Mitt Romney, Loose Cannon
posted at 10:17 am on February 2, 2012 by Karl
Newt Gingrich is easily branded as a loose cannon. Indeed, I’ve done it, because it’s true. However, frontrunner Mitt Romney is far from immune from self-destructive gaffes:
Obsessive attention to detail suffuses Mitt Romney’s candidacy for president, from the number of times staff members check the microphones at his rallies to their relentless scouring of Twitter.
But Mr. Romney’s aides cannot always bring that well-known level of discipline to one crucial aspect of the campaign: their candidate’s seemingly endless ability to utter remarks that, to the delight of his critics, sail onto political blogs, YouTube and Twitter.
Romney’s comment that “I’m not concerned about the very poor,” caused Jonah Goldberg to ask “What is wrong with this guy?” and to later answer that “as even he will admit, he’s a late arrival. And, as you might expect, he speaks conservatism as a second language.”
It may be worse than that. As Goldberg also noted, “[t]he frustrating problem with Romney is that his flubs and gaffes either share liberal assumptions or are caricatures of conservative ones.” I would argue the problem is more specific. Romney’s gaffes are rooted in his wealth problem. He alternatively makes comments that feed the narrative of an out-of-touch fatcat or irritate the GOP base with faux populism designed to counter that narrative. Indeed, yesterday Romney said that he was not concerned about the very poor or the very rich, when his concern should be whatever benefits America without regard to class issues. Instead, his sensitivity to the wealth issue causes him to not only disregard the affluent and the poor rhetorically, but to produce a mediocre tax plan and to back indexing the minimum wage for inflation, which ironically hurts the poor.
In short, Romney recognizes his wealth is a political liability and his attempts to address that liability often become an additional liability. His discomfort also feeds the perception that he is inauthentic. Unless he finds a personal comfort level with his wealth and its political implications, all of these problems will linger into the general election, where Team Obama will exploit them ruthlessly.
Blowback
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No, Romney speaks as a conservative Democrat. A legendary Blue Dog (still exactly the same as a ‘normal’ democrat according to voting records, but the myth persists).
HopeHeFails on February 2, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Mitt Romney must be, according to Hot Air and anti-capitalist. I am waiting for the over the top totally equal treatment of Romney via Gingrich on this. Failure to either come out and say that you were totally out of line by calling Newt anti-capitalist. Your reputation is on the line Hot Air. Are you really paid hacks for Romney to spread his Memes or are you an honest broker on the movement conservative alternative media?
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 11:02 AM
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 11:04 AM
Just as Romney has made political blunders, (most recently his inability to articulate his concern for all classes), that are published and freely discussed here at Hot Air, so has Newt Gingrich’s attacks of Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital, (a private legal business), where Gingrich makes a flawed argument of what is “good capitalism” and what Gingrich calls “not defensible and exploitive” in Romney‘s case.
Once again, our senior academic has conveniently “made up” his own interpretation/definition of venture capitalism by tossing in almost socialist parameters that the private investor must follow to adhere to his idea of “good capitalism”. In his own words, Gingrich says “real capitalist” should say “I’m in it with you. If I lose money and you lose a job we lost together because we both tried” as if there is a collective bargaining unit involved in the decision making process between the investor and the business employee. This is pure hogwash on the Gingrich’s part, and if this is his model of venture capitalism, he should stick to his academic history lessons, since his experience in economics is hysterical in this case.
That Gingrich is described as an anti-capitalist may be “out of line” (as astonerii complains), but so is Gingrich’s ignorance in his definition of venture capitalism. And it would be a mistake—not bias—to not point this out at Hot Air.
Rovin on February 2, 2012 at 1:01 PM
The more I hear and see Romney, the more his image repels me because he looks and sounds too much like the loser he’s trying to replace. He’s nothing more than Obama lite.
stukinIL4now on February 2, 2012 at 1:15 PM
John Kerry reporting for dooooooooooooooty!
El_Terrible on February 2, 2012 at 3:09 PM
There will be a feature on HA
Romneyteurisms™ of the Day.
Schadenfreude on February 2, 2012 at 3:15 PM
We should demand the run of the mill lying career politician moving big government along. That the only way things will change. More of the same !!
FlaMurph on February 2, 2012 at 3:15 PM
This is much a do about nothing, an hover hyped gaffe.
The corruption of Holder, the tearing away of the constitution and the sliding towards bankruptcy. Yeah, I care about the needy, but I do not care about the clueless, the cheats and the thieves. Right now there are too many of them sucking up the ‘safety net’.
I do care about the slaves (middle class) that are suffering under the stronghold of government to pay for the poor. We’ve made the middle class slaves to the indigent.
Yes, he could have stated this differently: I don’t care about the rich, we have safety nets for the poor so right now I am more concerned about the middle class and getting them back to work.
Much a do about nothing.
uhangtight on February 2, 2012 at 3:17 PM
Why do you hate Mormons and America Karl?
angryed on February 2, 2012 at 3:19 PM
Wait a second. Does he hate poor people or only poor people who don’t love America? Maybe that’s what he meant to say.
angryed on February 2, 2012 at 3:20 PM
Mitt is the biggest danger to himself when he goes off script or attempts a nonrehearsed joke. Doesn’t he have a handler who can be honest with him and tell him to play to his strengths, not his weaknesses?
a capella on February 2, 2012 at 3:23 PM
There are TWO entities who’s resources are SOLELY and TOTALLY DEDICATED to the Sngle-Purpose of the RE-ELECTION of Barack Obama:
MSNBC, and
Hot Air
williamg on February 2, 2012 at 3:24 PM
4)Nonsense. Since when have the Dems reached across the aisle?
But, since Obama will be better, here’s where you can donate to him: http://www.barackobama.com/splash/two-term-fund? Just to be helpful.
changer1701 on February 2, 2012 at 3:22 PM
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 3:25 PM
A truncated quote versus the 51st state on the moon. Oh yeah, Romney’s the lose cannon, yeah sure, Karl.
Who are these gutless Republicans who are so afraid of taking on this argument about the poor? Of course we are going to be hit with lots of class envy. This is a fight we should embrace and take on – not cower in the corner because someone will misinterpret a truncated quote. Get a spine, so-called “true” conservatives.
rhombus on February 2, 2012 at 3:32 PM
coulter, trump, AMNESTY-JOHN mccain, scott brown, lisa murCOWski, AMNESTY-JOHN mini-me jeff flake, christy, most of the BIG GOVERNMENT Ruling-Class Establishment Repub hacks in congress….all that manure surrounding romney(care) does help hide his RINO stink. But then, he speaks and everyone hears what a loser-to-be he certainly is.
TeaPartyNation on February 2, 2012 at 3:32 PM
Mitt Romney is a European socialist that has effectively conned a large number of people that are easily led to think he is some kind of special electable Republican and some even think the guy is conservative!
Mitt Romney is a socialist. He thinks that our socialist safety net is an appropriate place for poor people to be kept. He does not care about them, that is why he is willing to make more of them by throwing them out of jobs by pricing them out of the marketplace with socialist forced labor rates which just simply makes some people’s labor illegal, so I guess this makes him pro illegal alien, because they will have no qualms about taking those jobs from the Americans Romney would throw out of work. Since they cannot get experience, they become permanantly poor, and Romney will become an even greater food stamp president than Obama! He really does love to fire people. He loves it so much he wants to use the power of government to get it done.
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 3:46 PM
No matter how many times you ask, they will never do it. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Just Sayin on February 2, 2012 at 3:51 PM
By the way, if you are not a Romney supporter, how about asking the places you frequent why they have not claimed that Romney is anti-capitalist with this? They spent weeks excoriating Newt for attacking Romney the person as anti-capitalist, now Romney is attacking actually every single business in the country. Ask them why romney does not get any call outs on this other than a tut tut, it is just poor wording, blah blah blah.
They never listened to the wording of Newts attack. All they heard was Romney, Bain, bad and that was all they needed to know it is purely just an attack on all of capitalism. Isn’t the ability to hire people to help you create wealth one of the linch pins in capitalism? Isn’t the ability to work from someone creating wealth and getting paid for that work one of the linch pins of capitalism? isn’t the ability to start at the bottom and work your way to the top one of the linch pins of a free society that is classless?
Demand that any place you have been going to that attacked Newt as anti-capitalist to either call out romney equally, or to oppologize to you the reader for having been so far out of line with their attacks!
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 3:53 PM
Ridiculous.
As usual Romney’s comment are reported completely out of context.
I think most Conservatives would agree with what he said and what he meant.. There are an abundance of programs to help the very poor; the ones who need the help are the working middle class; particularly those at the lower end of that spectrum.
People need to pay closer attention or else shut up.
Oldflyer on February 2, 2012 at 3:53 PM
Romney supporters argue that we can keep him honest in office by pushing back and demanding conservative policies. I am just trying it out here on a small opperation to see how that works out.
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 3:54 PM
Why do middle class people who can afford not just basics, but whimsical items monthly need special help? SPECIAL HELP? Above and beyond the help other people get? Why? How about gearing America up to be neutral to everyone to the largest degree instead of picking winners and losers as if we are the crony capitalist society we are quickly devolving back into?
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 3:56 PM
Well, we *are* talking about Mitt “I like firing people” Romney, right?!?
Czar of Defenestration on February 2, 2012 at 3:59 PM
Well, for sure, we know he has a “handler” who told him he could sing. There’s probably one that told him he could think, too.
Portia46 on February 2, 2012 at 3:59 PM
You be sure to tell NBC, CBS, ABC, all their affiliates, NY Times, WaPo, blah, blah, blah. The point here is that Romney should KNOW what can be snipped and used. He’s such an experienced outsider and all that….
Has it occured to anyone that the last two Presidents I remember running as Washington outsiders/non politicians were Obama and Carter!
Portia46 on February 2, 2012 at 4:05 PM
Heh.
Just Sayin on February 2, 2012 at 4:23 PM
I am a Mormon and have been a big supporter since his first run for the presidency in 2008. I donated money to him then and now, but I am getting sick and tired of his sloppiness. I totally understand all of the frustration with him from those of you who are criticizing him. He really should be more polished than this and if he can’t start articulating better than he is, I’m throwing my support behind someone else.
mr.idaho on February 2, 2012 at 4:33 PM
I just saw a comment over on PJMedia…
My takeaway from it is.
The man who likes to fire people endorsed by the man who made “You’re Fired” a brand name!
astonerii on February 2, 2012 at 4:38 PM
Yeah, but for all his faults he beats the
hellcrap out of the alternativerogaineguy on February 2, 2012 at 5:32 PM
I don’t think it’s wealth, exactly. I think he shares the typical moderate’s hypersensitivity to every attack that comes from the left. I would expect him to overcompensate for every possible attack.
In fact, I think this is the problem with nearly all moderates. They pander to the race-based community by carefully appointing an extra-diverse cabinet. They pander to the green advocates by caving in to demands for higher fuel efficiency and more environmentalist restrictions — like Nixon creating the EPA. They pander to the class-warfare types by expanding government programs for the poor. All to cut off being criticized by people who are going to criticize them anyway.
And in this case, Romney will pander to demands for minimum-wage increase to prove he’s concerned for the poor.
It’s not like Bush 43 was immune to this. I see no reason to expect less pandering from Romney than from Bush.
tom on February 2, 2012 at 9:17 PM