Mitticisms: "Running"

Ever since Tuesday's Michigan Miracle -- when Mitt Romney won his home state, and all it took was outspending his three closest competitors combined -- Romney has a new campaign persona: Shrewd Businessman. Forget the wacko who wants to send Juno to Gitmo. (And she did the right thing in the end anyway, wasn't that cute?) The new Mitt is all about economics. Which is why you keep seeing him make his stump speech in the toner aisle at Staples.

The difference between toner and Mitt's core beliefs? Changing toner takes a little time.

John McCain may have the VFW, and Mike Huckabee has the church; Mitt's America is a place where you can buy Post-Its in bulk.

So you can understand why Mitt got miffed when a reporter ruined his photo opportunity yesterday, by sassing back at a Staples in Columbia. It was like talking in temple.

If you haven't seen the video, here's the exchange:

Romney: "...rather than continuously look for partisan opportunities for score settling and for opportunities to link closer to lobbyists. I don't have lobbyists running my campaign. I don't have lobbyists that are tied to my --"

Glen Johnson (Associated Press): "That's not true governor. That is not true. Ron Kaufman's a lobbyist. How can you say that you don't have lobbyists?"

Romney: "Did you hear what I said? Did you hear what I said Glen?"

Johnson: "That you don't have lobbyists running your campaign."

Romney: "I said I don't have lobbyists running my campaign and he's not running my campaign."

Johnson: "He's one of your senior advisers."

Romney: "He's an adviser, and the person who runs my campaign is Beth Myers..."

It's too bad Johnson cut Romney off before he could finish the sentence: "I don't have lobbyists that are tied to my..." because unless the next word was "car" he was heading for a blatant lie.

Ron Kaufman is the chairman of Dutko Worldwide. They're lobbyists, mostly for HMOs and the telecommunications industry. Another Romney adviser is Vin Weber, of Clark & Weinstock. His lobbying clients include a French bank tied to Saddam Hussein and the UN oil-for-food scandal. He also represents clients in the arms industry and pharmaceuticals - which should cancel each other out, when you really think about it.

When Mitt Romney was born, his father was working as a lobbyist for Alcoa. Does that count as "ties?" And that really happened. There are pictures and everything. Unlike the time he and Rosa Parks went on safari.

But Romney didn't get to finish his thought. So instead, we get to enjoy what Aristotle (yes, him again) called The Fallacy of Accent.

The Fallacy of Accent (350 BC, and still fresh!) is the difference between "Lobbyists aren't running my campaign" and "Lobbyists aren't running my campaign."

(Technically, Aristotle was describing how changing the inflection of a Greek word could change its meaning. But that's not how we use it. Which isn't to say you can't use it that way. Knock yourself out.)

We use it to describe how the emphasis on one word or another in a statement can create ambiguity. What Johnson heard was Mitt saying he didn't like lobbyists. What Mitt meant was he didn't like lobbyists in charge.

Gosh! My campaign is crawling with them like maggots on road kill and I couldn't be happier! But running the joint? Heavens no!

What did you think I meant?

Was ever a conman so misunderstood?

It takes a really practiced scamp to pull off the Fallacy of Accent. But it's sooo rewarding, once you get the hang of it. Let's take a hypothetical example:

"You'll never catch me lying about being a total dick."

It could mean: "There are some people who are total dicks, and they lie about it." The way the lobbyist thing was a dig at John McCain.

But it could also mean:

"You'll never catch me lying about being a total dick."

Okay, I'm a bit of a dick. Aren't we all?

Or:

"You'll never catch me lying about being a total dick."

Yeah, I'm a dick, but at least I'm upfront about it.

Or:

"You'll never catch me lying about being a total dick."

I might be a dick, but I have an escape plan.

Or:

You'll never catch me lying about being a total dick.

I'm a dick, but I'm smarter than you, Glen Johnson.

The possibilites are endless, as long as the truth doesn't matter. So maybe it's okay that Mitt Romney lives every waking minute like a linguistic leprechaun outsmarting treasure hunters; at least it's a change of pace from our current president, Hulk Smash. What gets me down about the new video is how huffy he gets when confronted. That's gonna get old.

WHAT MITT MEANT:

I've got more lobbyists than Grandpa had wives. But running things? That's all controlled by Kolob, through the Quorum of the Twelve.

HOW TO USE "RUNNING" AT HOME:

Was I running around with my secretary? No, of course I wasn't running around. Not with my secretary...

Comments

[SouthpawSass]

Oh Chris, you should write book, I'd definately buy it!

One thing, off topic, but has anyone ever noticed when Giuliani talks, his eyes open wide as if someone is pulling at his forehead from behind? Just thought I'd share my observation, 'cause it looks kinda goofy.

[lnardozi]

I'm just surprised that anyone even notices all the candidates are bought. Ron Paul is the only unbought one, and you don't see him on TV much do you?

[Lisette]

You are sooo funny!

[sofondajanefonda]

Chris, you need your own blog and tv show.

[bored2tears]

It's amazing how quickly the RomneyBot 2008 short-circuits when confronted with a response its designers failed to anticipate.

[CAPTAINSKIPPY]

Tired of Mitler's stream of lies stump speech recently, used the MUTE button, and just watched the silent Mitler - which was even more scary!!

[Tom95134]

Four Stars!!! ****

[MsObvious]

Romney: "Did you hear what I said? Did you hear what I said Glen?"
translated
"I am the priesthood holder, how dare you question me, gentile"

[Nic]

Brilliant!!

[Delaware22]

I am so tired of the media just playing the middleman; we are desperate for hard hitting journalism (and, not just about the Clintons). Please, more tough questions.

[wattle]

You're brilliant Chris! Many thanks for the laughs!

[DMSmith]

I lived in Michigan when Mitten's daddy was governor.

Be afraid. Be very, very afraid!!

(and get your passport updated!)

[ProfessorVP]

Beneath Willard Romney's emptiness there is nothing but more emptiness. Whereas Hillary Clinton is a real phony, Romney's a phony phony. Could Willard win? Uh, yeah... if matched against Hillary.

[UpstateNYer]

Brutal partisan humbuggery on the part of Chris Kelly, supported by the adolescent arguing-with-nobody HuffingtonPost-ers.

[ImaRascal]

The LDS (Mormons) have adeptly learned to
survive and prosper by practicing a mixture of platitudes, half-truths, omissions, and plausible denials.
This a real Mormon doctrine called "Lying for the Lord".

Mitt is a virtual Mormon ninja when it comes to this highly effective tactic. "Lying for the Lord" works very well when transitioned into politics.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

I believe there'll soon be an investigation in Michigan because of something I heard on Air America today. I mother of school aged children there had called in to Ed Schulz' show(I believe) to report that her children had been FORCED to attend a half-school-day photo op and campaign rally 'at their school' last week for Mitt Romney.
She said it was the day before final-exams at a public school and the students were ALSO made to remove any other candidate's election buttons or shirts they may have been wearing.

These ARE NOT the normal actions of school administrators performing their jobs, and an educational service to the children WAS NOT seemingly even a remote concern to the perpetrators, that held children against their will and made targets of them for unscrupulous campaigners.

How exactly was this NOT kidnapping and psychological assualt on minors by the administrators AND the Romney campaign?

I know that if someone at a public school subjected my kids to some FREAK religious hypocrite like huckleberry, I'd be talking to attorneys and perhaps the ACLU.

Seems EXTREMELY unacceptable...

[ifyahasta]

My 8 yr-old figured out all by himself, merely from seeing some of Romney's ads on TV before the caucuses, that Romney is a steaming pile of poo. I didn't even know he'd ever heard of Romney and one day he said (out of the blue and apropos of nowt), "I hate that Nitt Ronday. He's a liar!"

[LawrenceL]

Thanks, Chris.

I *really* enjoyed this.

I mean, I really *enjoyed* this.

[Looplinker]

It is strange and somewhat frightening to see that an unpricipled person like Mitt can get so much support. This guy oozes sleaze. His reformation from a liberal conservative supporting the right to choose, gay rights, and gun control to all the right wing causes indicates an individual with no real principles. But apparently this does not seem to bother a significant fraction of the electorate.

[Zaro]

hehehe - Mittens got unpresidential real quick when that reporter got too close for comfort. But the whole thing just shows that people like Romney never really think that their past is gonna come back to haunt 'em nor that there is anything wrong with the things they have done. If he had any clue of how his past activity has hurt people in this country, he would not have hired Kaufman for any position in his campaign.

[llozano]

One thing this exchange showed was how these politicians regard journalists. Romney sounded like a fed up parent wanting to send his misbehaving child to bed without dessert. He may be a good press secretary for someone. As a matter of fact his condescending attitude is reminiscent of Tony Snow and Dana Perino.

[Fernando]

I find it outrageously stupid that both Giuliani and Romney are committing themselves TO THE SAME Supply Side economics baloney that Bush has used to cripple our economy. Romney insists in running today like Bush did four years ago.
Strangely, Romney's economic platform is not as crazy as Giuliani's, but hell, we don't need a continuation of this mess.
Still, I want either Huckabee or Romney to get the nomination. His campaign would be on defense mode from day one!

[Stranded]

If Romney was telling the truth, then a reporter doing his job by clarifying it wouldn't be a problem, would it?

As I was flipping through the channels today I caught a poll on our local Fox station that had 66% of respondents saying the reporter was out of line. In other words, the conservative message is "Lie to us--PLEASE!"

[jrusovich]

I watched that press conference, and I couldn't help but notice how easy it is for anyone to get a little free press for themselves. Whether you like Romney or not, that reporter - like so many others - was out of line, period. I've been to many press conferences, including a couple for Hillary, where these gadfly jerks had to be cuffed, collared AND THEN DRAGGED TO THE STREET screaming. Crap like this doesn't make things any easier for the rest of us who are there to hear what they have to say...no matter what it happens to be. In the end, we'll make up our own minds, no thanks to that fat ass with the earpiece, stretched out like a Michael Moore wannabe on the floor of Staples.

[JulieSA]

Nice religious bigotry there at the end of the post. It's always classy to make fun of someone's religion.