Mitt Romney's 9 worst clueless-rich-man gaffes
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,676
Leadership quality? You be the judge:
http://news.yahoo.com/mitt-romneys-9-wo ... 00227.html
The GOP presidential contender is among the nation's wealthiest Americans — and he keeps reminding voters by sticking his well-heeled foot in his mouth
"For Mitt Romney, ad-libbing is becoming a liability," says Reid Epstein at Politico. When the normally on-script Romney makes off-the-cuff remarks, the result is often one "YouTube-worthy moment" after another, readymade for attack ads from his GOP presidential rivals or President Obama's campaign. And the super wealthy "Romney's gaffes are almost always related to his economic status," says David Weigel at Slate. Let's call it "Romneying," or making "unforced references to one's own economic success." Here, nine of the best (or worst) "Romneyisms":
1. He pals around with NASCAR team owners
NASCAR races tend to be fertile ground for Republican presidential candidates, so Romney went to the (rain-delayed) inaugural race of the NASCAR season, the Daytona 500, on Feb. 26. When an AP reporter asked Mitt if he follows NASCAR, Romney replied: "Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends that are NASCAR team owners." Ooof, says Slate's Weigel. "The reference to 'ardent fans' would have been enough; the reminder that he sups among the super-rich was totally gratuitous."
SEE MORE: Romney on the precipice
2. His wife drives "a couple of Cadillacs"
Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club on Feb. 24, Romney went off-script to speak of his love for his home state, where the cars are made in Detroit and "the trees are the right height." Mitt was also quick to remind the crowd that he drives Michigan-made cars — a Ford Mustang and a Chevy pickup — and that his wife "drives a couple of Cadillacs." Considering the Motor City's high poverty rate, bragging about owning two $35,000-plus Caddies is "rich, literally," says Charles Blow in The New York Times.
SEE MORE: 5 factors behind Mitt Romney's Michigan 'comeback'
3. He's not concerned about the very poor
Elated over his campaign-saving victory in the Florida primary, Romney interrupted his victory lap on Feb. 1 to tell CNN's Soledad O'Brien: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." His consultants must have been "gnashing their teeth at this remark," says Ed Kilgore at Washington Monthly. Regardless of the broader point he was trying to make, "it's this tone-deafness that makes a lot of Republicans nervous about Mitt Romney as a general-election candidate."
SEE MORE: Mitt Romney's disputed CPAC and Maine wins: What they mean
4. He thinks $374,000 is "not very much" money
On Jan. 17, after a week of hounding from his GOP rivals and the media, Romney agreed to release his tax returns. The former private-equity businessman continues to make most of his income from investments, but also noted that he gets "speakers' fees from time to time, but not very much." The problem is that "not very much" was $374,000 last year, says Michael Gerson in The Washington Post. It's great the Romney's wealthy, but if he wants to win, he has to stop talking about money "as though engaged in a discussion with his stockbroker."
SEE MORE: The Romney revolt: Has the GOP base turned on him?
5. He likes "being able to fire people"
On Jan. 9, Romney talked up his prescription for health insurance reform, suggesting that insurance policies shouldn't necessarily be tied to your employer. That means, he said, "if you don't like what [insurers] do, you could fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me." The bit about firing people was immediately ripped out of context, says Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post, but it doesn't help that "the look on Romney's face when he says this line is right out of evil-boss-man central casting."
SEE MORE: Mitt Romney's Cadillacs boast: Gaffe or 'brilliant pander'?
6. He claims to have feared the pink slip
A day earlier, on Jan. 8, Romney commiserated with a group of New Hampshire voters, saying that he knows what it's like to "worry whether you're going to get fired," and that when he first started working in finance, "there were a couple of times I wondered whether I was going to get a pink slip." That set up Texas Gov. Rick Perry's best line of his (now defunct) campaign: "Now I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips — whether he was going to have enough of them to hand out."
SEE MORE: Will Mitt Romney's 'pro-rich' tax plan revive his campaign?
7. He casually bets $10,000
Perry and Romney had a pretty heated exchange at the Dec. 10 GOP debate in Des Moines, Iowa. Perry claimed that Romney was trying to bury his past support for health insurance mandates, and when he wouldn't back down, Romney stuck out his hand and said: "Rick, I'll tell you what. Ten thousand bucks? Ten thousand dollar bet?" That was a "huge unforced error" that played right to Romney's greatest vulnerability: He "seems rich, elite, and out of touch," says Mark McKinnon at The Daily Beast.
SEE MORE: Can crossover Democrats sink Mitt Romney in Michigan?
8. He believes corporations are people
About a month before Occupy Wall Street came into existence, Romney was challenged by hecklers at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 11. When Romney said he opposed raising taxes to pay for entitlement programs, a man shouted out "Corporations!" Undaunted, Romney shot back: "Corporations are people, my friend.... Of course they are. Everything corporations earn also goes to people." At least "'Corporations are people, my friend' makes a nice bumper sticker" for giggling progressives, says David Dayen at Firedoglake.
SEE MORE: Mitt Romney's plan to 'nuke Santorum': Will it work?
9. He jokes about being unemployed
Romney held a coffee chat with a group of Florida job-seekers last June, telling them, "I'm also unemployed." The unemployed voters laughed good-naturedly, but not everybody found the quip funny. Romney has a "gift for odd, awkward, delusional gaffes," says Tom Levenson at Balloon Juice. It's this kind of joke that will keep the "ridiculously wealthy Romney" from ever persuading "the common clay that his is just like the least among us." He shouldn't even try.
http://news.yahoo.com/mitt-romneys-9-wo ... 00227.html
The GOP presidential contender is among the nation's wealthiest Americans — and he keeps reminding voters by sticking his well-heeled foot in his mouth
"For Mitt Romney, ad-libbing is becoming a liability," says Reid Epstein at Politico. When the normally on-script Romney makes off-the-cuff remarks, the result is often one "YouTube-worthy moment" after another, readymade for attack ads from his GOP presidential rivals or President Obama's campaign. And the super wealthy "Romney's gaffes are almost always related to his economic status," says David Weigel at Slate. Let's call it "Romneying," or making "unforced references to one's own economic success." Here, nine of the best (or worst) "Romneyisms":
1. He pals around with NASCAR team owners
NASCAR races tend to be fertile ground for Republican presidential candidates, so Romney went to the (rain-delayed) inaugural race of the NASCAR season, the Daytona 500, on Feb. 26. When an AP reporter asked Mitt if he follows NASCAR, Romney replied: "Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans. But I have some great friends that are NASCAR team owners." Ooof, says Slate's Weigel. "The reference to 'ardent fans' would have been enough; the reminder that he sups among the super-rich was totally gratuitous."
SEE MORE: Romney on the precipice
2. His wife drives "a couple of Cadillacs"
Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club on Feb. 24, Romney went off-script to speak of his love for his home state, where the cars are made in Detroit and "the trees are the right height." Mitt was also quick to remind the crowd that he drives Michigan-made cars — a Ford Mustang and a Chevy pickup — and that his wife "drives a couple of Cadillacs." Considering the Motor City's high poverty rate, bragging about owning two $35,000-plus Caddies is "rich, literally," says Charles Blow in The New York Times.
SEE MORE: 5 factors behind Mitt Romney's Michigan 'comeback'
3. He's not concerned about the very poor
Elated over his campaign-saving victory in the Florida primary, Romney interrupted his victory lap on Feb. 1 to tell CNN's Soledad O'Brien: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." His consultants must have been "gnashing their teeth at this remark," says Ed Kilgore at Washington Monthly. Regardless of the broader point he was trying to make, "it's this tone-deafness that makes a lot of Republicans nervous about Mitt Romney as a general-election candidate."
SEE MORE: Mitt Romney's disputed CPAC and Maine wins: What they mean
4. He thinks $374,000 is "not very much" money
On Jan. 17, after a week of hounding from his GOP rivals and the media, Romney agreed to release his tax returns. The former private-equity businessman continues to make most of his income from investments, but also noted that he gets "speakers' fees from time to time, but not very much." The problem is that "not very much" was $374,000 last year, says Michael Gerson in The Washington Post. It's great the Romney's wealthy, but if he wants to win, he has to stop talking about money "as though engaged in a discussion with his stockbroker."
SEE MORE: The Romney revolt: Has the GOP base turned on him?
5. He likes "being able to fire people"
On Jan. 9, Romney talked up his prescription for health insurance reform, suggesting that insurance policies shouldn't necessarily be tied to your employer. That means, he said, "if you don't like what [insurers] do, you could fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me." The bit about firing people was immediately ripped out of context, says Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post, but it doesn't help that "the look on Romney's face when he says this line is right out of evil-boss-man central casting."
SEE MORE: Mitt Romney's Cadillacs boast: Gaffe or 'brilliant pander'?
6. He claims to have feared the pink slip
A day earlier, on Jan. 8, Romney commiserated with a group of New Hampshire voters, saying that he knows what it's like to "worry whether you're going to get fired," and that when he first started working in finance, "there were a couple of times I wondered whether I was going to get a pink slip." That set up Texas Gov. Rick Perry's best line of his (now defunct) campaign: "Now I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips — whether he was going to have enough of them to hand out."
SEE MORE: Will Mitt Romney's 'pro-rich' tax plan revive his campaign?
7. He casually bets $10,000
Perry and Romney had a pretty heated exchange at the Dec. 10 GOP debate in Des Moines, Iowa. Perry claimed that Romney was trying to bury his past support for health insurance mandates, and when he wouldn't back down, Romney stuck out his hand and said: "Rick, I'll tell you what. Ten thousand bucks? Ten thousand dollar bet?" That was a "huge unforced error" that played right to Romney's greatest vulnerability: He "seems rich, elite, and out of touch," says Mark McKinnon at The Daily Beast.
SEE MORE: Can crossover Democrats sink Mitt Romney in Michigan?
8. He believes corporations are people
About a month before Occupy Wall Street came into existence, Romney was challenged by hecklers at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 11. When Romney said he opposed raising taxes to pay for entitlement programs, a man shouted out "Corporations!" Undaunted, Romney shot back: "Corporations are people, my friend.... Of course they are. Everything corporations earn also goes to people." At least "'Corporations are people, my friend' makes a nice bumper sticker" for giggling progressives, says David Dayen at Firedoglake.
SEE MORE: Mitt Romney's plan to 'nuke Santorum': Will it work?
9. He jokes about being unemployed
Romney held a coffee chat with a group of Florida job-seekers last June, telling them, "I'm also unemployed." The unemployed voters laughed good-naturedly, but not everybody found the quip funny. Romney has a "gift for odd, awkward, delusional gaffes," says Tom Levenson at Balloon Juice. It's this kind of joke that will keep the "ridiculously wealthy Romney" from ever persuading "the common clay that his is just like the least among us." He shouldn't even try.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
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Corporations are groups of people. That part is correct.0
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Right, exactly. But a corporation is not a person.Vitalogy Man wrote:Corporations are groups of people. That part is correct.
What about the other points made here?"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
story up here is that romney was waxing poetic to a detroit crowd about a forlorn time ... the golden jubilee and how he remembered those good times ... problem is he wasn't born yet ... apparently none of the US media outlets noticed the guy was lying and never bothered to hold him accountable ...0
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Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.hippiemom = goodness0
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cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
one-liner? ... the guy was telling a story about how he was at an event he physically could not have been at ...0 -
cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
Yes, I suppose that could be said about any candidate. But this does illustrate, yet again how desperately we do need better candidates. But the point is, there are just too many gaffes here to brush aside. And look at who is at the receiving end of these gaffes. Who gets shafted by this kind of thinking? Most likely, you and me. Do we really want this kind of person to be our president?"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
polaris_x wrote:cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
one-liner? ... the guy was telling a story about how he was at an event he physically could not have been at ...
The one about firing people is out of context, but most of these are fair game.
Reading Mitt's latest gaffe does make me smile while whiling away the day at my shitty job.
Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila, PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24; Pittsburgh 5/16/25; Pittsburgh 5/18/25
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/160 -
Johnny Abruzzo wrote:The one about firing people is out of context, but most of these are fair game.
Reading Mitt's latest gaffe does make me smile while whiling away the day at my shitty job.
i'm referring to this ...
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/artic ... asn-t-born
Romney recalled he was “probably 4 or something like that” the day of the Golden Jubilee, when three-quarters of a million people gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the American automobile.
....
And it took place June 1, 1946 — fully nine months before Romney was born.0 -
polaris_x wrote:cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
one-liner? ... the guy was telling a story about how he was at an event he physically could not have been at ...
I was responding to the OP and the article.hippiemom = goodness0 -
brianlux wrote:cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
Yes, I suppose that could be said about any candidate. But this does illustrate, yet again how desperately we do need better candidates. But the point is, there are just too many gaffes here to brush aside. And look at who is at the receiving end of these gaffes. Who gets shafted by this kind of thinking? Most likely, you and me. Do we really want this kind of person to be our president?
I think he'd be better than the other guy.hippiemom = goodness0 -
cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
"what's sauce for the goose is now sauce for the gander." - Mittens Romney
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... he-gander/0 -
I think its hard for rich people to hide it ...
should they have to?
really I drive a caddy I am poor
Cadillac is not a status symbol car of the very rich... even two :?
that's a little weird though where's the Jaguar or Benz ?
Mitt drives a truck and a mustang... keepin low profile
I think I shouldn't know any of this crap ...
seems policy and real issues don't make the news as much
as all this other junk the last year
reading that list I thought most could apply to any of the wealthy candidates
and aren't they all compared to you and I ?0 -
polaris_x wrote:cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
one-liner? ... the guy was telling a story about how he was at an event he physically could not have been at ...
Ya, and Obama marched on the Edmund-Pettus Bridge and Hillary dodged sniper fire at the airport....
Politicians lie...0 -
All of this is no different from the Obama birth certificate stuff. Just a distraction by people who are looking for a reason not to like the guy even more than they already do. We're not digging out of this until we collectively spend more time forming opinions on foreign policy, monetary policy, and economic policy then voting accordingly.0
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pandora wrote:I think I shouldn't know any of this crap ...
It's stuff that he brings up all on his own. Nobody asked him if he wanted to bet $10,000 or how many Caddies his wife has - he volunteered it. People aren't digging this up; he's digging his own holes while he tries to act like a "commoner".Spectrum 10/27/09; New Orleans JazzFest 5/1/10; Made in America 9/2/12; Phila, PA 10/21/13; Phila, PA 10/22/13; Baltimore Arena 10/27/13; Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22; Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24; Pittsburgh 5/16/25; Pittsburgh 5/18/25
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/160 -
I wanna see Romney's birth certificatepolaris_x wrote:cincybearcat wrote:Meh, again, if you want better candidates and debates, stop taking one-liners out of context.
one-liner? ... the guy was telling a story about how he was at an event he physically could not have been at ... 0 -
Johnny Abruzzo wrote:pandora wrote:I think I shouldn't know any of this crap ...
It's stuff that he brings up all on his own. Nobody asked him if he wanted to bet $10,000 or how many Caddies his wife has - he volunteered it. People aren't digging this up; he's digging his own holes while he tries to act like a "commoner".
And you've never bet someone $1,000,000 on something? Some of this is so stupid.
None of this has anything to do with how well he might run the country. Just another attempt at class warfare by a group of people that get votes from people by giving them stuff and keeping them in the need.hippiemom = goodness0 -
he said "corporations are people"...Vitalogy Man wrote:Corporations are groups of people. That part is correct.
if that is the case, why the hell is it so hard to sue a corporation for damages when it harms people or the environment? individuals are found liable for things all the time, yet it is nearly impossible to sue a corporation and WIN. the supreme court is about to hear a case that is challenging the "corporations are people" contention, and how they rule on this new case could directly contradict the citizens united ruling....it is going to be interesting for sure...."You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."0 -
gimmesometruth27 wrote:
he said "corporations are people"...Vitalogy Man wrote:Corporations are groups of people. That part is correct.
if that is the case, why the hell is it so hard to sue a corporation for damages when it harms people or the environment? individuals are found liable for things all the time, yet it is nearly impossible to sue a corporation and WIN. the supreme court is about to hear a case that is challenging the "corporations are people" contention, and how they rule on this new case could directly contradict the citizens united ruling....it is going to be interesting for sure....
Excellent point! And of course you're question (which could be taken as a well phrased rhetorical question) could be answered, "Because that corporation is more than a Goliath, it's more like a Goliath- Collective." It's easier to win a law suit against an individual than it is against the Borg."It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
pjl44 wrote:All of this is no different from the Obama birth certificate stuff. Just a distraction by people who are looking for a reason not to like the guy even more than they already do. We're not digging out of this until we collectively spend more time forming opinions on foreign policy, monetary policy, and economic policy then voting accordingly.
Generally, I agree with you, pjl44, but I think the point of the article is to make it clear what Romney's attitude is towards many of the people he wishes to represent. Flaunting ones wealth and giving the impression of not caring for the less fortunate- I think these are worth taking note of. I posted the article for that reason and no, we really don't need to spend a lot of time on this thread- there's more important work to be done. So yes, I agree with you that forming opinions on foreign policy, monetary policy, and economic policy are very important and deserve more of our time and consideration."It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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