Associated Press
Mother Jones' David Corn published the scoop on Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" video in September, and ever since, he's broken a series of related stories about other remarks the Republican has delivered behind closed doors. Today, Corn moves the ball forward, noting a speech Romney delivered in March in Orange County, California.
There's a few interesting angles -- Romney, for example, believes President Obama believes private enterprise is a "necessary evil," and longs for Chinese business practices -- but there was one element to the story that stood out for me.
In context, Romney had just explained that he decided to run in this cycle at his wife's insistence. The candidate then asked Ann Romney to say a few words.
"You know, the ship's going over the waterfall, it's almost there. And we look what's happening in Greece, and we look what's happening around the world, we look what's happening internationally. This is a frightening world, and we need a grown-up, and we need someone that understands the economy. So I'm glad ... Mitt is grown up to you all."
Now, Ann Romney isn't a candidate for public office, and the fact that she's confused about the Greek crisis and fiscal issues isn't terribly interesting.
But her talk about the nation needing "a grown-up" strikes me as troubling. Indeed, it rankles because of the larger pattern -- Ann Romney just this month compared the president to an obstinate child; Josh Romney said the same thing; and during one of the debates, Mitt Romney also compared Obama to his children.
I try not to be overly sensitive about these things, but something is amiss.
Regardless of your opinions about him, Barack Obama is a 51-year-old man. He's the president of the United States during a time of several crises, including two wars. His status as a "grown-up" is not in doubt.
If the Romneys want to argue that Obama's not good at his job, fine, we can have the debate. If they choose not to respect the president, that's their business. But to question whether Obama is an adult, and to use this as a line of attack more than once, raises very different kinds of questions about the Romneys.
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Next up? Burning those evil, nasty, confusing, and juvenile books. The grown-ups can tell me what to do, I don't need to think for myself. It's probably for the best, anyway, because after all, I AM a woman.
I've been waiting all campaign for some Republican to slip up and flat-out call Obama "boy." I'm honestly surprised this (repeated) dogwhistle is as close as they've come.
I hate listening to Ms. Mitt as much as I hate listening to Mitt/Ryan. Mittens and clan act so entitiled. "well no my son didn't serve in the war but he volunteers at the VA hospital"...really Ann????? These two have no clue what middle America is like and I have zero confidence they will be committed to making lives better except for the Fat Cats like Trump.
Any minority, female, gay or 47%er that votes for Romney deserves what they get. Sadly the rest us will suffer as well.
His name is "Obama" not "O-boy-ma"
I've seen a lot of posts on other sites referring to the President as "man-child" aka "boy." Wow! On another note, I think the Romneys want to be like the Kennedys and the presidency is the only way to do that.
There's no way the Romneys will EVER be like the Kennedys. The Kennedys have dedicated their political lives to helping those who can't help themselves. The Romneys have dedicated themselves to screwing them over.
Perhaps they are just jealous of this healthy, bright, younger man who has demonstrated he can lead in the worst of times, rather than having to focus on only one thing at a time (manufacture the elusive "truth(s)") because one cannot multi-task.
What a misplaced insult!
The one page in the Republican playbook is to accuse the Democrats of whatever they're most guilty of. Fiscally irresponsible? Say the Democrats are! Trying to kill Medicare? Say the Democrats want to?
Have a nominee who toggles between spoiled child mode and school bully mode? Accuse the Democrat of not being a grown-up!
Those remarks on Obama wanting Chinese business practices is weird, given the recent talk by corporate heads on how they would prefer the Chinese model of state capitalism (government run and organized) to our individualistic, haphazard model. One op ed on it NYT not long ago.
When Romney went to China to see a factory, he was sooooo impressed by the way they ran it. Workers locked inside, fencing with razor-wire all around the building. And low, low, low wages.
Not only is Obama a grownup, but he's the sort of guy you wish more grownups would be like. He's smart and knowledgeable about many things, passionate and compassionate, and has great self-discipline and self-control. I disagree with a number of the choices he's made as President, but his personal qualities are exemplary. You've got to wonder about people who can't see that, or pretend not to.
My my such an adult way of running for office-ranting like little kids in the playground about your competition.
Of course the constant lying from the right kind of already pegged them as not having achieved maturity.
I noticed that Chris Christie said today, “The adults are taking care of business, so don’t get scared.”
I was wondering what he was getting that from.
It figures that a playground bully like Christie would pretend to be an adult.
The thing that strikes me the most about Ann, is how well her character was played in the movie 'The Campaign' by Katherine LaNasa. Really, you could not have nailed it better with a clone.
Job Creators, we are sorry!
To the Job Creators that live in the towers high in the clouds, we are sorry we angered you. Thank you for your words of wisdom you sent down to us through email. Please understand that we know it is hard for you to hear the doubts form people that do not understand that you are the ones that have made our economy flourish throughout all of the years. We would like to apologize for the people that have been misled by the media to believe that our economy is grown, not through tax breaks for you the Job Creators, but by consumers buying the products that you create. We do not believe this. We also do not believe that balancing the budget with tax cuts and defense spending increases is “voodoo economics". That would be a sin. They do not see how our nation has been so positively affected over the past decade by you paying the lowest tax rates Job Creators have ever seen. They do not understand that even asking you to pay anything is blasphemy. So we apologize and ask forgivness.
It is wrong and we do not understand how someone could ask you to help pay for our military to protect your business interest around the world. It is our privilege to supply you with ports and roads to get your creations form factories, to us, the consumers. We will gladly sacrifice our children education so you can have the money you need to create those blessed jobs for us, the uneducated. We do not need government to mandate healthcare, we believe and know that you will take care of us and supply us with affordable healthcare. We will gladly give up our retirement money and even our disposable income so you can show record profit to your stock holders, for we understand that you too have a higher power to appease. For we know that you will take care of us in our time of need. We do not see the need for any regulation of business, for we know that you Job Creators have been the stewards of the earth, our nation and the economy.
We do not believe misleading reports, such as the nonpartisan congressional study, that say periods with lower taxes had lower job rates and lower economic growth. You are the ones that have single handedly built your business from the grown up. That nobody can take credit for your creations. We understand that if your chosen one is not elected, that you will have to come down form your towers high in the clouds roll up your sleeves and produce your creations instead of us. We do not want this for you! You have worked tirelessly every day to provide this nation with a better way of life and we thank you. You, who have provided us with a stable economy for business to grow and prosperity to flourish, we ask you not to give up your business and disappear to a far off tropical beach, for we would be lost.
We understand that if this election is lost, by your chosen one, that you will be angered. So, on behave of the people that believe in you, our Job Creators, we will vote for your chosen one on November 6th.
You remember what happened last time the Republicans bragged about the grownups being in charge?
They pissed away a surplus.
Started two wars.
Blew up the economy.
When sociopaths grow up they destroy everything they touch.
The Daily Beast had a really interesting article on the presidential personality types, and it talked about how Romney is primarily a Director personality- which basically means that he believes he was meant to lead and therefore be listened to (Obama was too, to a lesser degree). What I got out of it, was even though they were both Directors, Obama was balanced out by the negotiating impulse (which makes him more empathetic and relatable) versus Romney, whose secondary personality type was balanced out by caution and a heirarchical view of the world. It was really interesting. The article also talked about how these traits are 40-60% genetic. I highly recommend it.
Anyways, I wonder if that director/heirarchy mentality Romney was diagnosed as having might contribute to his view that not only should he be president, but because he views himself as the leader, that nobody should question him regardless. This would make Obama the petulant child in his mind, and if the family was similar in temperment, they would go right along with that. Not that it is right to view the President of the United States as a child in any way shape or form, but if any deviation from Romney's world-view is considered childish and immature by him, then that might lead to the language he is using so often.
Nothing is "amiss" here- Barak Obama acts like a child. He blames others for his many mistakes, he doesn't get along with his peers, he's a poor leader who is arrogantly incompetent. His entire campaign is to demonize the other side, and his only response to Romney's successful adult campaign is to scream "liar liar pants on fire!" He reminds me of my 17 yr old daughter when she was 7.
On top of that, I would like to get both partisan sides of the story, but Rachel maddow is so freaking boring that it is hard to slog through her diatribes.
What are his mistakes and whom does he blame for them? Provide evidence for this claim
Who are his peers and what does it mean to not get along with them? How does Obama meet this definition? Provide evidence for this claim
What does it mean to be a poor leader, how is he a poor leader, how is he arrogant, and how is he incompetent? Provide evidence for this claims
If Obama is acting like a child because he is demonizing the other side and you are demonizing Obama then does this mean, by that same logic, that you are a child? Good to know.
What does it mean to demonize the other side and when/how has Obama done this? Provide evidence for this claim
What is a successful campaign and how does Romney's campaign meet that definition? What is an adult campaign and how does Romney's campaign meet that definition? Are you debunking the claims of lies? You did not on this article: if that is the case then you are openly admitting that Romney is lying. So then you're saying an "adult campaign" is one that lies, but a "child" campaign is one that points out the lies? Good to know
Why would you want to get both partisan sides of the story? If both sides are lying then listening to both sides only gives you 2 separate lies. By your own logic you are openly stating you're misinformed on the basis of the coverage you listen to. I disagree that Maddow is horribly partisan- she rarely advocates in favor of either political party and she has historically chastised both- but that's your opinion. If you find her "diatribes" boring then why do you watch her show? This complaint makes no sense. You are complaining that someone else is doing something that you don't like, that you have the power to change, and yet you're not changing it? To me that sounds like something a child would do, but that's my personal opinion.
"undecided"?
you don't sound "undecided" to me.
President Obama doesn't BLAME the bush administration and the repubs ENOUGH for their participation in the economic mess we find ourselves in right now.
i am phucking sick and tired of you all saying what a "poor leader" President Obama is, WHEN REPUBS LET W. BUSH (DICK CHEEEEENEY) LEAD THEM FOR 8 YEARS, setting us up for the worst economic disaster since the great depression. come on. repubs loved and agreed with EVERYTHING w. bush (dick cheeeeney) wanted, and signed up for it all. not to mention, REPUBS KEPT THE IRAQI AND AFGHANISTAN WARS OFF THE BOOKS, ALONG WITH MEDICARE D. ask mitch daniels if he thought that was a successful option. when President Obama took office, he did at least 2 things immediately. he ramped up the hunt for bin laden, and he said, "we will no longer lie to the american people about the cost of the wars", and added medicare part D, and the cost of the wars to the debt, AND NOW THE PRESIDENT GETS THE BLAME FOR IT. W. BUSH PUT EVERYTHING ON THE CREDIT CARD, AND LIED TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
i feel so sorry for the repub party. THEY CAN'T BE LED.
please do not refer to romney's adult campaign, when he lies about everything. ask newt gingrich and rick santorum IF mitt romney is a liar.
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION and the repubs have lied to us for the past 12 years, bush romney and cheeeeney leading the pack. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT that the president isn't the only one elected to LEAD. mitch mcconnell, eric cantor, kevin mccarthy and other conservatives who were at a meeting, PLEDGING TO EACH OTHER to say "NO" to all economic policies the President put forth, PER THEIR MAIN GOAL to make President Obama a 1 term president. they blantantly and unabashedly put their PLEDGE TO EACH OTHER, hurting the american people in the process. these conservatives are UNEMBARASSABLE in their disgusting attempts to demonize our president.
i don't understand why anyone would trust them.
you undecided?
how do you REALLY FEEL?
You certainly don't sound very "undecided." And all things considered, there's quite a bit of merit in a 7-year-old screaming "liar, liar, pants on fire," when that is a perfectly accurate observation of someone's behavior. If the Obama campaign seems like nothing but calling Romney a liar, maybe you should consider the idea that he is a brazen, shameless, pathological liar, as established by any independent fact-checking organization you like.
Do you think "grown-up" is code for mormon hierarch? Mrs. R. thinks the US needs to be ruled by a Mormon bishop just as she and her children are?
The last debate demonstrated Mr. Romney's "world view" as fearful and a bit paranoid.
At face value, Mr. Romney's comments suggest the lack of solid grounding and maturity. I couldn't help being reminded of G. W. Bush's fundamentalist conviction the U.S. was playing a role in biblical Revelations in his push for war with Iraq. We can all agree the world is a dangerous place. One must wonder if decisions will be made with sound judgement or clouded by beliefs.
I think these Rich, Self Indulgent people are out of touch with the Average American . I also found it strange that they are using one of the Huntsman daughters in their campaign ads. Her father and Grandfather (distant relatives of Romney) have supposedly severed all ties with Romney. Her Grandfather stated that he was sorry he ever endorsed him. Seems like Romney misled his distant cousin in a past contest for the Olympic committee. In this Presidential run Huntsman was also running for Office but was over shadowed by Romney. Guess he cannot even be trusted by Family. Huntsman Sr. said he was sorry he ever backed him and felt he was no longer family. I guess no one can trust him or what he says.
I have absolutely felt the same way as the author. It is ridiculous. I remember thinking, "okay, Gramma, go back to bed." Listen, they sound like the old guard upset that they aren't running things anymore. The torch has been passed to the next generation and I am happy to have a man in his prime on every level, leading this nation, rather than someone whose ideas are old and tired, along with the rest of him. Millions of people aroung the world respect our President as do millions of Americans.
Suzette- your post is unreadable.
Cartoonthenews!- Sorry, i don't have as much time as you evidently do to answer your ridiculous questions, but your illogical conclusions do make me laugh.
Here is a question for Suzette, or any of the other True Believers here: Exactly how did "George Bush set us up for the worst economic disaster since the great depression"?
Please don't use the war in Iraq as part of your answer, since absolutely no economists site the war as a cause for the housing bust, or the finacial melt down.