In defense of Mitt Romney, amateur (unemployed) comedian
TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney sat at the head of the table at a coffee shop here on Thursday, listening to a group of unemployed Floridians explain the challenges of looking for work. When they finished, he weighed in with a predicament of his own.
“I should tell my story,” Mr. Romney said. “I’m also unemployed.”
He chuckled. The eight people gathered around him, who had just finished talking about strategies of finding employment in a slow-to-recover economy, joined him in laughter.
“Are you on LinkedIn?” one of the men asked.
“I’m networking,” Mr. Romney replied. “I have my sight on a particular job.”
The Hill, noting that Romney “risked looking as though he had a tin ear,” quickly reported the inevitable Democratic denunciation.
“Mitt Romney’s comments today at an event with unemployed Floridians that he’s ‘also unemployed’ is inappropriate and insensitive to the millions of Americans looking for work,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. “This comment shows that Mitt Romney – a man who wants for nothing and whose only occupation for more than four years has been to run for president – is incredibly out of touch with what’s going on in our country and around the dinner tables of those who are out of work.”
“I am not sure that I can think of anything more out of touch with Granite Staters than ‘chuckling’ at unemployment as Mitt Romney did today in Florida,” New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said.
My response? Give it a break, people. Seriously.
Being out of work is tough stuff, but I thought the Mittster was actually being kind of funny in that exchange. It’s absurd to go nuclear over such an innocent, well-intentioned piece of human interaction. If the unemployed people he was joking with thought it was appropriate and didn’t take offense, I’m more than willing to accept their judgment.
It’s a long time between now and November 2012; it’s OK to be human between now and then. Really it is.
Or it ought to be.
UPDATE: People are pointing out that Romney has been playing the game himself this week, twisting an Obama comment that the recovery has experienced “bumps in the road” by claiming that unemployed Americans are not “bumps in the road.” (see video below.)
It’s a fair point. On the other hand, it also confirms how silly such political games have become on both sides. I repeat: Give it a break, people. Seriously.
– Jay Bookman
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462 comments Add your comment
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
10:53 pm
Mick:
from Wiki
Spectrum 7 was an oil company started by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds.
In 1984, Spectrum 7 merged with George W. Bush’s Arbusto Energy. After the merger, Bush became the Chairman and CEO of Spectrum 7.
In 1986, after reporting a net loss of $1.5 million the previous year, Spectrum 7 was purchased by Harken Oil and Gas for $2.2 million
Year before lost 1.5 mil and was sold once Bush took it over for 2.2 million? Sounds like you are wrong on that one.
YOU CANNOT GET YOUR FACTS FROM SALON.COM AND EXPECT THE TRUTH ABOUT REPUBLICANS.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
10:53 pm
Getalife,
Jay made the mistake of looking at the year over year numbers and not the month to month numbers. From Jan. 01 to Jan 01 employment increased from 137.2 million to 142.2 million. I don’t know why Jay said 4.5 million- maybe it was late but it actually looks like 5 million. I just posted the quote from Jay himself. You can go back and look at the date and time that Jay himself said it in his archives.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
10:54 pm
lil lib,
The w collapse cost 8 million lost jobs at least and I could not keep track of the trillions spent.
Enron was a huge money maker.
You are trippin.
Uncle Jed
June 16th, 2011
10:55 pm
BOO!
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
10:56 pm
Good little liberal,
Bush also made a killing with the Texas rangers if I remember correctly and also made money for his partners in the venture. To be fair I think his name helped him a lot in getting a minority stake in the rangers but what can ya say- life aint fair. The Kennedys and many other families lib and con alike have made money off the family name.
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
10:57 pm
getalife
Take it up with Jay. He says that W made 4.5 million jobs.
Enron collapsed and is gone costing it’s investors billions.
Calm down and go to bed.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
10:58 pm
The Obama administration is saying 8 million and using the chart that gained 2.1 million.
Those are the facts going today.
Jay supports willard so……..
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
10:58 pm
getalife,
One last time. Here is a post from Jay himself on the Bush employment numbers- 4.5 million jobs created minimally and the source is impeccable- the U.S. bureau of labor statistics.
Jay
June 2nd, 2011
9:00 pm
Actually, Chuck is right, more right than he realizes. I was relying on annual data for the numbers on Bush employment. The monthly figures, Jan 01 to Jan 09, were 137.2 million to 142.2 million, or an increase of 4.5 million.
My error, and I apologize.= Jay
AmVet
June 16th, 2011
10:59 pm
“Can you name the companies that Bush ran into the ground?”
Of course. Like I said earlier, I’m not a con blogger, i.e., I’m not research-averse and fact-free.
Quit being so f’ing intellectually lazy, Mr. High IQ. And stop being so intentionally ignorant just because it doesn’t fit in with your GOP sycophancy.
The names you seek, but will do zero to educate yourself about are Arbusto, Spectrum 7 Energy Corp. and Harken Energy.
When you can talk intelligently about them and the Role Bush played in them, write back, OK?
getalife
June 16th, 2011
10:59 pm
Enron made huge money before it collapsed.
Get real.
Stop trippin.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
10:59 pm
getalife,
Put aside what the Obama administration is saying and use the unbiased bureau of labor statistics.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:00 pm
w was a disaster and you know it but not man enough to admit it.
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
11:01 pm
Thulsa Doom
I love that Mick claims the Saudis helped him out. Harkin Oil which bought Bush’s small company was based in Texas. Soros actually ended up with Bush’s company.
These people are so desperate while they support the community organizer.
Only the Democratic Party could lyingly claim credit for the Civil Rights Act—supported by more Republicans than Democrats—while having a former Klansman as their senior senator. Only the Democratic Party could produce a string of presidential candidates who oppose school choice and vouchers while sending their own children to lily-white private schools.
Only the Democratic Party could hysterically denounce a Supreme Court nominee for allegedly making unwanted sexual advances in the workplace and then applaud a president who was receiving oral sex from a White House intern while discussing deploying American troops with a congressman on the phone.
Indeed, only the Democrats could oppose Clarence Thomas, actually block Supreme Court nominee Douglas Ginsburg (for marijuana use), and then run Bill Clinton for president. Only the Democratic Party could produce a junior senator from New York who denounced George Bush’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s sentence as “cronyism”—just six years after her husband, Bill, sold a pardon on his way out of office to Marc Rich.2
Only liberals could sponsor college speech codes but say that anyone who doesn’t want to subsidize Piss Christ hates free speech.
Only liberals could love George Soros—convicted of felony insider trading in France3—Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett while claiming to detest Wall Street and “the rich.”
Coulter, Ann (2011). Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America (pp. 35-36).
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
11:02 pm
getalife
Not man enough? Why are you going there? Why do you have to pull this stupid crap?
Grow a set yourself.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:02 pm
“Put aside what the Obama administration is saying and use the unbiased bureau of labor statistics.”
Funny.
You are a hoot doom.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
11:02 pm
However while Krugman was trying to associate the wrong people with Enron, Krugman himself was on the Enron board of advisors.
Typical Liberal BS.
AmVet and getalife don’t like FACTS. No sir. Don’t like dem FACTS.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
11:03 pm
getalife,
So are you saying that Jay himself is lying when he himself said- using the bureau of labor statistics, that Bush created 4.5 million jobs overall. Take it up with Jay if you think he is lying.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:04 pm
Nothing but deflection from lil lil lil lil lil lib.
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
11:05 pm
Thulsa Doom
They think in generalities. Facts do not matter.
And they vote. . .
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
11:05 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlOxiwGLAkY&feature=related
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:05 pm
Take it up with the President doom.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:06 pm
Do you geniuses know the total cost of the w collapse?
I lost count.
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
11:06 pm
getalife
Other than the fact that you don’t handle facts very well, that you have the maturity level of a middle school child and you are completely ignorant of any real facts, what have you proven that I am deflecting?
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:09 pm
lil lib,
8 million sounds about right but I am guessing even more.
From collapse to recovery (which your party is holding hostage) we are still short 6 million.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
11:12 pm
“LEFT TURN” by Tim Groseclose
Headline (U.S. News) : “The liberal bias of the mainstream media tilts so far left that any outlets not in that political lane, like the Drudge Report and Fox News Channel, look far more conservative than they really are, according to a UCLA professor’s new book out next month.”
Well, there you go. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/06/16/book-liberal-media-distorts-news-bias
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
11:13 pm
Good little liberal,
It really is amazing. I give getalife the truth straight from Jay himself and from the bureau of labor statistics and he refuses to acknowledge the FACTS.
I think that if Obama told him that 2 + 2 = 5 and I told him 2 + 2 + 4 he would call me the liar and say Obama is telling the truth.
Clearly he is a juvenile or a person incapable of reasoning and rational thought. Its kinda sad actually.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
11:15 pm
Meant to say that if I told getalife that 2 + 2= 4 that he would still believe Obama if Obama said 2 + 2 = 5.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:17 pm
Jay vs the President.
I choose the President’s numbers thank you very much.
Look at his chart and deal with that reality because that is what he is running on.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
11:22 pm
getalife,
Jay gets his numbers from the bureau of labor statistics which is unbiased. To say that the Obama administration is unbiased is laughable. Even you can’t possibly be that dumb. You just cant be.
Thulsa Doom
June 16th, 2011
11:25 pm
I’m out for the evening. Ya’ll have fun with the left wing locknuts. As has been proven right here in the last several posts they outright reject facts.
Good little liberal
June 16th, 2011
11:34 pm
Thulsa Doom
He is usually unreasonable but tonight he seems a bit hysterical. Another drunk or perhaps a crackhead? Both are aggressive like he is being.
Finn McCool
June 16th, 2011
11:41 pm
Ok, Tom Coburn’s got some spine. Bravo Republicans.
Ever get the feeling Grover Norquist really really misses high school?
getalife
June 16th, 2011
11:55 pm
Perhaps you cons should of thought of facts with the birth certificate.
Facts don’t matter this cycle.
You blew that chance.
St Simons - we're on Island time
June 17th, 2011
12:40 am
Wow, what a storm. Power back on. Thanks, state-regulated utility.
Is this really who the cons are going with – Magic Underpants?
He cheated on you, y’know
Jefferson
June 17th, 2011
12:49 am
Obama nailed Bin Laudin, now thats a good thing.
TnGelding
June 17th, 2011
2:37 am
Yeah, it works both ways. Romney needs to stick to touting his accomplishments. He doesn’t criticize Obama well. But he’s too middle of the road for the rabid Tea Partyers.
Joel Edge
June 17th, 2011
6:41 am
“but I thought the Mittster was actually being kind of funny”
Not really. That could have gone very badly. If not for the good humor of the people around him. The man’s clueless.
Normal
June 17th, 2011
6:51 am
Good Friday morning all y’all. Another week done.
http://news.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/06/16/political-pictures-when-i-was-your-age/\
And…
http://news.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/06/16/political-pictures-anthony-weiner-pun-dog/
Bud Wiser
June 17th, 2011
6:55 am
I don’t like Romney.
But his comments about being ‘unemployed’ pale in comparison to Obama laughing about looking for work while on a campaign stop in South Carolina.
His stupidity of being caught on camera and shown on TV (by one network only) was passed over by the usual media stooges at the lame-stream networks and their drooling wannabees in the newspapers.
This elitism of the self professed intellectuals of the left, and their messianic obsessed leader, is what is turning more and more voters against the dimwittocrats. You people just don’t get it, do you? Obviously the ignorant sap in the WH does not.
Per usual, you stooges just snarl and go in the attack mode, because that is what your masters have bade you to do.
Sad.
Pathetic.
Normal
June 17th, 2011
6:57 am
This one is just too damn sweet…
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/06/17/funny-pictures-saturday-night-cat/
and this one is…well, my cats hate them too…
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2011/06/17/funny-pictures-durn-sparrow/
stands for decibels
June 17th, 2011
7:11 am
Mornin’.
Will New York Stop Being an Embarrassment Over Gay Marriage?
Republican New York Senator Roy McDonald finally snapped when it came to voting on same-sex marriage rights. “You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f### it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing,” he said in agreeing to vote for the legislation that has already passed the Assembly. “I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”
And that, dear, dear readers, is where we are politically in not only this state, but in the entire nation. All it takes to be heroic in these grimy times is to say that “Everyone knows what the right thing is, so why the f### not do it?”
It seems like a no-brainer that New York, which has a not-insignificant portion of its economy based on the artistic efforts of gays and lesbians, would legalize same-sex marriage. But because Neanderthal retardation is what animates Republicans, a bill has failed here twice. Now, with just a couple of days left in the legislative session, mighty pressure is being exerted on a couple of “moderate” Republicans in the GOP-controlled Senate to make the Empire State the sixth one to say, “Hey, you know that s##t in the Constitution about laws applying equally? We actually mean it.”
stands for decibels
June 17th, 2011
7:18 am
my cats hate them too…
Normal, so your registered burd offenders haz to ware wun too?
AmVet
June 17th, 2011
7:29 am
More good stuff, Normal, thanks. Great to start the day with a chuckle.
And then there is the snapping, snarling Bud Abnormal. Can you imagine how mad that guy must be by the END of the day??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSowZcvoqr4
Get Real
June 17th, 2011
7:32 am
Funny, Ha Ha…of course no mention of the Great Obozo laughing and making a joke that the shovel ready jobs weren’t actually shovel ready! And, today if the stock market declines it will be the first time since the 20’s that it has see a consecutive decline for this many days in a row. Unemployment down, stock market in the tank and you libs keep sticking your head in the sand and supporting the worse president to ever sit in the oval office!
Normal
June 17th, 2011
7:40 am
Thanks guy about the funnies…I always try to bring a little cheer, heh, heh.
————————–
Get Real,
you know as well as I do, the President has nothing to do with the rise and fall of the Stock Market. That is driven by speculation.
joe suggs
June 17th, 2011
7:43 am
The only comic i know is Obama the Clown. Destroyed our healthcare,wants amnesty and subsequent welfare for 25 million illegals .Not bad for a first generation American.
AmVet
June 17th, 2011
7:45 am
“…the worse president to ever sit in the oval office!”
Got gawdssakes, George Walker Bush has been gone for nearly two and a half years – let it go…
stands for decibels
June 17th, 2011
7:53 am
Obama laughing about looking for work
[...]
of course no mention of the Great Obozo laughing and making a joke
You guys were a little slow to get this talking point out of the echo chamber. Better luck next time.
Meanwhile, you might want to seriously consider installing that emotion chip in your robot.
USinUK
June 17th, 2011
7:54 am
I know I’m way late to the party, but …
MITTENS!!!
USinUK
June 17th, 2011
7:56 am
“Destroyed our healthcare,wants amnesty and subsequent welfare for 25 million illegals ”
really? destroyed? no more doctors and nurses? big pharma is out of business???
wow, musta missed THAT headline.
as for amnesty, shhhhhhhhhh … don’t anyone tell brainiac here that amnesty was originally W’s plan …
USinUK
June 17th, 2011
8:07 am
“The man’s clueless”
I don’t know about clueless.
tone deaf, definitely
Doggone/GA
June 17th, 2011
8:09 am
“Made in USA: Overseas jobs come home”
http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/17/news/economy/made_in_usa/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2
AmVet
June 17th, 2011
8:19 am
Makes you wonder what our misogynistic jarhead(s) will think of this!
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/historic-marine-base-gets-979386.html
stands for decibels
June 17th, 2011
8:21 am
Deal sheets.
josef
June 17th, 2011
8:21 am
USinUK
Late to this party myself. Looks like it was fun, though.
The thread…
As Jay said, oh, lighten up. The bump in the road ad? Pick your ethnic, they got ya there…even fat white men…now that’s the big tent party…which brings me to,,,\
SFD
Well, the first openly gay candidate for presidential nomination IS GOP…talk about your politics and strange bedfellows…
stands for decibels
June 17th, 2011
8:23 am
Makes you wonder what our misogynistic jarhead(s) will think of this!
erm… internalize it and vent with another dozen or so Uppity Kenyan/Muslim off-topic posts, peppered with out-of-context quotes from founding fathers about how we wuz spozed to be a christian nation?
headin’ upstairs.
bob from account temps
June 17th, 2011
8:51 am
wasserman needs a humor transplant, like most libs
killerj
June 17th, 2011
8:54 am
I,d laugh really hard if you were unemployed Jay.Go Tea Party.
The Dog Catcher
June 17th, 2011
9:07 am
When are you DUMB Republicans going to WAKE UP and see that Mitt and the others don’t give a dam about all of you. For him to say that he is unemployed with all of his millions is a knife in YOUR back.
He don’t care that you don’t have two nickels to rub togehter.
YOU ALL HAVE BEEN BAMBOOZLED by the rich REPUBLICANS.
Logan Waters
June 18th, 2011
3:49 pm
Now imagine that a Democratic candidate had told a similarly unfunny “joke”.
Within days, thousands of 24×7 RNC talk radio outlets and Fox would pounce and run the story nonstop.
Next, actual news outlets would pick it up and start peppering the candidate with “why are you out of touch” questions.
Then would come the candidate’s apologies, and perhaps the withering and death of the candidacy itself.
I’m no supporter of Obama or the Democratic establishment, but am pointing out the lack of follow-up and consequences for Romney and his Republican ilk.
Granny Godzilla
June 21st, 2011
12:49 pm
It’s time for Clarence Thomas to resign.
- Sign the Petition</A
Peter
June 21st, 2011
4:25 pm
Liberals fear that Romney will be able to make a strong case against re-electing President Obama! http://www.moneyteachers.org/Ezra+Taft+Benson+Mit+Romney+Jon+Huntsman.htm