Romney campaign chairman John Sununu has been a little unhinged in his attacks on President Obama -- and sometimes, more than a little -- and in the wake of last night's debate, the Republican was in rare form with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell this afternoon.
Note Sununu's particular choice of words: he isn't just condemning the president in a rather classless way, he's using words like "lazy," "incompetent," and "disengaged." Asked if he wanted to take the words back, Sununu used the identical words again.
Sununu also said today, "When you're not that bright you can't get better prepared."
There was a point, not too terribly long ago, when Mitt Romney claimed to be outraged by sleazy, personal attacks, dragging the presidential campaign into the gutter. Given this, should we assume Romney will accept Sununu's resignation today?
Also, putting every other consideration aside, it's hard not to be offended by the casual and baseless smear of the president's intelligence. For years, Sununu and many of those who share his contempt for Obama have tried to make the opposite case: the president is too professorial and bookish, more comfortable at Harvard's faculty lounge than the "real world." Now we're apparently supposed to believe the opposite smear: that the scholarly, Ivy League, law professor president just isn't "bright" enough for the often-buffoonish Sununu's standards.
It's ugly and unnecessary, and given Sununu's routine difficulties with the basics of current events, rather ironic.
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Obama won in my eyes...
He spoke more words.
He spoke truth.
He kept his cool.
He didn't interrupt.
He was respectful.
He acted Presidential.
He kept on topic.
He was original.
What kind of debate gives the phonie , Lying, obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, loud mouth, "wanna be president" the win?
Perfectly stated.
All well and good but can he be a pompous ass like a good republican?
I am glad he did not shout his head off. In most cases it would look good for a black man to yell and be ugly. I am sad that his aniversary was last night and most likely would rather be with his queen. I think he is the gentle giant of politics, and do wish him well. When I saw him with his eyes closed he reminded me of a thinker.
Totally agree. And I am tired of all the msnbc cable hosts lashing Obama. He took notes. Democrats seem to eat their own while Repubs defend lies with impunity. Obama took notes and Romney's words will come back to haunt him Obama does not like the debate format and did not do well with Hilary. He seemed tired and frankly amused at times when Romney was espousing some of Obama's ideas. Did Obama lose? Depends on the eye of the beholder.
I'm most annoyed that after spending an entire summer trying to get Democrats excited and the last month telling them to take nothing for granted, given the first chance, so many at MSNBC elected to focus on criticizing affect instead of focusing on what was said. I would be ashamed if I was being paid as one of many hosts and analysts and Al Sharpton brings the good sense to the conversation before I do.
Sununu is an embarrassment to the human race.
He is human??
I will donate 1 million dollars if John Snubby can bend over to tie his shoes
dem4romney34: "Wow! Sununu is spot on!"
Well, if you look at him closely, there are a lot of spots!
I'd like to quote Chris Rock right now but I've never been banned and only collapsed a couple times. So I'll quote Robert Lewis Stevenson novel, Treasure Island
Nope better not
The only demeaning was done by the purloin John Shamunu.
Thank you, thank you for your words. The presidential debate is not a football game or a schoolyard fight between two punks. I had to mute Romney's voice out of disgust - very concerned that he is the best the republican party has to offer as a presidential candidate.
I agree when his commercials come on I have to switch channels - the sound of Romney or Ryan makes my skin crawl. The average person lies occasionally, however with these two lying for them is breathing. Occasionally, they tell the truth and that must be to their families, because the are certainly not telling the truth to the American people.
Last night, Romney unveiled his latest version upgrade...
Romney 10.0
"The Democratic candidate."
He's for SS, Medicare, Medicaid, Teachers, the poor, the sick, veterans, students, seniors, Taxes for the rich, no taxes for the middle, will provide national health care, etc. etc.
WTF???
He will say anything.
Obama couldn't argue with him, there was nothing to argue about.
Fact checkers are going to enjoy his hyperbolic BS.
Romney was so hungry he just couldn't wait for his turn.
Obama was expecting lies and he dealt with them by not getting caught up in that web.
The President IMO did right and kept his cool, despite the obvious that he wanted to strangle Rongme.
You cannot argue with a pathological liar.
All Rongme did was cater to every policy the democrats support and Obama was shocked.
Romney didn't get challenged with the questions that matter.
People who like Romney are going to be proud of the lies, they're used to them.
Obama's supporters like me wanted to see Romney get beat up. Too bad for me.
Obama stayed Presidential on this first debate, good for Obama, good for the Nation.
Romney is going to get beat up by the fact checkers ...
Bottom line, no one likes a liar.
This was not a win - lose debate, it was a platform to send the most people your message.
Obama did it, and made Romney send more untrue messages.
Romney doubled down on vouchers, privatization and more tax discounts for the rich and corporations.
Mittens is a good used car sales person.
Only idiots will buy his lemons.
"Romney was so hungry he just couldn't wait for his turn"
I noticed that too . With the split screen you could almost see him hopping from foot to foot.
He was hopping foot to foot. I thought he had to go to the bathroom.
Don't be looking for an Etch-A-Sketch for your child or grandchild for the holidays. Romney's campaign bought the total stock in the US. They've Etch-A-Sketched Romney sooooooooooooo many times -- they broke them all
I think the fact-checkers are going to do more damage to Romney than Obama will and he will come out looking terribly shabby. I also think that Romney lost the vote of young mothers whose kids love Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and the other things PBS contributes to the education of their children. Also, he ought to stop screwing around about Russia and China, especially since Bain may have sent some jobs there. He is a danger to us every time he opens his mouth about foreign affairs.
Great list of his lies, but according to the fact checkers there were 16 more that you didn't list! 27 lies in 38 minutes???? Wow! Almost a record even for the only robot who defies logic.
As Spock would say "Fascinating." Data is in a coma.
Mittens lit himself on fire and all the President did was stay out of the way.
Problem being - people who always vote Republican aren't going to bother with the fact-checkers.
He actually stomped his foot when he was saying "hey it's my turn!"-the rear cam caught it!
All racist dog whistles. That's Sunununununununu's job: pander to the racists.
I was listening to Sununu (on Sirius) and my first thought when I heard him characterize Obama as lazy was how consistent that was with the racial sterotypes that the campaign pushed in welfare reform ads. I don't like Sununu to begin with, but to say that directly about our black President was just disgusting.
To call Sununu stupid would be disrespectful to stupid people.
It's like the dog whistle put out by the snakeoil salesmen Drudge, Carlson & Hannity the night before the debate:
"Watch for the angry black man"
Agreed. What a fat sloppy looking pig. Someone, most likely Robme, should demand an apology. How dare he talk like that about the POTUS. I am so ashamed for this country. He should be boycotted by all media. He must not be given a chance to continue this hatred and spew it to the public.
If that was a dog whistle it must've be a cheap Chinese KIRF because it sounded loud and clear.
Exactly. The only thing that would have made it more clearly racist if Sununu had added something about fried chicken and watermelon.
Oh Mitt , please keep Mr. Sununu as your surrogate , he is so representative of what your party is today.
Yes - ignorance, arrogance, unnecessary hubris, hatred of "other", childishness, churlishness and stupidity - that's the "new GOTP".
What I don't understand is that Mitchell has the puke on at least once a week.
I have to say - I don't understand why Rachel & MSNBC continue to say that Mitchell & Matthews are the experts.
They're old, slow - let everyone spew talking points with no challenge yet Matthews is sh*tting his pants today - Matthews is mouthy constantly overspeaking everyone like his 'sh*t' don't smell. I still remember when Matthews would have sucked Palin's toes if he had the opportunity He reminds me of a dirty old man. Time for MSNBC to live up to their 'logo' -- 'Lean Forward' and get rid of the deadwood.
There is something really wrong with Romney, when he is a pathological liar. We know he is a greedy bastard. We know he is a constant liar like the boy-crying wolf. We know he will do anything to just gain huge profits at the very welfare of people and at the cost of the environment. We know he will get other people to brutally hold down a teen to cut his hair plus the worst Republicans around to speak up for Romney and Ryan. These are all very dangerous traits and what else would he do, if Romney got into the White House, since Romney acts like a Political Psychopath. Romney is totally crazy and sick, as he is so obsessed with some very bad behaviors. Romney is plainly too scary to be let into the White House.
I think Jon Huntsman said it eloquently when he likened Romney to a "well-oiled weathervane". Romney is a good showman, but that is not what this country needs. America needs a president who demonstrates quiet strength and thoughtful, ethical actions. America needs a president with excellent diplomatic skills and the wherewithal to not behave stupidly or without cultural respect when meeting with foreign dignitaries. (Poor etiquette on a diplomat's part can start a war! This is important).
As President, Obama has proven himself to be cool and calm under pressure, and in control of his temper. Romney can't even do that as a candidate. Romney also does not have any diplomatic skills -- domestic or foreign. I shudder to think in how many wars we would be engaged within a year, if Romney took office.
I'm sure Romney can be a nice guy, and he's a barracuda in the boardroom, but I don't want him deciding on civil rights or women's rights or tax policy or foreign policy, or or or......anything. I would trust Obama with my life. Can't say the same about Romney. Deb, I agree...Romney is plainly too scary to be let into the White House.
I agree, remember how Adolf Hitler came to power, the filthy venom of power.
And now lets think President Obama, the calmest and honest man in America perhaps the calmest man in the world.
Why does Andrea Mitchell even allow him to talk on her show? His attitude towards her was totally disgusting, let alone all the nonsense he was spewing! He should be relegated to Fox TV only!!
Thank you! I had the same thought: why do we have to be exposed to this overblown, lying old man, who has a permanent smirK everytime I am forced to watch a clip he appears in?
As far as I'm concerned, John Sununu can show his butt on NBC News just as much as he does on Fox News. The more exposure he gets, the more we can all point and laugh. Enjoy the show.
Remember the audience. It does not harm for us to see Sununu being Sununu because it reinforces what we already know. When it leaks outside of MSNBC, it has potential to help undecided swing toward Democrats because would you want to be associated with that?
What I want to know, just out of curiosity, why does MSM talk to Sununu and of all people, noun, verb, 9/11 Rudy? Same BS, different day.
Because Charles Manson is not available?
They pick people who are so over the top because it is good for ratings. Andrea Mitchell belongs on Fox, and though Chris has great passion he tells the same story day after day. if I were msnbc I would get a whole new crop of contributors. Get some younger people and see what they have to say. Rachel does her homework. Ed has great passion and the Rev always is good but the daytime people are not that great. Just my opinion. But they all need to back off of the President now. He will still win the election. The average American watching last night could see the used car salesman style Romney employed seemed phony, and the fact checkers are having a hay day with his lies.
I really really enjoy M Bashir!!!
Is "Sinful Sununu" in the same Mental Hospital as "Nutty Newt." It is obvious that "Sinful Sununu" has no respect for the Office Of The Preidency, and he has no loyalty to our US Constitution. What "Sinful Sununu" said about the President is remarks of a "Mad Man." Is "Nutty Newt," "Romunlian Romney," and "Sinful Sununu" sharing the same medications? It sure sounds and looks like it!
when will the msm own up to reality? this ain't your grandaddy's g.o.p. its a helluva lot closer to the old white citizen's councils that haley barber is so nostalgic for. truth is, he can quit worrying about it--he's got what he wanted. i remember the early 70's when i was in college and there was something called the YAF, a buckley brainchild. i even went to one of their meetings. the student body president was black, so i heard a lot of the n-word whenever he was mentioned. a lot of those guys are big shot republicans now, tucker carlson or fred barnes types. if the democrats never win another election, they will still have the satisfaction of knowing their morals never fell as far as their adversaries.
sununu (all lower case ON PURPOSE) is the lowest of the low - - spouting venal lies and insults to satisfy his repugnican masters - - does he not know that he is absolutely, totally, IRRELEVANT in today's world? go away, little man - go away.
Excited by his sides "victory" the child bristles with false pride as he taunts his rivals with "so there!".
Pacifiers are neat coos the right wing.
I have to agree that Sununu should not be invited back to Andrea Mitchell's show. He was disrespectful to her as well as the President. On the other hand, he does represent the mentality of Romney people, so in that regard, he's a good stand-in. I find that it says a great deal about Romney, in that he would not only allow but encourage and hire someone as shallow as Sununu to represent him. Sununu's lack of descriptive vocabulary is alarming and clearly simple-minded--perhaps so that Romney lovers can understand him.
This makes me curious as to why the media isn't covering a couple of things. First of all, Obama was a might distracted by the fact that somebody took away the real Romney and left this guy in his place. The second thing is HASN'T ANYBODY READ ABOUT TURKEY? Read the international press.
There were discussions between Obama and Putin on Turkey yesterday evening before the debates. Why isn't this being covered? That would sure distract me.
Among the many things I observed last night was Romneys smirk!!! At least that is what I call it. He looked like he was looking down his nose at an inferior being aka President Obama.
Yeah... But Hilary Rosen said Ann Romney never worked a day in her life...
Well, of course Ann Romney worked!! Don't you know how HARD it is to hire maids and nannies and cooks?? And they couldn't even be illegals - Romney was running for President for pete's sake!!!
Sununu's whistling a racist tune with those words.
He does that as he appears on Mitchell's show weekly. I almost say she's guilty too -- by association in allowing him on each week. Makes you wonder. It's like Barbara Walters -- who was scheduled to attend a Herman Cain fundraiser at Cindy Adams condo but Cain withdrew a day or two before.
Seriously makes you wonder about many of these who are pretending to be impartial. Toss David Gregory in there -- Mark Halperin too. I seriously am loosing respect for MSNBC
Having Sununu talking about Obama is like having the late Ted Bundy talk about women's rights. Someone it's discordant.
Christ, I hate saying this, but if last night's debate were my first exposure to President Obama, I'd agree with Sununu. The President looked, dumb, confused, and worst of all, like he no longer wanted the job. I'm sorry, but if the President's not going to fight for himself, why should I fight for him?
Do you seriously think he could have played whack-a-mole for the whole 90 minutes? That's what it would have been. If he did -- he'd never have been able to talk some of the things he wanted to.
Because if you support someone for his record and principles, you don't dump him for one shi**y night. Esp if the Turkey/Syria situation is or might soon be a lot worse than he can let on. If you are a manager do you fire for one mis-step? Divorce after one fight with your spouse? End a friendship because someone was not outstanding in some situation?
Christopher, you are either as big a liar as Mittney or as ignorant as Sununu. The president did not look "dumb" at any point in the debate. What the president did was give Mittney enough rope to hang himself... again. One guy looked like the president, the other looked like a desperate tool. If you knew anything about competitive debate, you would know that Mittney lost on points. He lost points for inaccuracy. He lost points for consistently going over time. He lost points for consistently over-talking the moderator. People like you are what is wrong with the electorate. If you would change your vote based upon your childlike understanding of a debate performance, you shouldn't be allowed to vote. Because of your lack of understanding of political debate, you now agree with the policies of a despot like Willard Romney? What a tool.
I had to work on a project years ago with Sununu. He is extremely disrespectful of women, which is why he treated Andrea the way he did today (and other times he has been on her show). Actually, he is pretty disrespectful of anyone who isn't John Sununu.
Sununu is an inconsequential old man suffering from the onset of dementia. I should know I am much older than him.
Don't blame it on dementia. It's not. It's plain outright disrespect, hate and being racist. I speak truth and don't try to 'sugar coat' with an excuse.
Sinunu is just another Republican in the long line of people beginning with Newt Gingrich who, along with Fox News, has lowered the standards for political discourse. Most appalling are the criticisms that have become personal. There are no recognized boundaries of good taste in politics anymore. Republicans have violated the respect the president, regardless of party, is entitled to be accorded as leader of this country. I don't think our politics will ever return to civil discourse and mutual respect. It is my hope that Dems do not get into the mud with the Republicans.
"Lazy" and "not that bright"... yep, that's the way racist white folks described black folks when I was growing up. To the word.
Bet Sununu can say "Hey you kids, get off my lawn" in several languages, too.
So, when someone is on a show and repeatedly makes comments which are disrespectful to the President of the United States, should that person be invited back? be given the amount of time for interviewing as previously? or should he/she be given a Time Out? If Sununu had told an off-color or racist joke, would he be invited back? I commend Andrea for at least minimally trying to get him to see the error of his ways, but this was a second chance for him after his last visit, so to my mind, he should not be a guest on MSNBC anywhere, especially Andrea Mitchell's show.
Judy -- He's been on her show at least once a week for at least the past four weeks. It's the first time she's even tried. She's as disgusting as he for it's like she's his accomplice
As far as I'm concerned, this is a case where "Just look who she's married to" is a valid point. She's married to Alan Greenspan. Before anybody brings up James Carville, I haven't taken him seriously for years.
How do you prepare to debate a guy like Romney?He's got more position's than a Chinese sex book.He's got Ryan running around the country saying one thing,then when confronted he say's I'm the one running for Pres.not him.I would'nt vote for this guy as president of a playdough factory (he'd probably shut it down anyway and move it oversea's).
I thought it was interesting how Romney was so proud of himself for working across the isle with Democrats in Massachusetts to create programs like Romney care, and to improve education etc. I think the President wouldn't have a problem passing bills with Republicans if his ideas were Republican ideology.
Well then again, these Republicans do not really have any ideology right now except to get rid of Obama. Great way to govern a country!!
Just goes to show you the Democrats are easy to get along with! It's the Republican Racists who are not. Vote and get those damn obstructionist out of office....vote early and vote straight blue!
The NI*Clang! Event Horizon draws closer still. And my money's on this pile of crud to be the one who breaches it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZ9ku_wInw
Any time Sununu shows up I mute the sound. He is the second most obnoxious after Chris Christie and after Sununu comes Trump.
I agree that Obama did fine but did not refute the lies. Rmoney looked like a chameleon actor going to the center and saying he wasn't going to raise taxes on middle class (mortgage deductions?). He said stuff that wasn't true and his facial expressions were worse (IMO) than Obama writing notes.
Unfortunately, I think the debate format favors the liar. It's easier to lie than to correct lies. It seems clear now that Romney went into the debate with the intention of just denying everything Obama said. If Obama had said that Romney clearly loves Ann Romney, I suspect Mitt would have countered that he hates her with a deep and passionate loathing. Of course, that meant that Romney pretty much had to repudiate the entire economics portion of his campaign up to that point, but then Romney never thinks beyond the moment.
On the plus side, now the Obama campaign has many extended clips of Romney saying crap that contradicts the crap he said on the campaign trail. Just the thing for attack ads.