Associated Press
At this point, it appears that Mitt Romney delivers a "major" speech on the economy about once a month, apparently working under the assumption that, eventually, someone will take one of these speeches seriously. The last such effort, delivered to an empty football stadium in Detroit, didn't go well, so the former governor gave it yet another try yesterday at the University of Chicago.
The event was largely overlooked -- apparently, once-a-month economic speeches read from teleprompters on a weekday afternoon have started to bore political reporters -- but the remarks were actually worth paying attention to. Jamelle Bouie described the speech as "a remarkable work of staggering dishonesty," which struck me as more than fair.
I believe speechwriters tend to call remarks like Romney's yesterday as "big picture speeches." The former governor presented no specifics and offered no details about any aspect of his economic vision, but he used the word "freedom" 29 times, and the word "free" an additional 10 times -- all while standing in front of six American flags -- all of which apparently was supposed to distract the audience from the fact that Romney's vision lacked all meaningful substance.
But there was something to be learned from the speech anyway. For one thing, Romney presented an economic vision that's very conservative.
"[O]ne feature of our culture that propels the American economy stands out: freedom. The American economy is fueled by freedom. Free people and their free enterprises are what drive our economic vitality. [...]
"Today, however, our status and our standing are in peril because the source of our economic strength is threatened. Over the last several decades, and particularly over the last three years, Washington has increasingly encroached upon our freedom.... If we don't change course now, this assault on freedom could damage our economy and the well-being of American families for decades to come.
"We see this attack on our freedom in every corner of the economy."
Just get the government out of the way and wait for "freedom" to solve all of our problems. Once we get pesky safeguards and regulations out of the way, we'll be free to breathe dirty air and drink dirty water; we'll be free of the burdens of affordable medical care; we'll be free to watch Wall Street excesses rob the country blind; we'll be free to slip into poverty into an inadequate safety net full of holes; we'll be free of the homework assigned to college students; and we'll be free to remain dependent on oil indefinitely.
It's the kind of freedom that Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) will find inspiring, and working families will find crushing.
What's more, yesterday offered a reminder as to just how dishonest Romney is prepared to be to advance his ambitions. To listen to this speech, you'd think that President Obama raised taxes instead of having cut them repeatedly. You'd think the stock market has been crushed by "restricted freedom," instead of having soared under Obama's watch. You'd think oil production has been sharply reduced, instead of having gone up each of the past three years.
And you'd think Obama vastly increased government spending and hired legions of new bureaucrats, none of which happened in reality.
"The reality is that, under President Obama's administration, these pioneers would have found it much more difficult, if not impossible, to innovate, invent, and create.
"Under Dodd-Frank, they would have struggled to get loans from their community banks.
"A regulator would have shut down the Wright Brothers for their "dust pollution."
"And the government would have banned Thomas Edison's light bulb. Oh yeah, Obama's regulators actually did just that."
When Mitt Romney says "the reality is," you can probably assume you're not going to hear anything about reality. In this case, Romney is completely wrong about Wall Street reform; the Wright Brothers line doesn't make sense; and the light bulb line refers to a Bush-era, bipartisan energy measure that doesn't ban light bulbs at all.
"A remarkable work of staggering dishonesty," indeed.
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Methinks Free Mitt has been freely listening to a free Frank Luntz Wannabe who was very free with his advise about how Freedom and Free are words that freely associate solid Free American Freedom Values with the free , freedom loving American people.
Teleprompter and all how does he read that s*it with a straight face . Can't wait for some one to edit it down to all the frees and freedoms.
Can he really be that stupid or mendacious?
Yes, but the wealthy would be 'free' to take everything from working people!
He's talking about pioneers. What century was this? The road to freedom has been paved by Progressives who are trying like hell right now to keep it that way. The Freedom he is referring to must be Rich Peoples' freedoms. We must keep going to war to protect rich peoples' freedom. They must be free to own 10 houses not 9. They must be free to hire maids and servants. They must be free to degrade the poor and the middle class. They must be free to raise prices on everything. They must be free to kick people out of their homes. They must be free to demolish the American Dream. When the GOP use the term freedom as they do they are ripping apart the way the word is to be defined. Martin Luther King knew the true meaning of the word.
Isn't corporate feudalism wonderful!!? hack, hack, cough
Mitt, do you remember the freedom that allowed your religion to be chased all the way across the country? That freedom murdered Joseph Smith. That very freedom of bigotry is still raising it's ugly head in state legislatures. It is no longer red and blue states. It is now shame states and free states. It's your party that is denying freedom to over half of the population. Feel free to shut up unless you finally get the idea that the truth will set you free.
In other news; It appears as though Mitt Romney is now the leading bidder in this years auctioning of the GOP presidential nomination.
The problem for Romney is that he continues to confuse "buying an election" with actually "winning" one.
As usual Mittens reference to "freedom" will have a price payable by working Americans (99%)!! I want to be "free" from: the avarice of the Oligarchy, the tyranny of the current form of "fascist democracy" that we're currently living under, free of the war on women, and free from the disabling fear that has moved the right to the edge of the ledge!
Most mainstream media isn't calling Mitt out for his B.S. If/when they do, Mitt will point to their criticism as evidence of a media with a liberal bias. If they don't, Mitt's lies can continue to go unchecked. Either way, they will be take as factual by the people most inclined to believe them in the first place. We truly now live in two realities, and while theirs is increasingly smaller, they make up for it with verve and just plain taking power they haven't earned.
I continue to be astounded at the polls showing Mitt as a viable candidate against Obama.
It makes me crazy. Who are these people?
America... too stupid for democracy
The American economy is fueled by freedom. Free people
Why, the blast furnaces for one non-union, foreign-owned assembly plant in Kentucky requiring burning at least 4 free people and hour, almost a hundred free people for every three-shift day. . .
If we don't change course now, this assault on freedom could damage our economy and the well-being of American families
Well, sure. Or a giant Sta-Puft marshmallow man could damage the economy. But it is just as likely this "assault on freedom" could result in unicorns riding on rainbows and sprinkling pixie dust making us all rich beyond our wildest dreams in a world of peace and tranquility.
Dear Mitt: you are free to go f*ck yourself.
He should lick himself like a dog.
Sure he wants Freedom!! Freedom to pollute. Freedom to render the food supply unsafe. Freedom for Wall st to bring us financial collaspe. Freedom to move your wealth out of the country. Freedom to drill in environmentaly sensitive areas. Freedom for the rich to pay less and less taxes. Freedom for the drug companies to avoid regulation. Freedom to invade any country we want to. I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the message.
Invoking theme words are not a substitute for real plans. Romney is not going to be allowed to coast through an election with vague and ambiguous statements. Someone is going to ask hard questions, the gotcha questions as Palin claims.