There is a recent theme of what you might call "Mitt Romney on the couch" posts lately. I think this will be an expanding subject in the coming months and years. I say years because I am speculating that the study of this particular question will reveal a number of fasciating things about this candidate who conservative columnist Peggy Noonan calls a "rolling calamity."
This will likely say quite a lot about the modern GOP as well. There were lots of tentative supporters for the various pretenders to the GOP nomination, but these odd hucksters have shrunk back to their respective political vaudeville tours. Cain recently stated that if he had been the nominee, he would be leading Obama right now. Yeah, we all really missed our chance at "9-9-9." Even today, Newt Gingrich was in Missouri endorsing Republican pariah Todd Akin. Gingrich even said that Romney will eventually come around and endorse the entire GOP ticket. Romney had previously asked Akin to drop out. The deadline to do so in tomorrow.
Eventually, when the dust from the messy, noisy campaign has cleared, and the false positions which come with party loyalty are reduced enough to have a real discussion, there will be a serious discussion about how a once major political party had the year leading up to the 2012 re-election of Barack Obama. A large part of that discussion will be the various elements that led to the GOP selecting this very flawed, and perhaps even psychologically flawed man as their standard bearer. It is early yet, and there are good discussions already taking shape here on Open Salon. Sagemerlin has them covered nicely in two posts here.
Chicago Guy has a nice contribution here.
On the subject of exactly how crazy is Mitt Romney, I dont have much to add. I find the subject fascinating, and will be following it, and the demise of the GOP for some time. But on that subject I would like to add these. Perhaps you have not seen them or heard of them. The following are pictures of Mitt Romney as a college student at Berkeley where he attended "Pro Vietnam War" rallies. I never knew there were such things until I saw this earlier this year. So now that the conversation is just kicking into gear, I offer thse as we consider, what exactly is wrong with Mitt Romney?
The very fine posts linked above list and discuss many of the oddities of Mitt Romney. His odd statements and odd behaviors tell quite a story. None of us is qualified to diagnose the man, and Sagemerlin stipulates that in his second post. Certainly, any one of us might have done some of these things, but how many have done all of them? How many would? Who do you know that protested in favor of the Vietnam war? There is something wrong with that man.
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I've always thought that anyone who feels driven to run for high office is dealing with some form of significant personality disorder. Why would anyone choose that much pressure and angst and responsibility? It's about way more than a large ego or control issues.
A few years before we elected him, I read Obama's memoir about his dad, and was impressed with his thoughtfulness and authenticity. I also came away thinking that he was too sane to be President. Now we see him all gray haired, and sometimes caught on camera looking like he carries the darkest heaviest weight on his shoulders. You know Mitt will never have such a look, just that eyes open too wide gaze, as if opening the eyes wide might yield clearer sight.
My two concerns are these: Romney could still win, considering the genuine potential for election fraud, and, if the bigot wing becomes convinced Obama will win, the "plot" potential could become all the more energized. I hope to hell the Secret Service is on its toes.
Romney seems like the accidental politician. He does the oddest things. He purchased all of the computers from the Massachusettes Governors office at the end of his term so that the information could not be disclosed through freedom of information. He's wildly inconsitent in his statements like "to the left of Ted Kennedy on Gay rights" and "severe conservative." It seems like it is more than blatant opportunism. It seems like craziness.
I suppose anything can happen, but without some sort of disaster happening, even voter supression wont help Romney now. The real story is in the select demo polls such as, Romney once held a 20 point lead among seniors. That lead has fallen to 4 points. That was one of his strongest demos. The change is not a result of a bunch of accidents. He did the tone deaf thing of choosing Paul Ryan. Now, belatedly, he has discovered the drawback of the Ryan selection that everyone intuitively knew from the start. His seeming inability to perceive the condition of others, and his resistence to having counselors led him to make precisely the wrong choice.
He went on Univision and reportedly had a tantrum about the introduction, delayed going on stage for 30 minutes, and once on stage referred to "illegal aliens" to a Latin television audience. He is the accidental candidate.
I am wary of them too. I think everyone is. In fact, I think the diagnosis, whatever it turns out to be, has been delayed due in part to that fact. I am not going as far to diagnose him, but rather making note of the fact that you can feel the nation stop, turn, squint, and begin to ask aloud and in unison, "what is wrong with that man?"
Honestly, I think some of us asked long ago when we noticed and thought, "why does he walk like that." Then we noticed and asked (still to ourselves), "why does he laugh like that.?" Then it got to be "why did he say that?" It wasn't so much for disagreement, but because it appeared to be self destructive. Then that happened over and over. Then he sat there in the audience during the convention while they discussed him, and we wondered, "why does he look like that?" There was actual discussion of this. It was theorized that he is "SO humble" that he is not comfortable when others talk about the good that he has done. And on, and on, and on....
"I thought we had a gentleman's agreement that we would not comment on each other's posts. Looks like there was only one gentleman in on the deal.
Do not use my posts to promote your candidate. You have your own blog for that. I consider you intellectually dishonest and a bigot, and am not interested in what you have to say about my articles. If you are aiming your comments at others, again, use your own blog.
Any further comments from you that I consider to be campaign propaganda will be deleted. Get lost."---Arthur Louis
He had specifically mentioned Colorado's numbers a week ago. Obama has grown a lead there since then, and in various other places. Ohter places like Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Nevada, and a few others. Arthur did mention that Romney has New Hampshire. When I think of it, that probably has more to do with the fact that President Obama has Mass., than anything to do with Romney himself. But cool, 3 electoral votes for Romney. With that, he will retain the title of Governor.
Arthur, I must confess, I am enjoying your coming unhinged over Romney's loss. Buck up though. You and Gordon have each other to console one another and talk about how the rest of the country is deluded.
1. His homosexual classmate who he viciously attacked physically.
2. His Mormon churchmate who he viciously attacked verbally in a months long campaign to force her to give her out of wedlock child up for adoption.
Simply put, this man is not presidential timber.
That's too apt a description.