The Nature of Things

Did you see the Romneys' television interview with Chris Wallace on Fox over the weekend? No, I didn't either, but I read reports of it today and it is clear to me that these two out-of-touch individuals, living in their own privileged world, still do not get it. They were so sure that it was "their turn" to occupy the White House, that they were destined to win a huge victory last November. They just do not understand how it all could have gone so wrong. But they have their theories. Mitt believes it was all those goodies that the dastardly Obama gave the country, particularly the Affordable Care Act which guaranteed health care to so many people who hadn't been able to afford it before. He said that he underestimated its popularity, but that it motivated all those poor people and the brown, black, and young people, to get out and vote. For Obama. Of course, in Mitt's view, all the rich white people, who are totally altruistic and who had more concern for t...

Remember way, way back a few weeks ago when we learned what Mitt Romney really thought about 47 percent of his fellow Americans ? "Those people" who it was his job not to worry about? In retrospect, those uninhibited remarks that Romney made to a bunch of his billionaire and millionaire supporters in Boca Raton, Florida may have been the final nail in the coffin of his doomed presidential candidacy. Once Americans learned how he disdained them, it was very hard for them to warm up to him. So Romney lost the election.The final total of votes still hasn't been calculated, as some votes are still being counted, but today a significant and highly ironic milestone was reached. Today Romney's percentage of total votes dipped to 47.48%, while President Obama's stands at 50.8%. In other words, President Obama's rounded percentage is 51%; Mitt Romney's rounded percentage is - wait for it! - 47% . And irony rules the day.

First it was Paul Ryan blaming the Republicans' loss on "urban" voters . Wonder who he could have been referring to? No doubt all those people who listen for "dog whistles" understood him very well. Of course, Ryan neglected to mention that his ticket  also lost predominately white and rural states like Iowa and New Hampshire, and underperformed in Midwestern states, but then the flimflam man has never lived in a reality-based state.  Speaking of the state where he does live, Wisconsin, he lost that, too, AND he lost his own home town !  Then along came Ryan's partner in losing, Mr. Romney. Speaking this week to donors to his campaign, he blamed the loss on President Obama giving "gifts" to various segments of voters . Here's just a snippet of his insulting remarks about "those people" who didn't vote for him; you know, that irresponsible 47 percent. Except it turned out to be 51 percent. With regards to the young people, for ins...

Who was that sweating man in the presidential debate last night? It certainly wasn't Mitt Romney, at least not the Mitt Romney we've come to know over the last eighteen months or so. No, this was a much milder version, a candidate who thinks we "can't kill our way out of this." That'll be a big surprise to the neocons with whom he surrounds himself and who he trusts as foreign policy advisers and who would likely serve in a Romney administration. Secretary of State John Bolton, anybody? Last night Romney shook that Etch-A-Sketch for all it was worth. No longer is he panting to get into another war in the Middle East. Belligerence toward China is all but gone. It's right that we should get out of Afghanistan by 2014. And, of course, President Romney would have taken out Osama bin Laden! What president wouldn't?   He essentially reversed every foreign policy position he has taken in his entire campaign. He hopes that the stupid voters, especially the st...

As usual, the most cogent commentary on the latest Romney debacle comes from Jon Stewart. The Daily Show Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Meanwhile the Rush Limbaugh/Fox News brigade is urging Romney to own his out-of-touch statements and not back down. It looks like Romney is heeding their advice . There will probably be even more fodder for Jon Stewart very soon. He and all the other late night comedians must bless the day that the Republicans nominated Romney.

I am beginning to be thoroughly pissed off by Mitt and Ann Romney and their rich friends. This latest debacle with the video secretly shot when Mitt thought he was among his own kind and could freely speak his mind is just one more example of people who are so divorced from the real world that the rest of us live in that you have to wonder just why the man would ever condescend to even want to be president of a people that he so thoroughly despises. Oh, I forgot - it's the power and the opportunity to make even more money for himself and his friends. That's all it's ever about with him. There is no bottom line except the bottom line. The most appalling thing about this video is that it reveals that this is what he really believes!  It's not just red meat for the base. He was speaking off the cuff and apparently from the heart so we have to assume that he really believes that 47% of the citizens of this country are worthless moochers . Where does one even begin? Well,...

Mitt Romney may be an absolute whiz when it comes to making money by shutting down companies and outsourcing jobs, but when it comes to understanding the way the real world works, he's an idiot. That's the only explanation I can see for his behavior in response to recent events in the Middle East. Moreover, not only is he an idiot, he is a craven political opportunist willing to make "profit" from capitalizing on the deaths of devoted American public servants who put their lives on the line every day to protect and defend the interests of this country. In that sense, not only is he an idiot and an opportunist, he is unpatriotic. I can write that last paragraph because we have freedom of speech in this country. It is a concept that is sometimes hard for people in other parts of the world to fully understand. So when they see or hear of an offensive anti-Muslim film like the one that was used as an excuse to incite the riot in Benghazi that resulted in the deaths of fo...

So now we know who all the candidates will be in the November presidential election. It's Obama-Biden for the Democrats and Romney-Ryan for the Tea Party Republicans. Three months of listening to the Randian Ryan and the robot Romney. It's going to be a long autumn. The two seem made for each other really. The inauthentic, espouse-any-position-to-win Romney and the phony baloney deficit fighter Ryan. Neither of them is a friend to truth. Paul Krugman has written extensively over the last couple of years about the Ryan budget and about the phony math which drives it. He had another post about it on his blog today, wherein he opines that the selection of Ryan as vice-presidential candidate was really about " exploiting the gullibility and vanity of the news media, in much the same way that George W. Bush did in 2000. " "...it’s because many commentators want to tell a story about US politics that makes them feel and look good — a story in which both parties are eq...

"Let me also say categorically: I have paid taxes every year. A lot of taxes. A lot of taxes." - Mitt Romney Harry Reid has really gotten under Mitt Romney's very thin skin with his statement that he has been told by someone from Bain Capital that Romney didn't pay any taxes for at least ten years . Romney keeps sputtering indignantly that yes, he did, too, pay taxes! A lot of them! And we should just trust him on that and drop the subject. Then he goes on to say that Harry should "put up or shut up." Put up what? Harry's financial disclosure forms are a matter of public record. It's Mitt's that are in question. And Reid is just reporting what someone has told him. He doesn't vouch for its accuracy, although he claims the person is a reliable source with knowledge of Romney's finances. This squabble is obviously very easily resolved. Again as Reid has pointed out, all Romney has to do to prove that the statement is inaccurate is to releas...

Mitt Romney goes to London, which is awash in preparations and excitement for the Olympics and also awash in hope that the Games will give the city and the country an economic boost, and he promptly rains on their parade . He called their preparations "disconcerting" and questioned the city's enthusiasm for the Olympics. He went on to say,  “The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the  immigration  and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging. ” As for whether Londoners and the British public in general are really looking forward to the games, here's what Romney had to say:  “Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment?” he asked about the British people. “That’s something which we only find out once the Games actually begin.” Honestly, Mitt, didn't your Mama ever teach you that if you can't say something nice about someone, just don't say anything at all? And di...

Poor Mitt Romney. He just keeps sticking his foot further and further into his mouth, repeatedly proving that he doesn't really have a clue about how average people live in this country. His latest clumsy effort at "connecting" with his audience was at Otterbein University last week where he told students,  “Take a shot, go for it, take a risk, get the education, borrow money if you have to from your parents, start a business,”  In advising them to borrow from the Bank of Mom and Dad, he cited a friend of his who took out a $20,000 loan from his parents. Never mind that $20,000 wouldn't even see a student through most (if not all) public universities today, I guess if you don't have parents that are rich enough to front you the money, you would just be out of luck in Romneyworld. Students who are poor or middle class who have dreams of a college education need not apply.   When did investing in educating our young become considered poor social policy and poor pol...

One of the funnier things in the political news of the week has been the sight of Mitt Romney trying to cozy up to Southerners as the Republican primaries move to Mississippi and Alabama next week. Romney has been talking about how much he likes grits and about how he's learning to say "y'all." Of course, he's already tried to woo NASCAR fans, talking about how some of his best friends are NASCAR team owners. I'm sorry to tell Mr. Romney that the real test of being able to employ true Southern-speak is not being able to use "y'all" correctly. (Non-Southerners almost always make the mistake of using it as a singular noun, when any true Southerner knows it is always plural.) No, the true test is being able to use the catchphrase, "Bless his/her heart!" convincingly. "Bless his heart" is the phrase used by Southerners, Southern women, in particular, to indicate that no ill will is intended by what is being said - even if it is,...

After weeks of seemingly taking for granted that he would win in Michigan, Mitt Romney is now playing down the state , trying to lower expectations. I guess he's been reading the polls which have shown Rick Santorum leading him by a substantial margin. Actually, in polls released today, there seems to be a swing back toward Romney , but Santorum still leads. Significantly, though Romney likes to claim Michigan as one of his "home states," the people there don't buy it. Two-thirds of those who participated in the poll did not consider him a Michigander. In fact, Republican voters across the country don't seem to be buying much of what Romney is selling these days. Even if he manages to eke out a win in Michigan now, voters really, really don't seem to like him and are not ready to get behind him in a big way. But do they like Santorum any better? Well, women don't, and for good reason since he seems intent on denying them basic rights to health care. Not t...

Poor, poor Mitt Romney. He just can't get any respect from his own party. And if he can't get them to fall in line, how will he ever win a general election? By now, it was supposed to be all over but the shouting . He was supposed to be able to show his strength in these February primaries and caucuses and put to rest any doubts about his ability to appeal to the base. Instead, he has lost a majority of the contests to Rick Santorum (!) and barely scraped by on others. True, he did win Florida by a good margin, but that's looking less and less impressive. I think the problem with Mitt is that no one really knows who he is. He's afraid to show them who he is for fear they will turn against him. In fact, if he could just once take a real authentic stand on...anything, really, it might actually turn things around for him. But he doesn't trust himself to do that. Maybe he's switched sides so many times and tied himself into so many knots trying to make himself attra...