Seeking the “true” Romney is like seeking Bigfoot
The core problem with Mitt Romney is, well, his core. As in he apparently doesn’t have one. This is a man who can say the following in an interview yesterday with NBC’s Ron Allen, when asked about his lack of empathy …
—————
“Don’t forget, I got everybody in my state insured. One hundred percent of the kids in our state had health insurance. I don’t think there’s anything that shows more empathy and care about the people of this country than that kind of record.”
—————
…. and then literally a few minutes later stand in front of a crowd and say this:
—————
“I will repeal Obamacare and replace it with real health care reform. You see, Obamacare is really Exhibit No. 1 of the president’s political philosophy, and that is that government knows better than people how to run your lives. It is a view that government should stand between you and your doctor. I don’t believe in a bigger and bigger government…I believe in freedom.”
—————
I think that’s remarkable. If creating such a system is evidence of empathy, what does it say about a person who seeks to dismantle such a system? How can a person go from one statement to another without an apparent hitch, and seemingly with equal sincerity? Which statement reflects the “true” Romney?
I do not know. I am baffled by the man. In fact, given such statements, the more pertinent question may be: Can a “true” Romney even be said to exist?
– Jay Bookman
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721 comments Add your comment
TaxPayer
September 27th, 2012
7:31 pm
No problem. It’s easy to disagree and not be disagreeable. I wouldn’t protect you any less than I’d protect anybody else in this country.
I don’t think scout could say the same about the OWS crowd, for example.
Martin the Calvinist
September 27th, 2012
7:31 pm
josef, I’m specifically speaking on their (congressional) retirement plan…..
dude with the name with all the numbers, I get the Secret Service protection ( I don’t think anyone would want a current or former President taken out by some fringe group) and some sort of pension though 200,000 is quite excessive…..and I can’t begin to justify travel expenses, staff and office allowances……
Jm (not a con)
September 27th, 2012
7:31 pm
Josef 6:54
That’s possible, but unlikely
Given the discord between the two of them
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
7:31 pm
Brosephus:
“No problem. It’s easy to disagree and not be disagreeable. I wouldn’t protect you any less than I’d protect anybody else in this country.”
On that we have always agreed.
And now “Kammie” will tell us to “get a room”.
josef
September 27th, 2012
7:32 pm
DRUDGE
Bahamas, Belize and St. Maarten? Now that’s just TOO funny… seriously, Mec…
Brosephus™
September 27th, 2012
7:33 pm
I think that the entire Congress should have their pay cut in half and they shouldn’t have a retirement plan provided by tax payers….whatever happened to the concept of a public servant?
I can’t say I share that sentiment though. I think part of the problem we have with Congress is related to money and no salary adjustment up or down will alleviate those issues. Their retirement plan is the same as any other Fed worker. If they were around before 84-87, then they’re covered under CSRS, otherwise they’re FERS just like me.
If you don’t want them to collect a huge pension, then don’t re-elect them over and over again. Here’s something interesting I found about Congress and their retirement plan.
As of October 1, 2006, 413 retired Members of Congress were receiving federal
pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service. Of this number, 290
had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $60,972.
A total of 123 Members had retired with service under both CSRS and FERS or with
service under FERS only. Their average annual pension was $35,952 in 2006.
http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30631.pdf
Those who retire under the current plan get a pension that’s nearly half the amount of those on the old system. You can thank Reagan and his Congress for that one.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
7:35 pm
TaxPayer:
I believe the “OWS” crowd has the right to “peaceful” protest as much as that “Anti-Islamic Jihadist” guy has the right to make his film. One and the same.
josef
September 27th, 2012
7:35 pm
MARTIN
Me, too, on the Congressional plan…cut the salary, ride herd on the insider trading type crap, and then, after their service, they can retire comfortably with a good pension…not after having made a bloody killing slopping at the trough of the public coffer…
Brosephus™
September 27th, 2012
7:36 pm
josef
Drudge sounds like he watched that tv show where somebody turned the power off all around the world.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
7:36 pm
Martin the Calvinist:
I believe you are correct on the USSS protection but some of the other needs to be adjusted.
gm
September 27th, 2012
7:36 pm
What does this say about the people that follow this guy? the guys insults them stands in front of them and tell them he feels the middle class pain, Hannity, Rush all the rest of the scum can not save Gordon Gekkon Mitt.
What does this say about a party that support Adkins, there is a reason people like Newt, Rick never came close to being elected backing this guy shows these people have no character sad.
Common Freaking Sense isn't very Common
September 27th, 2012
7:38 pm
Bro
Remember that discussion the other night about you waking up and seeing a BIG WHITE BUTT.
We didn’t say it was FEMALE LOL.
You and Scout GET A ROOM
j/k guys
josef
September 27th, 2012
7:40 pm
JM
That “discord” is strictly for PR purposes…Barack has to play to a liberal base in the US and Bibi to a conservative one in Israel…that’s why I say pay less attention to the b*tch fight and more attention to their lockstep on taking care of bidness…
BROSEPHUS
True…but those three destinations! It sounds like Rush going to Costa Rica…
Doggone/GA
September 27th, 2012
7:44 pm
“That “discord” is strictly for PR purposes”
Yeah, it’s about as believable as “We will bury you”…anyone else remember that one?
getalife
September 27th, 2012
7:44 pm
rafe,
The economy collapsed under w’s watch. Failed occupations a gop rubber stamp congress spent worse than the dems. I watched every minute of it and it was a long eight years of destroying our country. Did you cheer it on like the rest of the cons?
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
7:45 pm
“Presidential retirement benefits were non-existent until the enactment of the Former Presidents Act (FPA) in 1958. ”
Damn that mooslim, sozialist Obama! Screwin’ with America before he wuz borned.
Orange12
September 27th, 2012
7:46 pm
Who was that redneck guy that used to post here awhile back and said his wife weighed about 600 lbs? Aw, he probably couldn’t carry her to collect anyway.
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/09/27/north-american-wife-carrying-championship/
Are YOU registered to vote?
September 27th, 2012
7:47 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP6Mcvgdrtg
Brosephus™
September 27th, 2012
7:47 pm
NoCom
Don’t make me have to hunt you down!!!
————————–
josef
If you’re gonna go all commando and sh*t, why not set a course for paradise. I hope he takes into account that he might get shot out of the air attempting to flee. There’s also the issue of dealing with the customs people on those islands. I don’t think they’ll smile and welcome him with open arms if he’s armed as well as he claims.
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
7:49 pm
“You can thank Reagan and his Congress for that one.”
Obviously, Reagan’s Congress didn’t read the fine print.
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
7:51 pm
“Yeah, it’s about as believable as “We will bury you”…anyone else remember that one?”
Sure do. Where I put the car keys, on the other hand………..
nelson
September 27th, 2012
7:52 pm
It might well be multiple personalities, all effective, all working harmoniously, all vital to the integration of Mitt Romney. We have no counter forces, they are positive reinforcing personalities. You get all in one with only one action, your vote for Mitt on election day. I know, I know, this is a no no, but let us face it, there is simply not enough stimulus money in the whole world to bring the print news back to its former glory, so go ahead and vote for Mitt.
josef
September 27th, 2012
7:53 pm
DOGGONE
Yep.
And glad you’re here…you know that PMS one from last p.m.? I shared it with a friend who’s married to an Iranian and who goes to see his family there all the time…and, it’s a small, small, world after all. The town where it happened is the town the family lives in! She says it sounds like some of the women she know there!
BROSEPHUS
Given your job…Belize! Whoo, law! And he thinks Obama is a crook!
Martin the Calvinist
September 27th, 2012
7:53 pm
Brosephus, just asking, wasn’t that Congress full of Democrats? I didn’t know there “retirement” was the same as yours in terms of plan, I am also under the impression all they have to do is serve 8 years and viola, retirement checks once they aren’t in Congress……I still don’t think they should have that type of benefit though I agree if we really don’t want them to get pensions, vote them out every four years……
getalife
September 27th, 2012
7:53 pm
I don’t think Israel needs any help taking out the visible uranium enrichment facilities he wants to bomb but may need some help on Iran’s response. We have aircraft carriers and battle ships ready for the response.
Getting closer to October surprise.
ragnar danneskjold
September 27th, 2012
7:57 pm
And listening for a true statement from Obama is like searching for the abominable snowman.
Orange12
September 27th, 2012
7:58 pm
“We have aircraft carriers and battle ships ready for the response.”
It depends on who is behind the trigger.
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
7:58 pm
“I don’t think Israel needs any help taking out the visible uranium enrichment facilities he wants to bomb but may need some help on Iran’s response. We have aircraft carriers and battle ships ready for the response.
Getting closer to October surprise.”
Don’t. Even. Go. There.
Jay
September 27th, 2012
8:01 pm
My, our friend Drudge is a graduate of the Tallulah Bankhead School of High Drahma, ain’t he?
F. Sinkwich
September 27th, 2012
8:01 pm
Oops, just another bump in the road:
“Growth in the US economy between April and June has been revised downwards. Gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter grew at an annual rate of 1.3% in the second quarter, down from the previous estimate of 1.7%.”
Bummer.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
8:02 pm
getalife hates our troops. He thinks the ones that retired after risking their lives for 20 to 30 years and get pensions are moochers. So sad.
TaxPayer
September 27th, 2012
8:02 pm
Your comment, scout, has nothing to do with what I stated and I think you know that.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:03 pm
“LOS ANGELES — The California man behind a crudely produced anti-Islamic video posted to YouTube that has inflamed parts of the Middle East was arrested for violating terms of his probation, authorities said Thursday” Aol.
Bummer..
Steve
September 27th, 2012
8:03 pm
I love watching how this place devolves into sheer stupidity combined with paranoia and lunacy.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:04 pm
Scout,
Mitt does.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
8:04 pm
To whom it may concern:
1) Israel has submarines. The Iranian Navy (such as it is) will go to the bottom if they leave port.
2) The Israeli Air Force vs. the Iranian Air Force would be similar to Towson vs. LSU.
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:05 pm
“And listening for a true statement from Obama is like searching for the abominable snowman.”
Why.. why .. this is INCREDIBLE! Monstrous footprints in the snow! IT DOES EXIST!!
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/barack-obama/
Steve
September 27th, 2012
8:05 pm
Oh yeah, and people just making up $hit.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
8:05 pm
TaxPayer:
Which comment ………… I don’t recall an exchange with you this evening.
Orange12
September 27th, 2012
8:05 pm
Steve
Brilliant observation.
Steve
September 27th, 2012
8:07 pm
Oh yeah, and sometimes veiled and sometimes overt bigotry/racism.
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:07 pm
IMAM
Heh, heh! I guess I’m going to just have to get off stage, eh? I think his Mama must’ve been scared by “On the Beach” and “Lord of the Flies” when she was carrying him…
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
8:07 pm
“LOS ANGELES — The California man behind a crudely produced anti-Islamic video posted to YouTube that has inflamed parts of the Middle East was arrested for violating terms of his probation, authorities said Thursday” Aol.’
Two points:
1) If the government went after him because he “really” violated his parole ……….. that’s his problem.
2) If the government went after him because he excercised his right to free speech ………….. that’s our
problem.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:08 pm
Scout,
I think you earned it. I think Americans that paid for Medicare and SS earned it.
Mitt and your party does not. They want to end it. That should be defeated at the voting booth and I think it will be.
F. Sinkwich
September 27th, 2012
8:09 pm
Uh ohhhhhh. More bumps for O’bozo:
“WASHINGTON – New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods in August fell by the most in 3-1/2 years, pointing to a sharp slowdown in factory activity…”
Whatta loser.
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:09 pm
STEVE
Don’t take much to tickle your fancy, does it?
TGT
September 27th, 2012
8:13 pm
Seeking the truth from a liberal is like looking for chastity in a house full of prostitutes—it’s just not there.
TGT
September 27th, 2012
8:13 pm
Seeking the truth from a liberal is like looking for chastity in a house full of prostitutes—it’s just not there.
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:14 pm
Scout: Terms of his parole in 2010: No use of internet for 5 years.
He screwed himself.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
September 27th, 2012
8:14 pm
WASHINGTON – New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods in August fell by the most in 3-1/2 years…
Stale drudgey spam.
Orange12
September 27th, 2012
8:15 pm
Josef,
I don’t Steve can make the cut in the “slam bang, laugh in the face of death” world of junior league liberaliasm. Maybe he wasn’t properly vetted.
Steve
September 27th, 2012
8:15 pm
Josef, no – it gets old when you read the same bumper sticker absolutely fact-less lies that right wingers spew here. Very few intelligent conversations, and the ones that are are so clearly biased towards the “I watch Fox news but score the lowest on understanding reality or current events” test.
Steve
September 27th, 2012
8:17 pm
I’m sorry but who would you rather hang out with? A bunch of constipated out-dated fear driven money grubbing hypocritical uptight conservatives, or educated liberals who give a damn about more than their person tax breaks.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
September 27th, 2012
8:18 pm
The man who sent sex text in error to ALL his contacts… and ended up in prison
Fresh drudgey spam.
Brosephus™
September 27th, 2012
8:19 pm
Mr_B
Do they ever read the fine print?
————————–
josef
Let him dream. I would love to see the look on his face when reality hit him. Knowing what I’ve learned about other countries, people like Drudge make me laugh with their stories of impending doom. They don’t know half of what goes on elsewhere.
————————-
Martin
I think you have to complete 5 years to be fully vested in the retirement plan. I think it was Reagan and Democrats at the time, but many of those Dems were Blue Dogs and not necessarily Liberal Dems.
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:19 pm
“I have no issues with Scout personally. However, his holier-than-thou attitude is something else”
Amen and agreed. As I told him, I have no doubt he earned what he is receiving.
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:19 pm
I personally think the idiot who is responsible for “The Innocence of Muslims” ought to get to spend the remainder of his sentence at Gitmo.
TGT
September 27th, 2012
8:21 pm
Behold a bit of the truth libs, if you dare.
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:22 pm
TGT
“Seeking the truth from a liberal is like looking for chastity in a house full of prostitutes—it’s just not there.”
But that doesn’t seem to stop the conservatives from frequenting said establishments, eh? I guess you just must be Diogenes of the Ho House!
STEVE
Well, what would you like to discuss? The Socio-economic strata of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia in the transition from the Ian Smith regime to the Mugabe dictatorship?
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:23 pm
“I don’t take drugs. I have to work for a living. Your time spent here says you don’t.”
How does a blogger know so much of another blogger’s frequency unless they are on at least as much?
You fool yourself too much. It isn’t a good way of living.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:24 pm
My tolerance for our cons is a work in progress and can be frustrating at times.
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
September 27th, 2012
8:25 pm
getalife:
“Mitt and your party does not.”
Mitt believes (as I and millions of other America voters do) that too many people (way too many) live in a culture of government dependency and they are taking money from people that have REAL needs.
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:26 pm
Scout @ 8:04
Agreed 100% that is why I do not get so concerned with the right’s preoccupation with Obama and Israel……..
TGT
September 27th, 2012
8:26 pm
I’m not seeking josef, I’m dishing it out.
Orange12
September 27th, 2012
8:27 pm
The Obama and Administration theme song. “We’re so sorry Uncle Albert”. Just substitute Albert with Sam.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:27 pm
“I don’t take drugs. I have to work for a living. Your time spent here says you don’t.”
Great, a blog drug test.
Do we have to pee on the screen?
Jay
September 27th, 2012
8:29 pm
TGT, the irony of sanctimoniously preaching the importance of truth and honesty while citing David Barton as your example is, well, hilarious. You’d be just as well off citing Madonna as an example of chastity.
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/high-tide-and-turn/2012/aug/23/david-barton-gets-lesson-honesty/
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:29 pm
TGT
And who is that on Christopher Columbus right? Really, do you know?
POCAHONTAS…
Hmmm…she might ought’ve not gone for that white booty, given what came later, eh?
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:30 pm
Scout,
Are you saying paying for SS and Medicare all your lives is dependency?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
September 27th, 2012
8:30 pm
Well I see Senior Digits is listing his beliefs…. If they are in order… I believe I missed Box 26, Nigerian Princes offering millions, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Dorita Taco Extreme Lite.
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:31 pm
getalife
The jealous punk knows when you post and how much I post, but he is only here occasionally…………
My work record speak it self…… I do not need his 20 yr cube working self to acknowledge me in any form or fashion. Not my problem that he can’t break into the ranks of managment
Old Goober
September 27th, 2012
8:31 pm
The man who sent sex text in error to ALL his contacts… and ended up in prison
Still not as embarrassing as the e-mail the head of Sun Microsystems sent out some 20 years. He thought he was sending it to his sales staff, but he entered the DL for a bunch of nuns instead. It read, “I want you to get your azzes in gear and get out there and sell, sell, sell.”
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:31 pm
TGT; OK, I beheld. Your point is….? That many early US politicians were Christians. OK, conceded. So am I. Am I supposed to be impressed or something?
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:32 pm
TGT,
You dished it out but can you take it?
Brosephus™
September 27th, 2012
8:32 pm
Why is the media mistreating Romney…
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-27/romney-i-dig-it-trust-gives-heirs-triple-benefit.html
Jay
September 27th, 2012
8:33 pm
I mean, when your fellow conservative historians lead in condemning you as a fraud, and when your own publisher pulls your books off the shelves as unsellable because of all the lies they contain, you’re not exactly a paragon of truth, are you?
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:34 pm
I’m laying odds 10-1 TGT don’t know who that feller with Ole Chris is, much less his story. Blows the hell out of the theory of the Christian founding!
Marty Huggins'
September 27th, 2012
8:36 pm
I for one am absolutely shocked! Shocked I say that an American politician would say one thig and do another or say something at one time then change that statement to be the opposite.
Especially just to gain a political advantage or to get votes.
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies….Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt and a failure of leadership. America deserves better.”
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:36 pm
“The jealous punk knows when you post and how much I post, but he is only here occasionally…………”
That is bizarre.
Sounds like he wishes he had more time to blog .
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:40 pm
Where did TGT go?
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:41 pm
getalife
He may not be posting, but he is here a lot………….. No coincidence
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:43 pm
Both,
I think they are called lurkers .
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
September 27th, 2012
8:44 pm
Where did TGT go?
Barack’s Candy Mountain.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:45 pm
Marty,
Did you think he was perfect?
kayaker 71
September 27th, 2012
8:46 pm
Marty, 8:36,
Bookman would never post something like this. He will post photos of Romney, one upside down, but quotes like this?…… never. Bookman doesn’t know the meaning of fairness or of objectivity. He is so solidly in the tank for this clown in the WH that telling only part of the story is the end game. It is disgusting.
Jay
September 27th, 2012
8:47 pm
TGT might not have come here seeking truth, but I suspect he got some anyway.
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:47 pm
Where did TGT go? I hope he’s seeing who that feller with Columbus was!
Marty Huggins'
September 27th, 2012
8:49 pm
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:45 pm
Nope!
But if I’m willing to overlook something for one person I’m usually willing to overlook that same thing in another person.
Guess its just that fairness thing in me.
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:50 pm
Kayaker
For the 1 millionth time; Bookman writes opinion columns. You ever read Wingfield praising Obama? Sure you didn’t.
Did it get you riled up because he has a right leaning perspective to his writings? Sure it didn’t.
Man of your intellect fully comprehends that opinion writers and talk show host, have a lean one way or the other , right?
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:51 pm
josef
TGT doesn’t want google, bing or yahoo to be his friend.
Facts would be like kyrptonite to him.
No need for that
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:52 pm
“Bookman would never post something like this. He will post photos of Romney, one upside down, but quotes like this?…”
And yet we have seen the same quote posted on this blog scores, possibly hundreds of times in the last two years. Guess Ol’ Jay just ain’t that good at suppressin’ the truth.
Marty Huggins'
September 27th, 2012
8:52 pm
kayaker 71
September 27th, 2012
8:46 pm
It’s his blog the rest of us are just freeloaders.
He can post whatever he wants, doesn’t mean we have to agree.
I usually don’t but there is the rare day.
Free speech is Grand!
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:53 pm
TGT
Did you go to redstate.com? …………. No left leaning allowed
They BOTH suck
September 27th, 2012
8:53 pm
Marty
Thank you
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:54 pm
TGT is checking out the local house of ill repute for chasity.
getalife
September 27th, 2012
8:55 pm
Marty,
Whew, I thought you bought the messiah stuff.
He is a politician.
Jay
September 27th, 2012
8:57 pm
Politicians, just like people in their daily lives, say or may even believe different things at different points or when speaking to different audiences, Marty.
It is something else entirely to say two diametrically opposite things within 10 minutes of each other, and to state both things with equal (in)sincerity. In other words, there is no comparison, try as you might strain to claim one.
Romney is the king of flip flops. Next to him, John Kerry is a mere count and Barack Obama a minor baronet.
yuzeyurbrane
September 27th, 2012
8:57 pm
Jay, I believe there is a word for Romney: chameleon.
Marty Huggins'
September 27th, 2012
8:57 pm
Mr_B
September 27th, 2012
8:54 pm
TGT is checking out the local house of ill repute for chasity.
———————-
That’s great I haven’t heard “house of I’ll repute” since my dad passed.
Odd how that kind of thing can give one a fond memory
josef
September 27th, 2012
8:59 pm
BOTH
He’d only find bits and pieces and a lot of it incorrect if he did go googling and binging this fellow…he’s one of the great heroes of my life! Let’s just say for starters that he was Jewish and one badass Jewboy at that…he was the first European on record to set foot on American soil and the first on record to settle down and raise a family in the Americas…ah! But the story behind the story…waaay too much to go into here, but one of my projects for retirement is to write his story in full…