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
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:10 pm
He’s certainly an unemployed comedian . . .
Jay
June 16th, 2011
3:12 pm
Dave R, I’m going to add that to the headline!
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
3:15 pm
Is there a tape of this? I think this is something that might come across better if you could hear it, because just reading it…it’s easy to see how it could be interpreted as insensitive.
Adam
June 16th, 2011
3:17 pm
Gotta love the non-issues haha
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:18 pm
They screamed about President Obama’s bump in the road and you give him a free pass Jay?
You dems are weak.
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
3:19 pm
“Gotta love the non-issues haha”
Should we take bets on how long it takes someone to tie this to Obama’s “non-performance”?
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:20 pm
getalife, the obvious difference is that Mittens was trying to make a joke, while Hope & Punt ™ was not.
Brosephus
June 16th, 2011
3:20 pm
Fercryinoutloud!!!!!!!
Thought I would get that one in first. You can’t read stuff on paper and understand the atmosphere in which it was said. She gets an unsportsmanlike conduct on this one as well as a false start. Replay the down.
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Well, didn’t take long at all, did it?!
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Jay, I don’t disagree that some lightheartedness should be welcomed but given the general level of vitriol directed daily at the President, do you think that the Republicans would adopt your “give me a break” if a Dem had said this. Its a sad state of affairs for both sides. With both parties doing it as a sad result of 30 years of wingnut talk radio and Fox, I don’t see it changing.
RedEye
June 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Good assessment, Jay. Ms. Schultz blew this way out of proportion in an attempt to make what was an informal gathering into a broad statement of how Romney is oblivious so the economic climate.
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Thanks, Jay!
Does that get me another beer at a future get-together?
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
June 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Jay, is that an endorsement?
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:21 pm
Debbie is a fighter.
Good for her.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:23 pm
“Jay, is that an endorsement?”
Good question.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
3:25 pm
Dave, if Mitt gets credit for trying to make a joke, he should tell them how he has all those mansions and yet claims to reside in his son’s unfinished basement. That will really jerk the heart strings.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:26 pm
Dave,
I like fighters like Debbie.
She is fighting back.
Deal with it.
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
3:26 pm
“yet claims to reside in his son’s unfinished basement”
That “unfinished” is a new one. So far the reports I’ve heard just say a “basement apartment”
Jay
June 16th, 2011
3:27 pm
I repeat:
“Give it a break, people. Seriously.”
And for the record, getalife, I posted the above update before I saw your post.
AmVet
June 16th, 2011
3:30 pm
Mitt has so many problems, a dufus one-liner is the very least of them…
BTW while catching a quick lunch, the Chinese joint had on both CNN and the Republican News Network. RNN had back to back interviews with Lindsay Graham and Karl Rove. Intermixed was a commercial of theirs for Sarah Palin.
LG was doing his best McNamara imitation and describing why we need to remain in Afghanistan (presumably until the sun goes out in about 4 billion years.)
And adorable Karl was speaking of how BHO’s approval numbers were something or the other. (Insufferably boring, it is difficult to watch more than a couple of moments of that disgusting man.)
And is it just me, or is Lindsay, as he ages, becoming a dead ringer for Stan Laurel?
slade smiley
June 16th, 2011
3:30 pm
donnie osmond gave a brief explanation of his magic underwear. i’d like to hear Romney’s thoughts on his magic underwear and how they’ll serve him well for the 2 a.m. phone call.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
3:31 pm
Doggone… Maddow showed a plan of the home and the basement area and the basement is unfinished. No drywall. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/#43418848
Logical Dude
June 16th, 2011
3:31 pm
(poutrage)
I am shocked, SHOCKED! I tell you to find out there is an attempt at humor in this presidential race! I shall hear no more about it!
(/poutrage)
“Here are your winnings sir” Oh, thank you!
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:31 pm
It is the American political arena Jay. The vast rw conspiracy will not stop. That is reality.
It is not changing and they forced the President to show his Birth Certificate for goodness sake.
Enough with the gop free passes.
Jay
June 16th, 2011
3:32 pm
You can’t condemn politicians like Romney for being over-programmed and inhuman, then jump on them when they show some humanity.
Well, you can, but….
On the other hand, you’ve got people like Weiner who show a little TOO much humanity.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
3:33 pm
Mitt should be real funny in explaining how the unfinished basement is the place “where a person dwelss and which is the center of his domestic, social and civil life”, which is the requirement in Mass.
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:33 pm
Some of you people have way too much free time on your hands.
Just sayin’!
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:35 pm
getalife, do you mean Debbie “We own the economy” Wasserman-Schulz?
The annoying gift that keeps on giving.
slade smiley
June 16th, 2011
3:36 pm
free time? really dave r., your bloggin’ 24/7. just sayin’
ByteMe
June 16th, 2011
3:36 pm
Jay @ 3:32: thanks for the Weiner visual. Not.
Logical Dude
June 16th, 2011
3:37 pm
I missed the previous Weiner topic, but the reason Weiner got so much press. . .
Well, it’s his name!
DUH!
It’s not partisan, it’s human nature to see the irony and keep laughing about it and laughing about it and bringing it up over and over again.
At least his first name wasn’t Richard. . .
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
June 16th, 2011
3:37 pm
“getalife, do you mean Debbie “We own the economy” Wasserman-Schulz?”
Well at least she’s truthful about it.
Bosch
June 16th, 2011
3:38 pm
“You can’t read stuff on paper and understand the atmosphere in which it was said.”
Oh sure you can SoCo, like “Obama called Republicans and people like me who disagree with him his ENEMY, his ENEMY I say.”
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:39 pm
“free time? really dave r., your bloggin’ 24/7. just sayin’”
Not even close, slade.
CJ
June 16th, 2011
3:39 pm
Personally, I don’t agree that Romney is showing some humanity when he jokes about having been unemployed too. He’s showing a total lack of empathy.
And Romney didn’t “twist” an Obama comment. He lied about it.
Bosch
June 16th, 2011
3:39 pm
“On the other hand, you’ve got people like Weiner who show a little TOO much humanity.”
Jay, booooooooooo…..boooooooooo.
Recon (2nd.and 3rd.)
June 16th, 2011
3:40 pm
“At least his first name wasn’t Richard” or Peter.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:40 pm
Dave,
She is Hillary’s replacement.
You will have to deal with her for years.
She should have said they own the recovery the gop took hostage.
Have you seen the AARP commercial on gop trying to steal Medicare?
Great stuff.
Joe Mama
June 16th, 2011
3:41 pm
“I should tell my story,” Mr. Romney said. “I’m also unemployed.”
Get a job, hippie.
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
3:42 pm
“Jay, booooooooooo…..boooooooooo.”
I agree. Jay ought to have said: “who show a little too much huMANity”
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:43 pm
CJ, reality check, OK?
If Hope & Punt ™ never referred to the slow recovery as a “bump in the road”, THEN it would be a lie.
Unfortunately, Hope & Punt ™ was off teleprompter and did.
Lighten up, Francis. . .
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
3:43 pm
JAY:
You’re only doing this because El Jeffe did the “shovel – ready” thing the other day which REALLY WAS insensitive.
Headline: “Ayman al-Zawahiri named new al Qaeda chief”
Hummmmm …………….. I wonder if he wants it in the left eyeball or the right eyeball ?
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:44 pm
“She is Hillary’s replacement.”
For Bill?
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:45 pm
willard has a weird sense of humor.
He acts like people grab his butt when they take pictures with him.
This will not be his last gaffe and Debbie will call him out.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
3:47 pm
“REP. WEINER RESIGNS: Hecklers Say Goodbye During Speech”
Can anyone tell me why the networks would even cover this on t.v. ? It should have been a page 10 print notice.
He doesn’t deserve this narcissistic goodbye.
Some soldier died for this country today in Afghanistan. How much t.v. time regarding their sacrifice do you think they will get ?
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:49 pm
Scout,
He is next.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
3:50 pm
“You’re only doing this because El Jeffe did the “shovel – ready” thing the other day which REALLY WAS insensitive.”
Yeah, cons will not give the President a free pass on anything.
Fight back dems.
stands for decibels
June 16th, 2011
3:52 pm
It’s absurd to go nuclear over such an innocent, well-intentioned piece of human interaction.
Is what you’ve reported from the Dems really “going nuclear?” Sounds like standard issue rapid-response stuff…
but yeah, I don’t take any special offense at what Mitt said.
Bosch
June 16th, 2011
3:52 pm
Doggone,
Jay’s “boo moment” had a double pun — the too much humanity, and “on the other HAND” — get it? Weiner….hand? Booooooooooo again.
Bosch
June 16th, 2011
3:54 pm
“I don’t take any special offense at what Mitt said.”
Yeah, I don’t necessarily either, but I would certainly hate being in those folks shoes and having a multi-bajillionaire who made his fortune on the misery of others tell me that we were in the same boat.
Joe Mama
June 16th, 2011
3:56 pm
1811 — “Hummmmm …………….. I wonder if he wants it in the left eyeball or the right eyeball ?”
Whichever one offers the clearest shot?
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
3:56 pm
“but I would certainly hate being in those folks shoes and having a multi-bajillionaire who made his fortune on the misery of others”
Hyperbole much?
Bosch
June 16th, 2011
3:58 pm
Yeah, I know Dave R., “bajillionaire” is a bit of hyperbole.
Bosch
June 16th, 2011
4:00 pm
And just in case anybody keeps up with such things. Tomorrow is the 17th anniversary of OJ Simpson’s famous car ride through LA. Just thought I’d throw that out there — damn, the things that stick in my head.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:01 pm
CNN is covering the gaffe.
Joe Mama
June 16th, 2011
4:03 pm
So, has anyone else had one of those buffalo chicken and blue cheese subs that Publix has been advertising lately?
They’re teh BOMB.
RedEye
June 16th, 2011
4:03 pm
James Carney said today, “We’ve created more than 2.1 million private-sector jobs.”
Not intended to be a factual statement
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
4:04 pm
Headline: ” … Justice Samuel Alito said the point of Miranda was that police would have clear, objective guidelines to follow. Opening the door to considering age likely will mean that other characteristics could soon be added to the list, such as educational level, I.Q. and cultural background … ”
This is so stupid. The “lock-nut” libs. on the SCOTUS have no idea about the real world. And they don’t even have the guts to take it to where they really want to go!
“NO ONE CAN BE COMPELLED TO BE A WITNESS AGAINST HIMSELF” !
You are being “so compelled” even if you waive your rights and then change your mind after talking to a good attorney who says “we can beat this !”
Just have the guts to rule that NOTHING from a defendant is admissable ………… ever. No verbal or written statement (voluntary or not, Mirandized or not), no handwriting samples, no hair or fingernail scrapings, no blood work, etc.
But no ………….. they would rather let a police officer under intense pressure make a spilt second decision to do something the best they know how and then after thinking on it for days and days the SCOTUS rules 5 to 4 and all of a sudden the officer is evil incarnate.
What a deal !! “Lock-nut” cowards !
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
4:05 pm
Joe Mama:
Good point. If he is a right handed shooter he will more than likely be offering up his “left” eyeball …………………..
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
4:08 pm
Personally, I don’t care if he made a joke that some may find insensitive. He can deal with that as it may come.
I do find it offensive that Mitt apparently committed actual voter fraud and that after all the hot air we have heard about ACORN, the new Black Panthers and cosly unneeded new voter ID laws that are efforts to discourage actual voting because of alleged but never proven billions and billions of actual fraudulent votes, that the Republicans seemingly ignore actual voter fraud by their Presidential candidate. IOKIYAR.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
4:08 pm
P.S.
A 5 to 4 decision that something is “unconstitutional” really means it’s only 55% uncontitutional.
Take heart officers !
carlosgvv
June 16th, 2011
4:13 pm
When a possible future President of The United States shows such a callous attitude toward unemployed people in this economy, why should we “give it a break”? Romney is a very wealthy man who cares little or nothing for working people and will say anything and take any position on any issue in order to get elected. We, the people, are the ones who need a break. We need a real person of intelligence, character and leadership to run for President. Of course, the chances of that happening are about zero.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
4:13 pm
Headline: “Civil Judgements Against Police Departments”
“ACCORDING to a report released yesterday by John C. Liu, the New York City comptroller, over the last five years the city has paid more than $500 million in settlements and judgments against the New York Police Department, often involving misconduct claims against individual officers — and that doesn’t include attorneys’ salaries and administrative costs.”
This is so easily rectified.
No more “PRO-ACTIVE” policing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/opinion/16schwartz.html?_r=1&hp
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
4:14 pm
“Apparently” “allegedly” blah, blah, blah.
As long as he didn’t cast a vote in another state, there is no problem here.
Move on.
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
4:15 pm
“Romney is a very wealthy man who cares little or nothing for working people and will say anything and take any position on any issue in order to get elected.”
Except for the wealthy part, not intended to be a factual statement.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:18 pm
He is in Atlanta if you want to show him some more love.
James Carney said today, “We’ve created more than 2.1 million private-sector jobs.”
Check the jobs chart they use.
poison pen
June 16th, 2011
4:20 pm
Carlos, your not married to GetaLife are you?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
4:20 pm
Really Dave. so voter fraud is OK when you’re republican. You do realize that not all elections are national, there are state and local elections. So it does not matter to you if for example 300,000 voters from California come here to vote for Georgia governor just as long as they dont also vote in California.
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
4:22 pm
“Except for the wealthy part, not intended to be a factual statement”
Maybe not so much:
http://mittromneyflipflops.com/#javascript:void(0)
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:23 pm
“Carlos, your not married to GetaLife are you?”
Now that is silly.
jasper
June 16th, 2011
4:26 pm
I’ll take a comedian over a clown any day.
Dusty
June 16th, 2011
4:30 pm
Well, it does look like Bookman is a few light years ahead of his loyal crew concerning “humanity”. They are still carrying on the evil verboten same as usual. Maybe Bookman could have a workshop and tell them “there IS something different you are allowed to say”.
Hope rises eternally.
Road Scholar
June 16th, 2011
4:31 pm
Did Romney pick up the tab? Oh the uncertainty!!
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:32 pm
Do you actually think the cons will “Give it a break, people. Seriously.”
Nope.
Doggone/GA
June 16th, 2011
4:34 pm
“Did Romney pick up the tab? Oh the uncertainty!!”
And if he did, does that constitute bribing voters?
jasper
June 16th, 2011
4:34 pm
Jay are you sure one of the unemployeed patrons in the coffee shop wasn’t black. If so then we’ve got ourselves a racist comedian. I’ll let you run with it.
Dusty
June 16th, 2011
4:36 pm
GETALIFE,
“Give it a break, people. Seriously.”
Bookman was talking to everybody including YOU.
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
4:37 pm
Hey knucklehear ! Pull your pants up !
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Grieving-New-Mexico-safety-hauled-off-plane-boo?urn=ncaaf-wp2673
1811/1801 - 0311/0317
June 16th, 2011
4:38 pm
Excuse me: “knucklehead”
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:38 pm
Dusty,
Your side will not give it a break .
jasper proved this point.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:39 pm
And Scout.
Dusty
June 16th, 2011
4:41 pm
getalife,
My side is America. It is giving me the “breaks”. You too. Why don’t you act like it?
jasper
June 16th, 2011
4:46 pm
Try to keep it in perspective Getalife. I understand this may be difficult right now as your dreams of hope and change are circling the drain. I thought “shovel-ready” was silly, and I think this is as well. Let’s just focus on jobs, the dow, housing market, Greece, and the peace loving muslims.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:46 pm
I know Dusty.
Give your side a free pass.
getalife
June 16th, 2011
4:47 pm
“Let’s just focus on jobs.”
Yup.
Dusty
June 16th, 2011
4:54 pm
Well, I tried a little bit of patriotism but that did not work either.
Soooo, I must leave to milk the cows, slop the pigs, feed the chickens, and hoe the garden before six.
Grits & sausage tonight and NO shrimp. Gonna be good!
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
4:58 pm
Well we could discuss why Boortz is advocating for the killing of urban thugs on the streets of Atlanta… reprehensible. Why I am sure that Scout will be calling for him to be fired as well as most of the other cons.
pogo
June 16th, 2011
5:00 pm
Good for you Jay. When you choose to, you actually can see the absurdity and the biased triviality of the “truth” as seen throught the biased eyes of so-called “political pundits”. All of us are nothing more than figures in one big puppet show wherein we are actors having our strings pulled by those that are both richer and both more powerful than ourselves. They offer us promises meanwhile things for us get worse and things for them get better. They use devision of the masses to make themselves both richer and more powerful. We are quickly becoming a non-nation because of this. A nation that is not united in the face of adversity such as we are experiencing today allwith our skyrocketing deficits and our endless non-productive bickering will not last long. Hmmm. Think someone might have already said that in different words. Something about a house divided………..
getalife
June 16th, 2011
5:02 pm
“Well, I tried a little bit of patriotism but that did not work either. ”
Telling your side to give our President a break would be showing “a little bit of patriotism”.
Granny Godzilla
June 16th, 2011
5:07 pm
I saw the video where Mitt was pretending his butt was being grabbed by one of the women he was being photographed with…
Not funny. Not at all.
Tasteless in fact.
If I had been one of those ladies Mitt might be sporting a handprint on his pretty face. And yes, I would accept the consequences of that action.
St Simons - we're on Island time
June 16th, 2011
5:09 pm
It’s all about context.
When they asked Roosevelt at Warm Springs, sir what are you having for breakfast? He said “Roast millionaire” heheh that was funny. He was commiserating with the people around him. And then he started Medicare, Soc Sec, and the rest is history.
When Magic Underpants the billionaire said, hey i’m unemployed, too – to people out of work and presumably in bad shape, it was more of a taunt because his pahhty’s stated goal is to dismantle Medicare, Soc Sec, and “let em eat cake”.
Cons don’t get subtlety and context. It comes from the same part of the brain as empathy, irony, shame, and embarrassment.
Kamchak
June 16th, 2011
5:11 pm
If I had been one of those ladies Mitt might be sporting a handprint on his pretty face.
I think that particular confrontation my be along these lines, myself.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
June 16th, 2011
5:31 pm
Kam…I now address Granny as Gojira (godzilla from original Japanese movie–literally meaning gorilla whale derived from the size and power of Godzilla). She’s due her respect. Mittens is no match for Gojira!
Jefferson
June 16th, 2011
5:39 pm
Truth is we have two Americas, those with money to spend and those without. Jobs may be why some have money to spend (not in Romney’s case). I’ve said it before, go down to Barrett Pkwy Friday night and look at the lines at the resteraunts. Economy seems strong, eh? Movies – millions of dollars every weekend. To say the gov’t is the cause and solution would only be true if they controlled everything, they don’t. We need idea people, with visions and plans not a bunch of grumpy old puppets who work for those who have more money than they will ever use and want to maintain remants of a caste system from the past.
F. Sinkwich
June 16th, 2011
5:40 pm
A reasonable blog post, Jay, thanks.
If there’s a video I’d like to see it, but as described this incident is a nothing-burger.
Gator Joe
June 16th, 2011
5:40 pm
Jay,
This latest gaff is the least of Romney’s problems. He, like others on the Right, has no original ideas or solutions. They [Republicans] will be, and are, weighed down by the damage their recent eight year reign of incomptetence and corruption caused. The President will have sufficient time in his next four years to finish repairing the damage Republicans caused.
jasper
June 16th, 2011
5:42 pm
Again zilla, its all about context. It’s not like he was tweeting his junk.
jasper
June 16th, 2011
5:47 pm
Any more new stories about Obombed being happy as a one termer? My guess is they’ve already got their bags packed.
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
5:51 pm
“They [Republicans] will be, and are, weighed down by the damage their recent eight year reign of incomptetence and corruption caused.”
Yeah, the voters sure made them pay for all their sins from 2000-2008 in the 2010 election, Gator, didn’t they?
Dave R.
June 16th, 2011
5:53 pm
And Keep, as long as he has residences in both states and only votes in one, that’s not voter fraud.
Except in your mind, or course.