Thread: Maybe Romney isn't cut out for this stuff?

You know, being a political figure and visiting foreign countries? Making policy statements? He went to two countries and in what should have been basically scripted statements pissed off two constituencies. Imagine what he could do if he visited more countries.

Do his handlers not have control over him? Yes, I know everyone stumbles and says things they shouldn't (pulling a Biden, you could say), but coming out of the box like this doesn't bode well. Anomaly, or par for the Mitt course?

Just a distraction away from larger issues.

What perplexes me is that the London games haven't exactly been perfect, notably on the security front and transportation fronts, and Romney gets chastised for having the stones to call em out.

Originally Posted by Bunion

Just a distraction away from larger issues.

Clearly, a distraction from Obama's amazing track record for policy, the economy, and those 150k jobs that cost like a quarter million per.

Originally Posted by AdironRider

What perplexes me is that the London games haven't exactly been perfect, notably on the security front and transportation fronts, and Romney gets chastised for having the stones to call em out.

He should just say the Brits have bad teeth and bland food while he's at it. What security issue?

Originally Posted by AdironRider

What perplexes me is that the London games haven't exactly been perfect, notably on the security front and transportation fronts, and Romney gets chastised for having the stones to call em out.

I dug the 2002 SLC Olympics, but they cost the tax payers a shit load of money ($1.3B according to the GAO) and were very poorly managed, evidently by Mittens. Why do you hate America?

Originally Posted by 4matic

What security issue?

Almost all of the event security was outsourced to one private contractor private contractor years ago in the planing stages then just a few weeks prior to the games it became apparent that they were completely unprepared/understaffed. The British government has had to turn security over to the military. It was quite a big fuck up. I'm pretty sure this was what Romney was intending to refer to... he did so badly though and probably shouldn't have anyway. There was nothing to gain for his campaign in raising the issue.

The diplomatic answer would have been..."I am sure they will be prepared and the games will be great."

This just shows he is no diplomat, regardless if Boris was ready or not. Imagine what happens if a real issue arises?

Originally Posted by hutash

The diplomatic answer would have been..."I am sure they will be prepared and the games will be great."

This just shows he is no diplomat, regardless if Boris was ready or not. Imagine what happens if a real issue arises?

^^^^^ In a sane world this would have been a "Slam Dunk"

There's something to be said for the man who can speak his mind and not be worried about the consequences...
Thank you Mitt Romney

Originally Posted by AdironRider

What perplexes me is that the London games haven't exactly been perfect, notably on the security front and transportation fronts, and Romney gets chastised for having the stones to call em out.

You don't get pissed when a foreigner criticizes our country? Remember how we were so pissed France said they thought we were rushing to war in Iraq and we renamed french fries? We fucking renamed french fries. You don't want to piss off your allies.

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Almost all of the event security was outsourced to one private contractor private contractor years ago in the planing stages then just a few weeks prior to the games it became apparent that they were completely unprepared/understaffed. The British government has had to turn security over to the military. It was quite a big fuck up. I'm pretty sure this was what Romney was intending to refer to... he did so badly though and probably shouldn't have anyway. There was nothing to gain for his campaign in raising the issue.

but, but, but...

I thought the Republican/Tea Party line is that the gubermint ALWAYS fucks things up and private business ALWAYS does things right.

Originally Posted by Harry

but, but, but...

I thought the Republican/Tea Party line is that the gubermint ALWAYS fucks things up and private business ALWAYS does things right.

Come now Harry, don't you know that corporate fuck ups are always caused by excessive regulation?

Originally Posted by flyandski365

Come now Harry, don't you know that corporate fuck ups are always caused by excessive regulation?

Good point. I forgot about that minor detail...

an unnamed Romney aide said:

“We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and [Romney] feels that the special relationship is special … The White House didn’t fully appreciate the shared history we have”.

awsum, huh?

Originally Posted by nutcase

You don't get pissed when a foreigner criticizes our country? Remember how we were so pissed France said they thought we were rushing to war in Iraq and we renamed french fries? We fucking renamed french fries. You don't want to piss off your allies.

I didnt rename anything, and couldnt have cared less about the whole fry thing.

Good point on there was nothing to gain from calling them out, that much I can agree with, but I also agree with the point that its nice to see a politician to call it like he sees it every once and a while and not just playing the kid gloves please everyone game.

I can't wait until he says Mormonism should be the national religion....

Originally Posted by AdironRider

but I also agree with the point that its nice to see a politician to call it like he sees it every once and a while and not just playing the kid gloves please everyone game.

what's there to gain from dissing that particular situation the way he did?

Originally Posted by AdironRider

, but I also agree with the point that its nice to see a politician to call it like he sees it every once and a while and not just playing the kid gloves please everyone game.

We tried that approach for an 8-year period with the village idiot from Texas.

Did not work out so well. We got two expensive wars and and a crashed economy out of the deal.

Originally Posted by EarlyWood

There's something to be said for the man who can speak his mind and not be worried about the consequences...
Thank you Mitt Romney

If Romney actually had any core beliefs, besides protecting the wealthy and Mormonism, maybe your statement would make some sense.

But Mr. FlipFlopper has pulled out the Etch-A-Sketch and he is running against pretty much everything he once purported to believe.
He is running hard against health care reform, which is almost identical to the system he implemented in Massachusetts, and was even designed by the same policy wonks,etc.,etc.
The list goes on and on.
What does it matter if a candidate speaks his mind, but his mind contains nothing consistent?

All the Dems have to do is run video clips of Romney contradicting himself again and again, but I think they are wisely saving those tactics for just before the election.

http://www.businessinsider.com/14-ba...in-2012-1?op=1

Last night, BuzzFeed got a hold of the 2008 John McCain campaign's research book on Mitt Romney. In over 200 painstakingly researched pages, it notes every slip-up, political fib, and potential liability for Romney going forward.
And of course it picks apart all the times Romney has said one thing, and then when the political winds changed, said something else.

#1 On Immigration - For A Path To Citizenship, Then Against

Flickr user Gage Skidmore, CC.FLIP: “Gov. Mitt Romney expressed support ... for an immigration program that places large numbers of illegal residents on the path toward citizenship ... Romney said illegal immigrants should have a chance to obtain citizenship.” (Evan Lehmann, “Romney Supports Immigration Program, But Not Granting ‘Amnesty’,” The Lowell Sun, 3/30/06)
FLOP: “[I] think I’m best off to describe my own positions. And my positions, I think I’ve just described for you – secure the border, employment verification and no special pathway to citizenship. I feel that’s the course we ought to take.” (CNN’s “The Situation Room,” 5/22/07)
2) On George W. Bush's Tax-Cuts

APFLIP: “[R]omney spoke at the 10th annual legislative conference organized by U.S. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Lowell) and met with the Massachusetts delegation. ... Congressional sources said that a point of contention arose when Romney refused to take a position on Bush’s massive, 10-year tax cut plan.” (Noelle Straub, “Romney Talks Policy With Bush Staffers, Mass. Delegation,” Boston Herald, 4/11/03)
FLOP: "McCain opposed President Bush’s tax cuts, Romney noted. ‘I supported them,’ the former governor said.” (Lee Bandy, “Romney Targeting McCain,” The State [SC], 2/4/07)

4) On The National Rifle Association And Gun Laws

APFLIP: “[Romney] said he will take stands that put him at odds with some traditional ultra- conservative groups, and cited his support for the assault rifle ban and the Brady gun control law. ‘That’s not going to make me the hero of the NRA,’ he said. ‘I don’t line up with a lot of special interest groups.’” (Andrew Miga, “Mitt Rejects Right-Wing Aid,” Boston Herald, 9/23/94)
FLOP: Romney told a Derry, N.H., audience, ‘I’m after the NRA’s endorsement. I’m not sure they’ll give it to me. I hope they will. I also joined because if I’m going to ask for their endorsement, they’re going to ask for mine.’” (Glen Johnson, “Romney Calls Himself A Longtime Hunter,” The Associated Press, 4/5/07)
5) On Whether He Even Owns A Gun (This story changed within just a few days)
...
6) Is the planet warming? Mitt probably agreed with you at one time or another.

Courtesy of mittromneyFLIP: "I think the global warming debate is now pretty much over and people recognize the need associated with providing sources which do not generate the heat that is currently provided by fossil fuels ...” (Jack Coleman, “Massachusetts Governor Urges Use Of Alternative Energy,” Cape Cod Times, 3/14/03)
“I concur that climate change is beginning to [have an] effect on our natural resources and that now is the time to take action ...” (“Romney OK With Plan On Emissions,” Boston Herald, 7/24/03)
FLOP: “I have to tell you with regards to global warming that that’s something, which, you’re right, the scientists haven’t entirely resolved, but no question about one thing, it’s getting warmer, and a lot of good reasons for us to use less energy, to use it more efficiently and to develop sources here in this country that could allow us to be more independent of foreign sources.” (CNBC’s “Kudlow & Company,” 2/7/07)
“Unfortunately, some in the Republican Party are embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left. As governor, I found that thoughtful environmentalism need not be anti-growth and anti-jobs. But Kyoto-style sweeping mandates, imposed unilaterally in the United States, would kill jobs, depress growth and shift manufacturing to the dirtiest developing nations. Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore.” (Romney For President, Press Release, 2/23/07)

8) Has your position on same-sex marriage changed? So has Mitt Romney's.
...
11) His Own Health-Care Initiative. He's Not Sure About That Either.

APFLIP: "In a Colonial-era hall, with a fife-and-drum corps marching in with him, Gov. Mitt Romney (R) signed a bill Wednesday requiring all Massachusetts residents to purchase health insurance -- portraying the measure as a historic solution to health-care costs, even as questions emerge about whether the state can afford it. The signing [was] staged with a near-presidential attention to theatrics and slogan-bearing banners...” (David A. Fahrenthold, “Mass. Marks Health-Care Milestone,” The Washington Post, 4/13/06)
FLOP: "As governor of Massachusetts he signed a bipartisan law intended to ensure that every resident has coverage. Romney touted it as an innovative free-market solution. Yet these days, Romney ... is much more likely to present his state’s universal coverage law as not a model to copy but an example for other states to learn from. He’s now a critic of his own biggest achievement.” (Sean Higgins, “Ex-Gov. Romney Keeps Distance From His Own Mass. Health Plan,” Investor’s Business Daily, 3/7/07)
12) Tax Pledges are beneath Romney, until the presidency was in front of him.

FLIP: “Four years ago, Mitt Romney broke with GOP tradition and refused to sign the [Americans for Tax Reform] pledge [to ‘oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes’].” (Lisa Wangsness, “Healey Will Sign Antitax Pledge,” The Boston Globe, 9/4/06)
“Romney’s Gubernatorial Campaign Spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, Dismissed Such Pledges At The Time As ‘Government By Gimmickry.’” (Scott Helman, “Romney Finds ‘No New Taxes’ Promise Suits Him After All,” The Boston Globe, 1/5/07)
FLOP: “Almost five years after he refused to sign a ‘no new taxes’ pledge during his campaign for governor, Mitt Romney announced ... that he had done just that, as his campaign for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination began in earnest.” (Scott Helman, “Romney Finds ‘No New Taxes’ Promise Suits Him After All,” The Boston Globe, 1/5/07)

14) NOW THE BIG ONE: During his 1994 Senate Run, Mitt Romney argued that he was more pro-choice than Ted Kennedy

FLIP: “When Kennedy called him ‘multiple choice,’ Romney demanded an extra rebuttal. He revealed that a close relative died of an illegal abortion years ago and said, ‘Since that time, my mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter, and you will not see me wavering on that.’” (Joan Vennochi, “Romney’s Revolving World,” The Boston Globe, 3/2/06)

“I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time that my mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a US Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it.” (Joan Vennochi, “Romney’s Revolving World,” The Boston Globe, 3/2/06)
When he went to conservative Utah, that tune changed.

APFLOP: “When I am asked if I am pro-choice or pro-life, I say I refuse to accept either label.” (Glen Warchol, “This Is The Place, But Politics May Lead Romneys Elsewhere,” The Salt Lake Tribune, 2/14/99)
14 (continued) But I'm running for office in Massachusetts again, so I'm pro-choice again
FLIP: “I will preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose, and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts’ pro-choice laws.” (2002 Romney-O’Brien Gubernatorial Debate, Suffolk University, Boston, MA, 10/29/02)
In 2002, Romney Offered His Completed NARAL Questionnaire, Filled Out With “Mostly Abortion-Rights Positions,” To The Media Even Before Returning It To NARAL. “Yesterday, Romney also aimed to head off confusion about his stance on abortion rights by answering a Mass National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League questionnaire with mostly abortion-rights positions. He offered the questionnaire to the press even before he returned it to MassNARAL...”
14 (continued) FLOP: Then he started thinking of national office as a Republican. ANd he happened to have a revelation
APFLOP: "Romney said he had a change of heart on the issue after speaking with a stem-cell researcher, Dr. Douglas Melton. Romney claims Melton said ‘Look, you don’t have to think about this stem cell research as a moral issue, because we kill the embryos after 14 days.’
‘It hit me very hard that we had so cheapened the value of human life in a Roe v. Wade environment that it was important to stand for the dignity of human life,’ Romney says.” (Karen Tumulty, “What Romney Believes,” Time, 5/21/07)

OMG! 20 fucking years ago he said something different about abortion!

20 years ago I thought Power Rangers were the shit and that I was going to be an astronaut.

Now Im an Accountant thinking about his own kid.

The flip flop thing doesnt really hold that much water with actual votors. Its really just a politics tool.

Nevermind the fact that he was working in one of the most liberal states in the union during that time frame. You gotta work with the cards you are dealt. Thats part of being a good politician you know...

Originally Posted by AdironRider

Nevermind the fact that he was working in one of the most liberal states in the union during that time frame. You gotta work with the cards you are dealt. Thats part of being a good politician you know...

So he was just

Originally Posted by AdironRider

playing the kid gloves please everyone game.

Originally Posted by AdironRider

OMG!
The flip flop thing doesnt really hold that much water with actual votors. Its really just a politics tool.

So, you'd vote for anyone on the Redumblican ticket, no matter what their take on things, regardless of whether they had an actual sense of how a county should be governed, even if they were part of a Central American money laundering cartel for murderous dictators and drug runners because....they're a Redumblican.

You're DBT's half-breed sister, right?

Originally Posted by AdironRider

Nevermind the fact that he was working in one of the most liberal states in the union during that time frame. You gotta work with the cards you are dealt. Thats part of being a good politician you know...

So he doesn't speak his mind, but just says what is necessary to get elected?

Diplomacy is knowing what to say (or not to say) at the right time. Speaking your mind is a good way to start a war. My guess is FDR thought Churchill was an idiot, but he didn't say.

Mittens is a politician, just like all the rest. He says and does what he needs to do to get elected, hence the flip flops. The take away point is the good politician knows what to say, how to say it and when to say it. Mittens failed at most of that recently.

So Mitten's is running against Obamacare but praised Israel's socialist healthcare system. How the fuck do you spin that?