Mitt Romney's tour of awkwardness continues.
A video of Romney speaking to a group of donors at a $50,000-a-person fundraiser, where he described 47 percent of Americans who don't pay income tax, leaked to the public. In the video he referred to 47% of Americans as irresponsible and entitled to things like food, health care and housing.
Before that, Romney made controversial statements surrounding the protests in Cairo and Benghazi, which resulted in four dead Americans including U.S. ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens. In a time of mourning and confusion for many Americans, Romney appeared to be inconsiderate and too jumpy.
Politico wrote a story addressing the tumult within the Romney campaign. From not being able to keep Clint Eastwood to his script to the strenuous relationship between Romney and his top campaign strategist Stuart Stevens, it's been a long campaign for Romney's campaign and his supporters.
Romney's campaign reminds me a lot of the Washington Wizards. As a fan, you know they are made up of hot heads, but they still have some potential; they're always on the verge of breaking through, but they can't seem to get out of their own way.
As we near the November election, Steve Buckhantz, a play-by-play NBA announcers for the Washington Wizards, comes to mind. He uses the word "daaagger!" emphatically to describe a moment when either team puts the game out of reach for the opponent. And just like that, Romney might have delivered the dagger to his campaign.
While Americans were still shocked after the Egyptian embassy and Libyan consulate attacks, Romney had this to say to the public,
"I also believe the administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt instead of condemning their actions. It's never too early for the United States government to condemn attacks on Americans and to defend our values. The white house distanced itself last night from the statement saying it wasn't cleared y Washington and that reflects the mix signals they're sending to the world."
And the weirdest part is that this "statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy" was based on a tweet from the Cairo embassy. A tweet is what his campaign is running on? This tweet is what conservative wingers have been harping on. Apparently they believe this can be confirmed as the official word from the White House. This faction of the Republican Party is who Romney wants to attract. Only November will determine if this was the right move.
To say Obama sympathizes with terrorists doesn't make sense. Why would our president want Americans to die, especially an individual who wanted to rebuild the country so willingly Obama attacked? Just because Obama doesn't condone disparaging Islam doesn't mean he doesn't believe the same to hold true for Christianity. Obama's remarks also don't mean he's against free speech. Free speech doesn't mean you are free from consequences. You are free to scream the word "bomb!" in an airport, but you are also free to leave that airport in handcuffs.
Lastly, just because Libyan terrorists breached our consulate doesn't mean the people of Libya were united in that effort. In fact, many denounced (check here and here to see pictures of Libyans protesting the attacks) the attacks and supported J. Christopher Stevens' attempt at democratizing the country.
While some Republican insiders don't believe this means the end for Romney, a veteran Republican strategist told NYDailyNews.com, "At some point, these things pile up and raise the specter of a tipping point. This does not qualify as positive yardage."
The Philadelphia Inquirer's columnist Michael Smerconish wrote that Romney is getting his appeal from the "far right." He said:
"Romney's unfounded statement that Obama had sympathized with the insurgents and apologized for the United States were a hat tip to the Internet lore that portrays the president as something other than American. It first the fictitious narrative you get in depictions such as Dinesh D'Souza's movie 2016 that Obama is furthering European socialist goals while president and that he is embarrassed about his country, hence the need to apologize."
Comedian Bill Maher said Romney's comments on Libya lost him the election. Even warmonger Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) was able to put aside politics for a second and congratulate Secretary Hilary Clinton on the tone of her speech during the ceremony for the four dead Americans who were present in the Libyan consulate during the terrorist attacks.
Lastly, fellow members of the Republican Party are looking to jump ship. After polls showed that Romney lost ground after the conventions, Republican lawmakers are now saying the Romney campaign needs to "change course" and that he needs to do a better job telling voters what to expect of him.