For the first time in this Presidential campaign, Mitt Romney has laid out his vision of how he sees America. Unfortunately, he did so behind closed doors and speaking to financial supporters--and he did not lay out this vision voluntarily. His secretly taped remarks have gotten the Republican party even more worried about his chances of victory. He's so damaged them and their brand that I don't think even he believes that he can win.
But Romney didn't really say anything that the Republican party hasn't said before. For all the talk about Mitt Romney being a "RINO"--a "Republican in Name Only"--he has shown himself to be not just a good Republican, but the quintessential Republican: old, wealthy, and most importantly, resentful of how American is changing. As a CEO, you can tell people what to do. Now he is asking people he has never talked to or had a relationship with for their vote--and he doesn't know how to do it.
It's clear the Republican party has completely written off the black vote in this election. I don't blame them, though I don't think it's as simple as the fact that Obama is black. (Inversely, a June Gallup poll had President Obama at 13% among Mormons.) What's interesting is the Hispanic vote. Romney said that though "we can capture women's votes, we're having a much harder time with Hispanic voters." In other words, he's not getting the support from the Hispanic community that he thinks he "deserves".
On paper, the Hispanic community should be his bread and butter. These are people who left their countries to work menial jobs in a foreign land, or whose parents came to the US in search of opportunities they did not have back home. These are entrepreneurial actions. Yet the reason why this community is not going for Romney is because the Republican party is offering them nothing new--and the only old things they're offering is hate and anger. Those are things that every human being tries to avoid as much as possible!
The Republican convention did not offer innovative new arguments to vote for Mitt Romney. Rather, they offered cute little stories--but even the stories were old. Speaker after speaker talked about their parents, and how things used to be. As charming as these fairy tales were, they were of an era when minorities were seen and not heard. Why would anyone who is black or brown hearken back to that time?
As a comic, I of course enjoyed Clint Eastwood's performance immensely. Not since the days of Herman Cain (ain't it curious how he's not being trotted out?) has a Republican performance been so mortifying and edifying. You had a rich, out-of-touch white man spouting cliches, talking to people who aren't there. That's what today's GOP is like. They are speaking to a country that no longer exists, and absolutely refusing to tailor their message to the new minority-majority America.
These are the same people who will constantly tell you that if a business does not change, it could and should go bankrupt. Laura Ingraham threw a preemptive tantrum last week, saying that the Republican party should fold if they lose the election. Wasn't that Romney's plan for GM? Didn't he say that they should declare bankruptcy, which would allow them to restructure and rebuild, and come back stronger than ever? Without a death, there can't be a resurrection. Until and unless the Republican party adapts to the times, until it recognizes the new American reality, it will become increasingly marginalized as our nation evolves.
No one can claim that Mitt Romney is unintelligent. I may not find his thinking to be particularly sophisticated, but I freely grant that he is a bright man, and an accomplished man. And his intelligence showed through in another one of his comments. Talking about his father, George Romney, Mitt said that had he "been born of Mexican parents I'd have a better shot at winning this, but he was unfortunately born of Americans living in Mexico." When a rich, white guy wants to be a Mexican, even for a little while, then you know that this is truly no country for old, white men.
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Of the Republican Party:
“We’re not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term.”
http://wonkette.com/482717/lindsey-graham-would-like-to-feed-on-white-male-anger
I'll invoke the wisdom of Forrest Gump's mama to make my case: "stupid is as stupid does!"
Mitt Romney and his self-anointed "Party of Conservatie Christan Family Values" that is today's GOP has proven with increasingly epic misdeeds and institutionalized hypocrisy, obsessive party cronyism, and pathological mendacity as a matter of course over the past 30 years that they've got stupid down pat and on a level of Biblical proportions rivaling the series of great plagues God visited on Egypt to free the Israelites.
Frankly, Mr. Hugely, I'd rather we suffer those Biblical plagues than a Mitt Romney presidency.
Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
President Obama's reign has identified a fight in America that will last in this country for a long time..
Republicans don't want people to be low information voters. People choose to be low information voters. That is why many black people on the internet and t.v. have been asked why they were going to or did vote for Obama and they can't come up with a good reason. At least some are honest and say because he is black, and regardless of your race, religion, sex, age, or political affiliation, as an American that should make you sad.
as a political commenter, Hughley's not even funny.
nonetheless, as a political candidate, Romney's a JOKE!
with millions of people that are of a different race, and tell them all to
assimilate, until no one of that race was left. If anyone objected, I
would scream the R-word at them and get them fired from their jobs.
If I hated a certain race, I might do that. But I am not doing that.
Anti-whites are doing that to White people in ALL White countries and ONLY
White countries. Anti-racist is just a code word for anti-White.
How may countries make up the Common wealth of Nations (thanks to the British invasions) for example: 10, 20, 30...not even close.
Inter-racial diversification is here to stay. Eat your pees.
i love all people don't judge us all
Ridiculous.
I'm a black woman who is against racism because it destroys human lives. I am not against white people. Racism is so damaging on so many levels. It is a sociopathic system. People have no control over the color of their skin. Differences should not be used to establish a system of privilege for some and oppression for others based on race, gender, sexual orientation.
The system of racism has been one of the most destructive for all human beings. When people have to deal on a daily basis with others who want to deem them inferior based on surface factors, we all lose. I want intelligent people leading our country and institutions. Those who spend their lives trying to convince us of their superiority, as so many white male Republicans seem focused on, set up advantages for themselves (their own kind, the few) at the expense of the masses (most of us). This system can no longer be sustained if we as human beings are to make progress. A quality life should be based on willingness to work hard and do our fair share, and contribute to the common good -- not the race or gender we were born with. Racism is crazy-making. It will ultimately destroy all that is good and worthy about living.
You interwove the right sentiments with the right words, and, with the correct analysis of the fact - which is well known to most pundits but you stringed it along so graciously and with aplomb.
You are brilliant man.......
See that is NOT what happened to Black people. We were NOT invited in and when we did make it into the "white circle" we were NOT welcomed. Think before you speak.