Back in June, Mitt Romney offered an important insight into how he views economic policy.
"[President Obama] wants to hire more government workers," Romney said. "He says we need more fireman, more policeman, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people."
Right. It'll "help the American people" just as soon as we allow more layoffs of school teachers and first responders. Why will the economy benefit when these workers are unemployed? Romney never got around to explaining that, but the larger point was hard to miss: the president believes the country would benefit from fewer teacher layoffs; Romney believes the opposite.
At least, that's the way it seemed. Four months later, in last week's debate, President Obama brought this up, noting, "Governor Romney doesn't think we need more teachers. I do."
The Republican responded, "I reject the idea that I don't believe in great teachers or more teachers." In other words, Romney no longer seems to agree with what he said in June.
That is, until yesterday, when Romney sat down with the editors of the Des Moines Register. As Sam Stein noted, the former governor seemed to revert back to his original stance, arguing, "He wants to hire more school teachers. We all like school teachers. It's a wonderful thing. Typically, school teachers are hired by states and localities, not by the federal government. But hiring school teachers is not going to raise the growth of the U.S. economy over the next three-to-four years."
First, as a matter of economic policy, hundreds of thousands of public education jobs have been lost in recent years, and saving those jobs would, in reality, not only help schools, students, families, but also have a meaningful economic impact. Romney resists this, but teaching is a real job involving a real paycheck. Teachers who are employed can then use that paycheck to purchase goods and services, pay bills, make investments, etc. When those teachers are laid off and federal officials let it happen, the workers withdraw from the marketplace and hurt the economy. Why Romney struggles to understand this is unclear.
Second, we rarely see flip-flop-flips, but Romney, if nothing else, is unique.
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"Why Romney struggles to understand this is unclear."
Don't just blame Rawmoney, the whole dang party doesn't seem to understand. Of course in GOTP-land up is down, so maybe somehow thru magic firing teachers/police/firemen means "more money" in the public coffers....
At least McCain admitted in the fall of 2008 during the financial collapse that "he really didn't know much about finance" - maybe Rawmoney should just admit that he doesn't really understand "economics".
Romney is no idiot. He understands, but he just doesn't care. Whatever the audience wants to hear is Romney's position. New audience? Shake the Etch-A-Sketch.
i was going to quote that first line, so i'll comment to your comment. :)
They (conservatives) could really use a lesson or two on the economy from Nick Hanauer, venture capitalist. He was on a few shows and talked about how the economy is an ecosystem whose engine is the middle class. when the middle class discretionary spending is decreased, the economy goes into a lull because demand drives our economy. with higher demand, businesses have enough revenue coming in that they can expand their labor pool, creating more jobs. with more employees earning a living wage, the middle class grows stronger and is able to push on the throttle of the economy for faster growth.
it is such a simple concept that i can understand it, i struggle to figure out why these 'business gurus' struggle with it...
Rmoney might not be an idiot, but he IS an idiot on economics if he believes the economic "plan" of his -- which is nothing but the old debunked supply-side economics -- is valid, either theoretically or empirically. And I think he believes it. So I think that on economics, not only is Paul Ryan a moron, but so is Mitt Romney.
Romney's plan is the same plan that Republicans have had for 30 years. Cut taxes, cut regulations, cut the size of government and eliminate entitlements including SS and Medicare. He understands exactly what the plan will do. If he becomes president he will run up the deficit even more than Bush to force cuts in the domestic budget and leave his mess to a Dem president.
From the Urban Dictionary on the meaning of flip flopper :
1.
flip flopper
One who beats around the bush, talks ALOT of crap, says one thing but means the other, is a complete A-HOLE and I hate him.
2.
flip flopper
someone who goes back and fourth. like one day he/she is someones friend and the next day shes not.
3.
3
flip flopper
someone who verbalizes contradictory statements with no reason for or acknowledgement of the change in positions.
Sounds like Mr. ( Liar Liar Pants On fire ) Mitt Romney to me !!
Just because he is being warm and fuzzy it does not mean he is not a liar . . . it just makes him a warm and fuzzy liar !!
Yes, of course, and the more money there is in public coffers, the more they can loot! What's so hard to understand about that?
Liar Liar pants on fire - Obama's got that down. After Benghazi and Fast & Furious I may have voted for him one time but not 2. After the election he will pull another Executive Privelege card out of his hat to finish covering up Benghazi too.
It's hard to believe the dumbassery coming out of this clown Wyo2. You wear your underwear over your head, don't you?
Romney is a Machiavellian creature, and if the American electorate chooses to elect him, once again, Machiavelli will triumph over Huxley who got it right - the end never justifies the means, but rather, the means themselves become the end!
If the American electorate elects Mitt Romney, equivocations will be policy, confusion will reign, and the rich will become richer at the expense of the non-rich!
Mark my words! -Kevo
The rich are already getting richer off the non-rich. Apparently, they really do believe you can't be too rich.
The Obama camp needs to run an ad with the YouTube video Mitt debating Mitt
MissyCheeks - THAT is one commercial I might actually leave the sound on for!!! ROFL!
OMG Missy !! That would be sooooooooo hilarious !
I could not have said it better myself. If Romney wins, the next Democrat needs to immediately work on getting rid of the Electorate. It is a left-over from the 18th century, when there were only local papers and no other communication means besides the pony mail.
"... in reality, not only help schools, students, families, but also have a meaningful economic impact."
But there is no money in that for the private sector, No charter schools, no voucher programs, management is forced to enforce standards instead of plunging straight to the bottom line, Teachers and workers unions,...
and don't even consider that those teachers would actually teach and in subjects like science, history, critical thinking...
That just can't be allowed to happen
Right, there would be no meaningful economic impact because we know teachers are the only people who never spend their paychecks in their communities.
And, in fact, they often spend a lot of their own money on school supplies that are not provided by the school budget. Some of them even purchase from Staples, one of Mitt's own companies. One wonders how this might effect the economy if schools teachers had enough to invest in the growth of the economy.
Obama is only going to give the EPA more jobs. Regulate us out of jobs, cut school budgets, throw money at worthless green energy projects But by God there will be regulators.
Hoo boy? Looks like a real live Fox-educated ignoramus here. Read about how badly regulations affect jobs, dumbass:
Regulation, employment, and the economy: Fears of job loss are overblown | Economic Policy Institute
Time-saver for an idiot like you: no effect.
Any more empty, evidence-free assertions from Fox you'd like to have corrected, moron?
"The perfectly tuned weather vane"
"perfectly lubricated weather vane" was the quote. Able to spin about effortlessly.
So basically he is a representation of a male chicken that like to sit in one place and spin?
Yeah that does seem to describe him quite succinctly
"But hiring school teachers is not going to raise the growth of the U.S. economy over the next three-to-four years."
Yes, and that is because of all those dang Child Labor Laws!- As Newt said, "teh kiddies should be doing janitorial work!"
In diving, you might call this the double flip with 1 flop. During the Olympics of Politics, Mitt seems to be trying to perfect the double flip with 2 flops.
I won't be impressed until he does it with two and a half twists in the pike position.
How did Mitt Romney's kids gain an education, by teachers or by osmosis at their rich daddy's knee?
Don't look now, but he's pulling a fast one...
Gotta love how the alphabet news groups all take such pride in snatching a 10 second sound byte out of context to create the illusion that someone is all that they care to present them as, good or bad. Anyone these days who trusts the American media, or EITHER political party, is a willing stooge. Obama has carried on way too many of Bush's crimes, and Romney is a GOP puppet, so there is no good choice between the two. It's WAY past time for a 3rd option!
Romney is frightening. He's amoral and even if he were a moderate deep down, he doesn't have the heft or the spine to adjust the trajectory of the republican party. He will go along with anything to get along. Is there anyone alive who thinks he will do anything but what the paleo-conservative/neo-confederate wing of his party tell him to do.
Mr. Romney, you want to help the American people? Are all those teachers, policemen, and firefighters NOT American people?
I just get it. How such a person can have so much support in our country. What happened to the importance of accountability. Since when are leaders so grossly negligent and individuals so clearly blind?!
It never occurred to me until now, but apparently our country's teachers, firefighters and law enforcement professionals are not part of "the American people". What are they, then, "illegal aliens"? Does Mittens think they should self-deport?
Why is this sort of thing not a campaign ad? Can you imagine:
"June, 2012 Mitt Romney says..."
"Oct. 3, 2012, at the 1st Presidential debate, Mitt Romney says..."
"Oct., 10, 2012, Mitt Romney says..."
"How can you believe anything Mitt Romney says. He's a liar."
Sept 12-12 : Obama says it was all about a video
Wow - which side has the worst lies??????
Are you really too ignorant and stupid to not know? Or are you just playing ignorant and stupid? Either way, you're being ignorant and stupid.
I would love to see Rachel post the clip where the "mitt" brags about being unemployed. He was laughing and making jokes about not having a job.
How does that make folks feel who are looking for a job or have 2 or more jobs and work hard? Do they earn what the "mitt" earns? NO Do they/we pay the same level of tax rates as the "mitt"? NO We pay more.
Sick
My apologies to bisexuals of which I count myself one, but Mitt should really be called a SWITCH HITTER. But it's kind of strange, he is a lefty against lefties and a righty against righties.
As distinct from reductions in the inheritance tax, which would cause the economy to take off like a rocket the day after it goes into effect. Right, Mitt?
Teachers contribute a lot to the economy. Just this past week I purchased enough crayons and glue to supply all 600 kids that come to my art class. The second grade teacher down the hall bought a new coat, some shoes and jeans for one of her students since they only had warm weather clothes. The gym teacher who teaches at the high school along with our elementary school purchased shoes for 4 of his students. All three fourth grade teachers bought their own laptop computers for work and gave up their school computers to kids in the classroom so they could have computers to use in their lessons. See - hiring teachers really boosts the economy because we spend half of our salaries on supplies that the school can't/won't purchase because of slashed budgets!
See my comment above: These purchases even benefit Romney, who has a financial interest in Staples, I think. Perhaps the teachers could combine their stories and deliver it to Obama's campaign. A friend of mine is a literacy coach in CA and is also volunteering as a soccer coach because the school district doesn't have the funds, and she feels it is important for the children. She also reports that some of the teachers refuse to work beyond their scheduled workday because they are not being paid for the extra time. Those that do work extra are not recognized for their service, but are condemned by their co-workers. Where the parents are on this issue is yet to be reckoned with. Perhaps if they spoke up, things might change. One can only "HOPE."
Funny how Rmoney say it's time to help the American people. Beside the fact that he has become quite the pathological liar in chief, I guess Firemen, police and teachers are not American enough to be people too! (Although by tomorrow he'll probably allow them back into humanity, but by Friday they'll be out again, LOL)
I have to question what Romney wants - he doesn't even know. I hope this comes out strong in the next two debates. His motto should be BFBF -back and forth, back and forth.
I really hope people listen to him contradict himself - all the people he says should be fired have contributed to the economy and in a round about way - him. As the mother of a school teacher who substituted for 9 years, and finally got a position - believe me she contributed. She had to work 2 jobs all that time - for lousy benefits. Now she has one job and hopefully someone has the other one she had - so they can contribute too.
People who grow up with the silver spoon just don't seem to get it - but they sure want more.
In a CBS news report by Matthew Shelley this September, Romney (speaking to Brian Williams in an interview) said of his private school education when asked whether all kids deserve that kind of education,"That's not going to be available for the entire nation."
He said that "a dollar number" doesn't always equate to an effective teacher and "I know that there are teachers in the public system who are every bit as good as those in the private system." He's also spoken about his disbelief that classroom size has anything to do with the quality of education (obviously having never sat in a classroom full of 8 year olds.)
Now consider his and Ryan's plans to provide vouchers for school choice, but not for the whole cost of the education...maybe more like a pizza discount coupon. Schools are overcrowded, teachers are underpaid, and their ticket wants to destroy the unions. Forget that there won't be room for every student in the better schools, and those who can't leave will be in failing schools without proper funding or the community's dedication to their success.
He also went on to say un-ironically how teacher's unions corrupt negotiations because (referring to Democratic politicians) "the person sitting across the table from them should not have received the largest campaign contribution from the teachers union themselves ... [It's] an extraordinary conflict of interest and something that should be addressed."
Now, let's hear the Romney/Ryan plan THIS week for education.
Give Willard credit for understanding one critical message: if you hire more teachers (or firefighters, or police), you delay the demise of the middle class. For CONservatives, that is an unacceptable outcome.
Last week, after Ann Romney said she worried about Mitt Romney's "mental well-being" if he became President, Martin Bashir took her comment and questioned Mitt's mental health. Some said he crossed a line with those questions. Now I'm not so sure. People have wondered why Mitt Romney has no empathy for others; how he could buy companies and fire people with no remorse; how he could change his position and lie so easily (and so often). I think I found the answer. Mitt Romney is a Psychopath.
Last year, Jon Ronson came out with a book called "The Psychopath Test" in which he found that while Psychopathy in the general population was very small, about 1%, among corporate CEOs the percentage was alarmingly higher, at about 4%. In July 2011, BoombergBusinessWeek Magazine reviewed the book, saying:
"The very first thing to know about psychopaths, at least according to Jon Ronson, is that they’re very charming. They’re also usually smart, easily bored, and ruthless power mongers who watch suffering with interest, have an inflated sense of self-worth, lie compulsively, and rarely take blame for their mistakes. For those reasons and others they tend to congregate in places such as London and New York. And a relatively high percentage end up running big companies."
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/the-stack-the-psychopath-test-by-jon-ronson-07212011.html
Ronson cites the work of Robert Hare, Canadian psychologist and author of the definitive psychopath test, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Hare said, "Serial killers ruin families. Corporate and political and religious psychopaths ruin economies. They ruin societies."
In a Forbes interview, Ronson was asked if there was a point "somewhere short of full-blown psychopathy that’s most conducive to success in business". He said,
"Obviously there are items on the checklist you don’t want to have if you’re a boss. You don’t want poor behavioral controls. It’d be better if you don’t have promiscuous behavior. It’d be better if you don’t have serious behavioral problems in childhood, because that will eventually come out. But you do want lack of empathy, lack of remorse, glibness, superficial charm, manipulativeness. I think the other positive traits for psychopaths in business is need for stimulation, proneness to boredom. You want somebody who can’t sit still, who’s constantly thinking about how to better things... Basically, high-scoring psychopaths can be brilliant bosses but only ever for short term... they always want to make a killing and move on."
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2011/06/14/why-some-psychopaths-make-great-ceos/
Here is the list of 20 common psychopathic traits from the test:
Glib and superficial charm; Grandiose sense of self-worth; Need for stimulation or proneness to boredom; Pathological lying; Conning and manipulativeness; Lack of remorse or guilt; Shallow affect (interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open gregariousness); Callousness and lack of empathy; Parasitic lifestyle; Poor behavioral controls; Promiscuous sexual behavior; Early behavior problems; Lack of realistic, long-term goals; Impulsivity; Irresponsibility; Failure to accept responsibility for own actions; Many short-term marital relationships; Juvenile delinquency; Revocation of conditional release; Criminal versatility (taking great pride at getting away with crimes).
Not all psychopaths have all traits. Each category is scored 0-2. Most people score well below 10. A person who scores 20+ should be avoided. At 29, the police are concerned.
I don't know whether Mitt Romney ever took the PCL-R test, but I look at this test and see that Mitt Romney has demonstrated many of them. In my lifetime we've already had one President with a mental illness (Nixon was paranoid), and one with Alzheimer's in his second term (Reagan). This country can't afford something like that again. Perhaps it's time to administer mental health exams along with the physical exams when determining fitness for the office of President.
Mitt Romney has started trying to humanize himself; to tell stories about people he knows who have died, but I hear no real emotion in his voice. He's telling somebody else's story. I'll give the Last Word to Jon Ronson:
"There are absolutes in psychopathy and the main absolute is a literal absence of empathy. It’s just not there. In higher-scoring psychopaths, what grows in the vacant field where that empathy should be is a joy in manipulating people, a lack of remorse, a lack of guilt."
I have been a teacher of elementary children for 24 years. I have had autistic children in my classroom and so recognized Mitt Romney as being on the spectrum. He is indeed incapable of doing a job that requires empathy and understanding.
Thank you! I had not considered the possibility that Mitt Romney had mild Asperger's Syndrome. That would certainly explain his 'unusual speech characteristics', his 'emotional aloofness and insensitivity' and his 'social isolation' (social awkwardness).
Mitt Romney told the story of meeting Glen Doherty, one of the ex-Navy Seals killed in Libya, 10 years ago and described it as a warm and cordial conversation. Doherty's long-time friend gave Doherty's recollection. He said Doherty told him that Romney kept re-introducing himself to Doherty, a total of four times that evening. Romney didn't recognize Doherty's face 20 minutes after meeting him. Doherty said it was 'sad and pathetic'. I'm not that familiar with Asperger's. Does lack of facial recognition fall under the 'social isolation' symptom?
I forgot to say: the one thing I personally don't trust about Mitt Romney is that he will do whatever is expedient regardless of who it affects (that lack of empathy thing again). The dog gets ill on the the car roof? Hose him down and keep driving. It would take 5 years to turn a company around and make the profit on our investment? Fire everybody and declare bankruptcy; we'll make our profit in 6 months.
What he promotes as the reason he should be elected - his business experience and success, is exactly the reason NOT to elect him. A CEO does not have the skills to run a country. You can't just order Congress to do what you want. He should have remembered that from his time as Governor. The Massachusetts legislature forced him to be bi-partisan. It wasn't his choice.
A President needs to deal with the Deficit, the Budget and the Social Safety Net with a scalpel, not a chainsaw. I'm concerned that Mitt Romney actually WILL cut all social programs by 1/3 to make his Budget work, regardless of the impact on our society.
The more I listen to him, the more he sounds like a guy trying to sell me a time-share in Boca. And Paul Ryan is Joe Isuzu - "Just Trust Me"
Romney is a Sociopath without compare.... Never have I see such bald faced, out and out in your face, no two shakes about it- LYING! He lies without remorse, he lies without restraint, he lies to beat the band; he lies when the sun comes up, and he lies when it sets, he lies before he has his morning coffee, and he lies before he goes to sleep. We have never seen the likes of this before, but please God- let us never see the likes of this again! Once is definitely enough!
I don't believe he is allowed to drink coffee, unless it is decaffeinated, which still contains caffeine. But he probably lies about that, as well. He's a Mormon.