Romney’s “gifts” remark ignores his own fatal flaw
In the countless hours I spent in Romney’s presence during his first White House run (and mostly from a greater distance during his second bid), I saw a man who was preternaturally upbeat, well-meaning, and kind to just about everyone he encountered, friends and strangers alike.
But I also saw a candidate who seemed by nature almost uniquely ill-equipped to appeal to the young and minority voters who ended up playing a key role in his electoral demise.
Members of the press who traveled with Romney in 2007 and early 2008 began slowly to pick up on what would become an established media narrative by the time Romney was the 2012 front-runner: The former Massachusetts governor didn’t just have a difficult time relating to young and minority voters, he often came across as a walking-talking time warp from the 1950s.
On the stump, Romney frequently began declarative sentences with the word “why,” and talked about how long he’d been “going steady” with his high school “sweetheart.” And that persona seemed well enough suited to Republican primary electorates, which were disproportionately white and older.
Blowback
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Facts are stubborn things.
jawkneemusic on November 16, 2012 at 4:46 PM
That who let the dogs out moment was wince-worthy.
vegconservative on November 16, 2012 at 4:48 PM
So he should have called Ann “His beyotch” and slapped her on the back side, fist bumped her and called the youth he was courting “His Peeps”?
I thought Romney was very respectful to his wife, and his quirks were fine.
Barry & Michelle’s fawning over eachother I find disgusting and ridiculous.
portlandon on November 16, 2012 at 4:49 PM
Hey, let’s beat up on Mitt Romney some more! Seriously people, give it a break and just move on.
SAZMD on November 16, 2012 at 4:52 PM
Funny how telling the truth is a negative .
CW on November 16, 2012 at 4:53 PM
He doesn’t relate to young and minority voters because he believes in working for a living. Obama campaigned on what he could give people through the government, Romney campaigned on creating jobs so they can generate their own wealth through work; the contrast couldn’t have been clearer.
Plus, the Romney campaign was impotent. They didn’t respond to the personal attacks all summer long, ridiculous.
Daemonocracy on November 16, 2012 at 4:53 PM
Romney was born with about a half dozen silver spoons crammed into his mouth.
He’s not the one to be talking down to anyone else when it comes to “gifts”.
HondaV65 on November 16, 2012 at 4:53 PM
His own fatal flaw being that he was just as much marketing himself as a government sugar daddy as Obama was (see also the Mediscaring that he gleefully engaged in during the primary elections in Florida and elsewhere).
Armin Tamzarian on November 16, 2012 at 4:54 PM
Yep. He was defined with far too many people by BO and his attack team.
CW on November 16, 2012 at 4:54 PM
Yup, he’s a square. I want my accountant to be a square. The cool kid can plan the party. My problem is that we’re going broke, not that the party will be lame. I needed the square to fix things, not the Choom Crew to spice thing up.
trubble on November 16, 2012 at 4:55 PM
Romney hasn’t worked a day since he left the governor’s mansion – no seriously – he hasn’t.
He worked at Bain … sort of. Not surprising he got that gig though because of his father’s connections. Willard was a “rich boy” … nothing against that – but let’s not pretend he was “in touch” with anyone in the real world. He’s always been rich.
Plus – he belonged to a very non-traditional church – to say the least, which is known for it’s strict rules. Not something most Americans are familiar with.
HondaV65 on November 16, 2012 at 4:56 PM
I disagree. To the extent that the government subsidized his businesses, I’ll concede the point, but I haven’t heard much of this.
My issue is that, when the Government doesn’t take your assets, it is NOT a gift. Redistribution is a gift. A low estate tax is not. When the Government gives you something you never had, that’s a gift. When the government lets you keep what is yours, that’s NOT a gift.
trubble on November 16, 2012 at 4:59 PM
clippermiami on November 16, 2012 at 5:01 PM
HondaV65 on November 16, 2012 at 4:56 PM
oh, oh, and there’s the one about Mitt being born on third base thinking he had hit a triple…how about that one? You forgot that one.
/
r keller on November 16, 2012 at 5:02 PM
OBAMAPHONE~~~~~~
Jeddite on November 16, 2012 at 5:02 PM
My all-time favorite moment was when Obama won his senate seat she introduced him as “my baby’s daddy” at the victory party. It was two full minutes of cringe.
salem on November 16, 2012 at 5:06 PM
Agreed.
And it’s not exactly a newsflash that the guy wasn’t your classic retail politician. Clearly, flashy pols who can talk a good game are what America is after. We’ve seen how that works out for us.
changer1701 on November 16, 2012 at 5:07 PM
LOL. That’s what I was thinking, too. Nothing is cooler than having a litter of kids by the time you’re 20; eating cake icing out of the can; and reading Us Weekly while chatting on your Obamaphone. #Gimmedat!!!
Essentially the Democrat base has just enough brain cells to breath and that is what the Romney family should have emulated to win those all-important Democrats — that, and offer “birf khantroll”.
Less Leave it to Beaver, Romney family, and more Britney and Kevin Federline, mmkay? Times have changed and we want losers good at mooching and breeding with a little star power in the White House now.
Oh, and someone needs to tell the media that he carried the young white vote and edged out Barry with those who are college-educated.
Punchenko on November 16, 2012 at 5:08 PM
Go away Obama voter.
kim roy on November 16, 2012 at 5:09 PM
You’re good at class warfare. FO. SB.
CW on November 16, 2012 at 5:10 PM
Exactly.
Isn’t the presidency where you want someone dull and competent?
This is how people are dumbed down. An idiot media feeding an idiot population idiot talking points until people believe it’s the way things are.
kim roy on November 16, 2012 at 5:12 PM
Of course he is – he’s a self-admitted Obama voter and Fauxahontas campaign donator.
kim roy on November 16, 2012 at 5:12 PM
If Romney’s too white, which seems to be this guy’s complaint, then, what about saying Obama is too black? Relaxed, loosey-goosey, saunters around with his little shuffle, cool, way cool, easy smile … Obama, he’s so ghetto. So black.
/loves me some Obama, he’s so black
Paul-Cincy on November 16, 2012 at 5:17 PM
That poor, poor, dead horse.
JPeterman on November 16, 2012 at 5:17 PM
Honda is an idiot. So is Armin.
Any headline critical of Romney is chum for the idiots.
22044 on November 16, 2012 at 5:18 PM
What? Romney would have won if he had begun declarative sentences with like?
WTF?
BuckeyeSam on November 16, 2012 at 5:20 PM
Even Nixon appeared on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, so I’d have to agree. It’s depressing when you have to cater to airheads but that’s a lot of what politics is about.
Seth Halpern on November 16, 2012 at 5:23 PM
What are you going to do with the rest of your life without Mitt Romney to hate?
rockmom on November 16, 2012 at 5:51 PM
Sorry to say I knew we going down the wrong path with “boxers or briefs”—-Clinton MTV, and “we look at you guys like a father figure, help us”—pony tail guy at Clinton Bush 1992 town hall.
While GW Bush did win twice, neither he or nor subsequent challengers have felt the need or don’t realize an assault is necessary on many fronts if we are to win enough hearts and minds. I don’t think we will see another republican president. Just look at the current responses to the loss by “please like us, we’ll be nice and give out more stuff too.”
arnold ziffel on November 16, 2012 at 5:52 PM
Must squelch the urge to call my liberal relatives and ask what sorts of gifts they got…
Adieu, Mr. Romney
Ladysmith CulchaVulcha on November 16, 2012 at 6:00 PM
Why are we so sure Romney lost the election?
Cuyahoga County precincts went 19,360 to 0 for Obama.
Nope, not a single shaky-handed old black man made a mistake. Not one rebel black conservative among those over 19,000 voters. Every single one of them went Obama.
ericdondero on November 16, 2012 at 6:17 PM
Heard Romney was responsible for the implosion of Hostess this morning. What won’t this evil old cracker do to hurt this nation?
WeekendAtBernankes on November 16, 2012 at 6:57 PM
My late twenties-early thirties daughters and sons-in-law all liked Mitt just fine. But then they are dutifully paying off their student loans, work for a living, don’t carelessly throw their money around, and neither expect or want anything from the government.
If the Republicans prefer to run a Mr. Cool who will kowtow to the young and entitled, they won’t be getting my vote. The trouble with this country is not people like Mitt Romney with old-fashioned values, but operators like Barack Obama who have–oh, let’s be kind–”flexible” values. Situational values. Whatever works best for them at the moment.
Kudos to 22044 and others, btw, for calling out the obvious idiots at HA who continue to dance on Mitt’s grave.
Meredith on November 16, 2012 at 6:58 PM