Romney spokesdude Kevin Madden called yesterday to attempt to clarify the Governer’s remarkable assertion about lather-rinse-repeat marriages in France. He said that what Romney had intended to refer to was the French version of civil unions, called “PaCs” from “pacte civil de solidarite.”
A rush transcript:
ME: And they last seven years?
MADDEN: No, it’s even worse! They last three months.
ME: So where did the seven years come from?
MADDEN: It’s been in place for seven years.
ME: Come on, he got it mixed up with that Mormon science fiction book, right?
MADDEN: Ha. Ha.
ME: No, seriously.
MADDEN: [proceeds to discuss how bad civil unions are for families, they erode marriage, etc]
ME: It’s okay, I like science fiction. You can tell me.
MADDEN: Ha.
The Romney folks need to sharpen their TPs on this one, as the PaC is actually an improvement, family values- (or at least women’s rights-) wise, on the previous sub-marriage legal arrangement available to couple in France: the “certificat de concubinage notoire.”
Insert Brigham Young joke here.
UPDATE: I can’t find any evidence that the PaCs only last three months, by the way, but isn’t that how long Wookies date before becoming engaged? Something like that.
UPDATE: Commenter JWR seems to have found the origin of the “three month” data point, though it does little to prove Romney’s not, you know, confused:
Here’s the origin of the “three month” bit: a PAC can be dissolved by mutual agreement or by a unilateral declaration by one of the parters AFTER A THREE MONTH DELAY.