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		Mitt Romney: The man who wasn't there (thedailybeast.com)		167
		More: Interesting, Michael Tomasky, Mitt Romney, Cory Booker, state legislators, LDS Church, Massachusetts General Court, Zachary Taylor

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Sock Ruh Tease		2012-06-17 08:27:32 AM

FTA: George H.W. Bush was a war hero, a pilot shot down in the Pacific. All those other war heroes, going back to Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce.

Go back farther. It's okay.

upload.wikimedia.org

LargeCanine		2012-06-17 08:44:39 AM

Bad case of Projection.

mark.jms		2012-06-17 08:47:48 AM

oh and once I saw a blimp: The fun will really start when he opens up, even a little, about Mormonism. Jeremiah Wright was nothing compared to some of the things Mormon leaders have said over the years, right up to the present day. The Adam-God stuff, Joseph Smith claiming to be the new Mohammed, the cover-ups, the salamanders, the anti-masturbation pamphlets, the Sisters in Zion lectures, blacks and the priesthood, and so much more. Buckle up, Mittens.

I'mma gonna go out on a limb here, because it's early in the morning. I immediately thought of this when I read that:

upload.wikimedia.org

The problem with that, obviously, is I can't think of a compelling reason I'm not correct. That's how weird everything is.

It does, however, make Mormonism a lot cooler, though. Wonder what level Cleric ye olde' Mitt is?

tomWright		2012-06-17 08:53:49 AM

Mitt Rmoney does not need to do anything. He is a job creator who pays other people to do it for him.
spatialorientationblog.files.wordpress.com

Great_Milenko		2012-06-17 08:56:03 AM

oh and once I saw a blimp: The fun will really start when he opens up, even a little, about Mormonism. Jeremiah Wright was nothing compared to some of the things Mormon leaders have said over the years, right up to the present day. The Adam-God stuff, Joseph Smith claiming to be the new Mohammed, the cover-ups, the salamanders, the anti-masturbation pamphlets, the Sisters in Zion lectures, blacks and the priesthood, and so much more. Buckle up, Mittens.

I think this will actually score points with the fundy wackos. If there's anything they fear more than blacks, it's sexuality.

FlashHarry		2012-06-17 09:10:40 AM

Wangiss: Tomasky still writes?! I used to read his blog at guardian.co.uk for lulz. What a hack.

your assiduously researched, point-by-point takedown of tomasky's piece has caused me to reevaluate my entire philosophical outlook. up until today i've been a fool. thank you for exposing me to a world i never knew existed - a world where facts and policies trump invective and hearsay. a world where people are judged on their ideas, however complex or nuanced, rather than on pander-ready soundbites conjured up by cynical spinmeisters.

really. thank you.

Close2TheEdge		2012-06-17 09:14:55 AM

Problem with this analysis is two-fold. One, half those items are untouchable by Obama. Mormonism? Yeah, like a Democratic candidate is going to start criticizing his opponent's religion. Two, the election is being made into a referendum on Obama, not Mitt Romney. Obama is trying to swing it to a choice between two ideologies, but there is growing evidence he will be outspent by the GOP super-PACs. And thanks to The SC, this will be about which side can spend the most to get the message out in key states. As much as I hate the idea, I'm starting to suspect Obama won't pull this out.

FlashHarry		2012-06-17 09:17:16 AM

the sad thing is, if he doesn't and romney reimplements bush's failed policies of wealthy tax cutting and deregulation, when the economy really nosedives, he'll blame obama. and the media will concur.

FeedTheCollapse		2012-06-17 09:24:53 AM

Close2TheEdge: Problem with this analysis is two-fold. One, half those items are untouchable by Obama. Mormonism? Yeah, like a Democratic candidate is going to start criticizing his opponent's religion. Two, the election is being made into a referendum on Obama, not Mitt Romney. Obama is trying to swing it to a choice between two ideologies, but there is growing evidence he will be outspent by the GOP super-PACs. And thanks to The SC, this will be about which side can spend the most to get the message out in key states. As much as I hate the idea, I'm starting to suspect Obama won't pull this out.

I think the point was more that Romney just doesn't really have anything to run on: His Primary run rested solely on inevitability, though they couldn't really elucidate why that is so; everything else seems to be "off limits" by the Romney campaign's own admission.

While I do think anti-Obama sentiment and money are going to be the only thing keeping Romney in the race, I think Obama will pull it off if only because Romney hasn't really put anything personal history forward that makes him seem at all likable, nor is he willing to run on his accomplishments. I think Obama will bring up Romney's accomplishments more than Romney himself will, though. I still think it will be close, but I am doubting how successful a candidate will be if his supporters support him more out of anti-incumbency and are otherwise ambivalent to him personally.

AMonkey'sUncle		2012-06-17 09:24:59 AM

rynthetyn: Granted, there are a lot of reasons to criticize Mittens but my personal pet peeve with him is how he's spun his time in France. He makes it sound like in incredible hardship to have lived like the average French person lived in the '60s, which not only shows how out of touch he was with the average people of France at the time, it also shows a complete lack of adaptability.

I lived for a year in a single room in Vietnam with a bathroom that would rain on my head every time we had a downpour and a tiny hallway kitchen that was barely wide enough to turn around and I'd never use that to suggest I know what it's like to be poor because of that. Mittens, however, uses his time in France to suggest he knows what poverty is like.

Sing it! Bathrooms Keep Raining on My Head!

Your point is taken, tho.

ExperianScaresCthulhu		2012-06-17 09:25:02 AM

tomWright: Mitt Rmoney does not need to do anything. He is a job creator who pays other people to do it for him.
[spatialorientationblog.files.wordpress.com image 360x480]

What's the story with the first photo? Is that for real?

Karac		2012-06-17 09:25:10 AM

FlashHarry: the sad thing is, if he doesn't and romney reimplements bush's failed policies of wealthy tax cutting and deregulation, when the economy really nosedives, he'll blame obama. and the media will concur.

Well, at least then we'll be able to say "But... but... Obama!" whenever a troll speaks up here.

Ilmarinen		2012-06-17 09:28:47 AM

FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

LucklessWonder		2012-06-17 09:30:42 AM

LarryDan43: My bumper sticker says Nobama! I don't care who the other guy is.

My bumper sticker says:
img.photobucket.com

You can keep your NObama's and your RMoney's, I'm voting for a true third party ticket.

T-Servo		2012-06-17 09:37:54 AM

Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

He spoke French, was a moderate Massachusetts politician with no clear plan besides not being the incumbent, and whose money kept him from connecting with the people.

In other words, Kerry was Romney but with a military record (and as a SEAL, he was hardly just doing his time).

/my personal problem was that Kerry presented policies that were too much like Bush's- at least that isn't the complaint here

Tyrone Slothrop		2012-06-17 09:39:02 AM

So he got a blowjob from Scarlett Johansson?

LucklessWonder		2012-06-17 09:39:28 AM

T-Servo: Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

He spoke French, was a moderate Massachusetts politician with no clear plan besides not being the incumbent, and whose money kept him from connecting with the people.

In other words, Kerry was Romney but with a military record (and as a SEAL, he was hardly just doing his time).

/my personal problem was that Kerry presented policies that were too much like Bush's- at least that isn't the complaint here

I thought one of the complaint's about Romney explicitly was that of the few policy positions he has unveiled, they all boil down to "do what GWB did."

FeedTheCollapse		2012-06-17 09:40:16 AM

Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

I think it was his dull personality. I don't think Kerry was a bad guy, but he definitely benefited more from anti-Bush sentiment than any pro-Kerry sentiment. I think the same will happen with Romney: the anti-Obama brigade is fired up, but otherwise indifferent to their actual candidate. Money will keep Romney in the game, but I would bet that Obama has the better ground game and more people willing to go out and canvas for him.

King Something		2012-06-17 09:43:56 AM

Some say that he epitomizes vulture capitalism, and that he pioneered the "pressure clean" method of bathing dogs.

All we know is that he's called The Romney.

apoptotic		2012-06-17 09:43:58 AM

I think that to some extent, this comes from polls that showed Generic Republican polled better against Obama than anyone specifically named. The GOP took that to heart and are running the most generic Republican they could find and minimizing the amount he talks about himself or his policies in hope that "he's a Republican, he's not Obama, and that's all you need to know" will work. Sadly, it just might.

tomWright		2012-06-17 09:46:03 AM

ExperianScaresCthulhu: tomWright: Mitt Rmoney does not need to do anything. He is a job creator who pays other people to do it for him.
[spatialorientationblog.files.wordpress.com image 360x480]

What's the story with the first photo? Is that for real?

Just found it. But it is from here, I think.

Just some fanboi probably, but you never really know in politics.

LucklessWonder		2012-06-17 09:46:35 AM

WE GET IT, HE'S BLAND!

/Mormon Industries Twenty Twelve
/aka M.I.T.T

FishStampede		2012-06-17 09:50:23 AM

oh and once I saw a blimp: The fun will really start when he opens up, even a little, about Mormonism. Jeremiah Wright was nothing compared to some of the things Mormon leaders have said over the years, right up to the present day. The Adam-God stuff, Joseph Smith claiming to be the new Mohammed, the cover-ups, the salamanders, the anti-masturbation pamphlets, the Sisters in Zion lectures, blacks and the priesthood, and so much more. Buckle up, Mittens.

Okay, this I have to hear.

forgotmydamnusername		2012-06-17 09:52:56 AM

T-Servo: Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

He spoke French, was a moderate Massachusetts politician with no clear plan besides not being the incumbent, and whose money kept him from connecting with the people.

In other words, Kerry was Romney but with a military record (and as a SEAL, he was hardly just doing his time).

/my personal problem was that Kerry presented policies that were too much like Bush's- at least that isn't the complaint here

The real reason Kerry lost was that he was a rather stiff, dull campaigner, and the abysmal, benighted stupidity of the American public. People choose their POTUS for exactly the same reasons they chose their high school class presidents. I think for that reason, Rmoney's got a bit of a hill to climb.

T-Servo		2012-06-17 09:53:48 AM

LucklessWonder: I thought one of the complaint's about Romney explicitly was that of the few policy positions he has unveiled, they all boil down to "do what GWB did."

Well, put that way, he is more Kerry-esque.

Ilmarinen		2012-06-17 09:54:32 AM

T-Servo: /my personal problem was that Kerry presented policies that were too much like Bush's

Just curious, were the other Democratic candidates any better in that respect?

/it blew my mind that W got elected
//let alone the 2nd time

HeartBurnKid		2012-06-17 09:59:54 AM

whereisian: In a sane world, we would be discussing his policies and vision.

Problem is, he "isn't there" either. He is constantly trying to be all things to all people, flip-flopping like mad, alternately running away from his accomplishments and claiming credit that isn't his. The only policy that he has managed to successfully articulate in this election is that he'd do the opposite of Obama, whatever that means.

xnecron		2012-06-17 10:00:27 AM

T-Servo: Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

He spoke French, was a moderate Massachusetts politician with no clear plan besides not being the incumbent, and whose money kept him from connecting with the people.

In other words, Kerry was Romney but with a military record (and as a SEAL, he was hardly just doing his time).

/my personal problem was that Kerry presented policies that were too much like Bush's- at least that isn't the complaint here

The other major different being that Kerry spent time in Congress, had a voting record, and knew things about foreign policy.

Also, Kerry was never a SEAL or UDT diver. He was part of the "green-water Navy" that ferried troops and materiel up and down the rivers in Vietnam.

apoptotic		2012-06-17 10:00:46 AM

FishStampede: oh and once I saw a blimp: The fun will really start when he opens up, even a little, about Mormonism. Jeremiah Wright was nothing compared to some of the things Mormon leaders have said over the years, right up to the present day. The Adam-God stuff, Joseph Smith claiming to be the new Mohammed, the cover-ups, the salamanders, the anti-masturbation pamphlets, the Sisters in Zion lectures, blacks and the priesthood, and so much more. Buckle up, Mittens.

Okay, this I have to hear.

The Salamander letter

soy_bomb		2012-06-17 10:02:08 AM

For those concerned about Mitt's bland biography, don't fret, his election this fall will add some spice to it.

HeartBurnKid		2012-06-17 10:02:14 AM

Ilmarinen: T-Servo: /my personal problem was that Kerry presented policies that were too much like Bush's

Just curious, were the other Democratic candidates any better in that respect?

/it blew my mind that W got elected
//let alone the 2nd time

IIRC, Dean was quite a bit more liberal than Kerry. So was Edwards, but I didn't like him just because, in every speech, it seemed like he was talking to the country as if we were all kindergarteners.

/turned out I was right about him; he is a massive douche

CPennypacker		2012-06-17 10:04:34 AM

soy_bomb: For those concerned about Mitt's bland biography, don't fret, his election this fall will add some spice to it.

www.grimmemennesker.dk

HeartBurnKid		2012-06-17 10:05:21 AM

Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

You know how the conservatives biatch about "ivory tower liberals" who never worked a day in their lives and pretend to bleed for the common man without having any idea what the common man goes through in their day-to-day life? That stereotype is far less common than they'd have you believe, but it does exist, and Kerry is its poster boy.

ghare		2012-06-17 10:13:38 AM

whereisian: In a sane world, we would be discussing his policies and vision.

He'd have to have some first, except "I should be President because my daddy made a lot of money and ran for President."

ghare		2012-06-17 10:16:31 AM

HeartBurnKid: Ilmarinen: FlashHarry: mitt romney makes john kerry look like abe farking lincoln.

There seems to be a negative consensus about Kerry. I don't know a whole lot about him but I remember seeing a (very short) documentary on him and being rather impressed. Could somebody summarize what's bad about Kerry, for a poor foreigner?

You know how the conservatives biatch about "ivory tower liberals" who never worked a day in their lives and pretend to bleed for the common man without having any idea what the common man goes through in their day-to-day life? That stereotype is far less common than they'd have you believe, but it does exist, and Kerry is its poster boy.

John Kerry who fought in Vietnam and was wounded and won medals? That guy? Nothing in common at all with the guys who also served? Versus Mitt Romney, who dodged the draft in Paris and came home to protest in favor of the war as soon as he was sure he wouldn't be drafted?

Tyrone Slothrop		2012-06-17 10:22:34 AM

apoptotic: FishStampede: oh and once I saw a blimp: The fun will really start when he opens up, even a little, about Mormonism. Jeremiah Wright was nothing compared to some of the things Mormon leaders have said over the years, right up to the present day. The Adam-God stuff, Joseph Smith claiming to be the new Mohammed, the cover-ups, the salamanders, the anti-masturbation pamphlets, the Sisters in Zion lectures, blacks and the priesthood, and so much more. Buckle up, Mittens.

Okay, this I have to hear.

The Salamander letter

If you like true crime books, A Gathering of Saints is a really good read.

Don't Troll Me Bro!		2012-06-17 10:24:38 AM

Bigdogdaddy: Let's see:
Ford: I'm not Nixon
Dole: I'm not Clinton
Gore: I'm not Clinton
Kerry: I'm not Clinton
McCain: I'm not Bush
How'd that work for those guys?

Romney: I'm not Obama.

Good luck with that Mitt

Barrett: I'm not Walker

Hector Remarkable		2012-06-17 10:24:55 AM

There are keen observations and astute criticisms to be made about the life of Mitt Romney. This piece contains none.

HeartBurnKid		2012-06-17 10:27:57 AM

Bigdogdaddy: Let's see:
Ford: I'm not Nixon
Dole: I'm not Clinton
Gore: I'm not Clinton
Kerry: I'm not Bush
McCain: I'm not Bush
How'd that work for those guys?

Romney: I'm not Obama.

Good luck with that Mitt

FTFY.

The Evil That Lies In The Hearts Of Men		2012-06-17 10:32:03 AM

rynthetyn:

I lived for a year in a single room in Vietnam with a bathroom that would rain on my head every time we had a downpour and a tiny hallway kitchen that was barely wide enough to turn around and I'd never use that to suggest I know what it's like to be poor because of that. Mittens, however, uses his time in France to suggest he knows what poverty is like.

Mitt also had the option for an expenses paid tour of Vietnam at the time too! And although he was strongly in favor of other young men having that valuable life experience Mitt felt he had more to gain from the French countryside.

That aside, Mitt's claims to have experienced poverty all come from temporary and voluntary hardships with defined end dates, it's like saying you know what it's like to be homeless because you went on a camping trip.

apoptotic		2012-06-17 10:32:18 AM

Tyrone Slothrop: apoptotic: FishStampede: oh and once I saw a blimp: The fun will really start when he opens up, even a little, about Mormonism. Jeremiah Wright was nothing compared to some of the things Mormon leaders have said over the years, right up to the present day. The Adam-God stuff, Joseph Smith claiming to be the new Mohammed, the cover-ups, the salamanders, the anti-masturbation pamphlets, the Sisters in Zion lectures, blacks and the priesthood, and so much more. Buckle up, Mittens.

Okay, this I have to hear.

The Salamander letter

If you like true crime books, A Gathering of Saints is a really good read.

That does look interesting. Thanks.

ox45tallboy		2012-06-17 10:36:33 AM

Sock Ruh Tease: FTA: George H.W. Bush was a war hero, a pilot shot down in the Pacific. All those other war heroes, going back to Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce.

Go back farther. It's okay.

[upload.wikimedia.org image 220x353]

George Washington wasn't exactly a great general. I mean, he didn't really have a great army that was well-supplied, but he still didn't show any real brilliance in tactics. But everyone liked him, which is a good thing. And he crossed rivers standing in the bow with his hand in his jacket like Napoleon, so there's that.

Stranded On The Planet Dumbass		2012-06-17 10:38:28 AM

You will have the option to vote for Gary Johnson.

Zombalupagus		2012-06-17 10:43:49 AM

LarryDan43: My bumper sticker says Nobama! I don't care who the other guy is.

The 2004 election was like that, too. The Dem's wanted "Anyone but Bush". Unfortunately for us "anyone" turned out to be Kerry. You may want "Anyone but Obama" but unfortunately your only option is, well, that guy.

Welcome to your John Kerry moment.

herrDrFarkenstein		2012-06-17 10:48:43 AM

FTFA: Okay. Faith? That's the biggest no-no in the box. He must find this one cruel, since his religion is evidently pretty important to him. But if Romney opens the door to discussion of the LDS church, then it's open season on all the preposterous things that Mormons are raised to believe-whether he's going to stash a year's worth of canned goods in the White House basement and so on. This is the very last thing on earth (or Earth, as opposed to Kolob) that he can discuss.

As an athiest I find this inspiring, sad, and hillarious. It's nice to see how far America has come, that we can run a Mormon against a black man. Sad that there are still people deluded enough to demand that their skynwizard is stronger and they won't vote for either. Hillarious that those folks are mostly Republicans.

cameroncrazy1984		2012-06-17 10:52:21 AM

Stranded On The Planet Dumbass: You will have the option to vote for Gary Johnson.

Sorry, I'll never vote for a fair or flat taxer. I think he's a gold-standard guy too.

LockeOak		2012-06-17 10:57:21 AM

Marcus Aurelius: Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man with RomneyCare
He RomneyCared again today
He is a dick hole all the way

We passed upon the stair
He knew not of back when
We spoke of Romneycare
He called us all his friend
Which came as some surprise
I spoke into his eyes
"I thought you died alone
a long long time ago"

Oh no, not me, I never lost control
You're face
to face
With the Man Who Bought the World

Nina_Hartley's_Ass		2012-06-17 10:58:56 AM

"They were not easy years. You have to understand, I was raised in a lovely neighborhood, as was Mitt, and at BYU, we moved into a $62-a-month basement apartment with a cement floor and lived there two years as students with no income. It was tiny. And I didn't have money to carpet the floor. But you can get remnants, samples, so I glued them together, all different colors. It looked awful, but it was carpeting.

"We were happy, studying hard. Neither one of us had a job, because Mitt had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time. The stock came from Mitt's father. When he took over American Motors, the stock was worth nothing. But he invested Mitt's birthday money year to year-it wasn't much, a few thousand, but he put it into American Motors because he believed in himself. Five years later, stock that had been $6 a share was $96 and Mitt cashed it so we could live and pay for education.

"Mitt and I walked to class together, shared housekeeping, had a lot of pasta and tuna fish and learned hard lessons."

ghare		2012-06-17 10:59:58 AM

ox45tallboy: Sock Ruh Tease: FTA: George H.W. Bush was a war hero, a pilot shot down in the Pacific. All those other war heroes, going back to Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce.

Go back farther. It's okay.

[upload.wikimedia.org image 220x353]

George Washington wasn't exactly a great general. I mean, he didn't really have a great army that was well-supplied, but he still didn't show any real brilliance in tactics. But everyone liked him, which is a good thing. And he crossed rivers standing in the bow with his hand in his jacket like Napoleon, so there's that.

They appointed him general because he was tall. Really.

More_Like_A_Stain		2012-06-17 11:00:31 AM

herrDrFarkenstein: Sad that there are still people deluded enough to demand that their skynwizard is stronger and they won't vote for either.

Are you a skynwizard?

media.masslive.com