("The Company Romney Keeps")
Yes, it is the company Romney
keeps. Maybe, as Cory Booker suggests, not every aberrant remark made by
every Republican is attributable to their candidate. But now, when
tension increases and the days until election dwindle, now is when the
ugliness comes out in full force. Now is when Donald Trump feels
emboldened to speak of the President "monkeying" with unemployment
numbers. Now is when he challenges the President to produce his college
transcript, with the implicit understanding that it will reveal that
affirmative action, not intellect, allowed this man into an Ivy league
college. Now is when the one time standard bearer for her party, Sarah
Palin, chastises the leader of our country for his "shuck and jive" that
"ends with Benghazi lies." And now is when John Sununu, who has for so
long acted as a surrogate for Mr. Romney, now is when his insinuations
about Colin Powell's racial bias are in evidence.
There is something much more than coincidence here. No, Mr. Romney
may not be Mr. Trump or Ms. Palin or Mr. Sununu, or Ann Coulter who
referred to the President as a "retard" after one of the recent
debates.. But there is a loud and distinct statement coming from all
corners of this party that is informing the white electorate that the
disquiet inside, the thought that it might be better for our country if
the grand experiment with a black man in office came to an end, the
desire to go back to a time that seemed more understandable and
comfortable, that all of this is reasonable and appropriate. And that
the only way to act on that sense of unease is at the ballot box.
You will never see an ad in which Mr. Romney says, "I am Mitt Romney
and I support this message". But, while he may not explicitly endorse any of these comments, if you believe that Mr. Romney will not quietly
approve these actions taken in pursuit of his ascension, I think you
have not been paying attention. We have seen him throughout this
campaign do and say whatever is required in the name of political
expediency. And now, in the most critical of moments, his failings will
only be exacerbated. Yes, it is the company that Romney keeps.
14 comments:
These people are disgusting, and sadly, they play to the many racist in our society. It is an insult to the meaning of what is an American. But what can you expect from Trump, Palin, Coulter, Sanunu, and others bigots dominating the GOP? Have we heard from Romney deploring these words? No.
Why waste words about lunatics on the right? They make themselves look bad and our guy look good. What's really damning, to me as a Democrat, and damaging to the president, is Bob Woodward's (no Republican he) recent book "The Price of Politics," published on 9/11. The book depicts Obama as a president in over his head, out of his depth, while wholly unaware of the fact. It is a portrait of Obama as having the appearance of an academic who is clueless in his reading of political situations and dynamics. He does not know how to negotiate. His false confidence is greater than his competence, his arrogance greater than his grasp. In other words a political failure. If he had half of Bill Clinton's instinctual political acumen he would have undercut his republican opposition with seduction, nuance, conciliation, and compromise. Instead he dug his heels in with a stubbornly partisan stance that hardened positions. There was never any respect for trying to negotiate with Republicans. It was "Eric, don't call my bluff" believing his genius would save the day. Saved nothing, and washington became immobilized. The same Obama we saw in the first debate shooting himself in the foot.
Barrack Obama is a victim of his own folly and excessive hubris. As the incumbent, with a little good judgment and wise counsel, he should be 10 points ahead of such a hollow-man nonentity pretender as Mitt Romney. Instead this election is now too close to call. If he does not win it will be his own damn fault and a loss for the country.
I totally disagree with your description of a President who failed to try to resolve issues with the Republican right. So much of his effort was in fact predicated on trying to make peace that almost all of what he attempted to accomplish got lost in watered down achievements. This country has not moved to the center but to the right in trying to appease the radical departure of the Republican party from a platform of sanity. We are now discussing a position of no abortion, except in the case of incest or rape as somehow moderate.
Obama had a horrendous first debate in which he let certain victory slip from his grasp. It was that bad showing that is the predicate for the last 10 day showdown.
You think it a waste of time to speak of the lengths to which the Republican party will go, and to which Romney will willingly let them. I think it critically important.
I totally agree with Bob Woodward and the previous writer, and I too am a Democrat. A very unhappy one. Aside from Obama's compulsive insistence that anything awry in the economy during his first term is "not my fault" I will never forget his speech at George Washington University last year when with the GOP congressional leadership was seated before him to hear the administration's counterproposals on reducing the deficit, Obama mocked them as "nothing serious." Arrogant, divisive, and unpresidential to say the least. He lacks all political savoir faire. Does not know how to play well with others. Aloof, disengaged, and above it all. And always the smartest one in the room.
This election is not about abortion or women's contraception, or about the nonsense from idiots like Trump and the rest. It's only about the economy and jobs.
There seems to be a serious psychological flaw in Obama's conception of the presidency. He accepts the best of it but not responsibility for the inevitable worst of it. It's making his incumbency smaller than he thinks it is. His misfortune is that in the election's last lap the public has begun to notice.
Idol worshippers beware!
And if it is all about the jobs, what are your perceptions? Trickle down economics? Austerity? Republican platform hidden in tooth fairy statements that all these tax cuts will not be paid for by the decimation of the social safety net and the ever increasing disparity in income and wealth between the few and the rest.
You think the statements of the President have been divisive. You have not been listening to 4 years worth of mocking derision from the Republican party, of their falsehoods and manipulations. Do they have political "savoir faire" as you would say?
Has this been a perfect President? We both know he has not, and he is, like everyone else who came before or will come hereinafter, a man with flaws. But to view this in the light you do is unfair to the man and untrue to the facts.
I am also a lifelong democrat. or maybe was. However, this President has failed to inspire us as to what could be. Coming under the heading of "inspiration" would be to take on the fight against Republican obstructionism in the Congress from Day 1, and to let the American people know about it. If Republicans really sabotaged the first 4 years, the President should not have let any stand-off go unanswered. His democratic handlers have failed, and he should have fired them early on. I believe that diagnosis of
"excessive hubris" is correct. RE
WOW, Great Debate.
Just want to put my 2 cents in. The I me mine president surely is short on humility while full of hubris. It could very well be his Achilles heel.
Also I think you may have a serious case of Obamanesia. This guy's contradicted himself and flip-flopped so often it ain't even funny.
It would seem fair to say Romney has more political "savoir faire" in his little finger than Obama in his entire being. He pivoted center at the first debate, left Obama flat footed and confused thus making this a real race to the finish. Had Obama a touch of common sense he would have got there before Romney and would be that 10 points up in the polls on his way to a landslide victory, wherein he could do as he pleased in a second term. That's just plain common sense. Clinton did it. But as another writer before me said it so eloquently: "Obama is psychologically flawed."
A wise man once said:
"Believing you are never wrong is an error that afflicts great men"
A black philosopher may have said it even better:
"Some of the biggest cases of mistaken identity are among intellectuals who have trouble remembering that they are not God"
It is suggested that he has failed for not calling out the obstructionists loudly and clearly, or that he has failed for being too stringent in his position and not trying to negotiate a resolution. People will find error no matter what choice was made. And there is some truth in both of these ideas, for I would have liked to have him been more definitive in his denunciation of the opposition, and political reality demands that he could not take this tack
It has been a difficult 4 years and a debate season that went horribly wrong early. I believe, I know that these conversations would not be as dramatic if the first debate had gone as anticipated. We would be on a victory tour now and the slights of the President would be slight. But we are not and the result is a more disillusioned and disappointed Democratic party. I hope that you who have identified yourselves as discouraged Democrats take a good look at what the next 4 years will bring if under the control of Romney and his party.
The only certainty we have is that we know the devil we have now but we don't know the devil we may have instead. If only Obama would give us a clear vision for the future instead of a guarantee of 4 more years of the same old stale policies.
Obama is a man of many words, not a man of his word.
Disillusioned, disappointed, discouraged? What an understatement. I won't have a sound night's sleep until November, 7th when he wins. But if he does not pull off a victory I may be on suicide watch along with many others.
When the truth of the cover-up in Benghazi comes out, and eventually it will, Obama will be revealed as the despicable cowardly incompetent commander-in-chief that he is. He and his minions will pull out all the stops and excuses to keep the truth hidden until at least after the election, but it won't matter because he has ultimately destroyed his legacy.
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