October 1996, when Babeu was running for a seat in the Massachusetts Senate.
Babeu concedes swinging on the political pendulum -- going from "more conservative to more moderate."
Now, as a new Arizona constituency dictates, Babeu has swung back to the right.
Peter Abair and Paul Babeau, [sic] two GOP candidates for state senate, have voters confused. In 1988, Babeau, at 19, was an antiabortion crusading North Adams city councilman who worked with Americans for Robertson. Today, Babeau says he is pro-choice.
"At the time Pat Robertson called me," Babeau said. "He definitely flattered me and impressed me, as the youngest elected official in this state. I met him a couple of times in New Hampshire and that was the extent of my involvement in the campaign."
"I've gone from more conservative to more moderate, a Massachusetts Republican," Babeau said.
Abair, who is antiabortion, claims Babeau changed his position for political reasons.
Babeu was pro-life in the late 1980's. By the late 1990's, he was pro-choice. And now, in 2012, Babeu is once again, pro-life.
And, he's pro-gay rights now -- even though at one point in his political life he was "flattered" and "impressed" by the attention of Pat Robertson, a man who equates homosexuality with demonic possession.
Of course, his pro-gay stance has only become publicly visible since he became tangled in controversy over apparent threats made to his ex-boyfriend.
And, as an aside, mentioning an "increasing national debt" is probably not a good idea for someone who's office has a $1.6 million budget shortfall.
