Romney making futile attempts to connect with average folks
Mike McClellan
Mike McClellan is a Gilbert resident and former English teacher at Dobson High School in Mesa.
Mitt Romney
Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addresses the crowd as he holds a town hall meeting Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, in Sun Lakes, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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20 comments:
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samkat posted at 9:06 pm on Mon, Jan 30, 2012.
mnj: You are wasting your time trying to emphasize a point with Mike. he is so liberal, he cannot accept any other position. Hopefully, Mitt will displace Obama and we can get back to business in 2013. I am not a Mormon but Mitt cannot be any worse than Obama has been.
mnjcpa posted at 12:23 pm on Sat, Jan 28, 2012.
Mike – The Wall Street Journal regularly reports that the government has edited the numbers and in reality unemployment is much higher. Bigger banks have gotten bigger – yes – but it has squeezed out community banks, eliminating competition. The car bailouts took our tax dollars to pay unfunded union pensions. GM is well-known in financial circles as a pension company – not a car company and has become that way over time, buckling to the demands of unions. Those decisions caught up with them and their unfunded pensions tanked the company. You simply can’t pay unrealistic, lifelong pensions and compete. The car bailouts worked but what it really did was take from one set of taxpayers to pay another taxpayer. That’s redistribution – not success.
And as to your article, I haven’t made a decision yet but for you Romney’s not your guy. Here’s why: Romney’s an elitist because he had the audacity to be successful. And for that you’ve got a real ax to grind. Doesn’t matter that Romney gave away ALL of his family wealth. Or started businesses from scratch with his money, or saved the Olympics with his management skills. Your scorecard says Mitt’s out of touch because he doesn’t say things soft or careful enough not to bruise your feelings. Please. There’s a few more important issues at play in this election.
Obama has polarized this country not seen since 1968. We're seeing racial relations set back to that time and Jimmy Carter-like destruction of the economy, except in this case it's purposeful. He’s turned voters off liberal foreign policy for a generation. Most importantly he’s blown the single largest leadership opportunity available to any President in my memory to change the course of American history.
Given our circumstances make a choice on leadership skills not your self-esteem.
Arizona Willie posted at 10:06 am on Sat, Jan 28, 2012.
The way the table came through what you see in order is:
State name
Republican (Republican voter percentage ) (Democratic voter percentage) State name ( Per Capital Income in dollars ) and rank of per capital income among all 50 states.
Arizona Willie posted at 10:03 am on Sat, Jan 28, 2012.
Republican who post on the forums seem to believe that voting Republican is good for the average person's economic well-being.
I spent a few hours this morning gathering some statistics.
Of the states with a Republican voter edge only 3 are in the top 10 for per capita income.
Arizona ranks 40th :(
I am pasting the table in below but the formatting may not come through ( probably won't ), but I hope you can see the story they tell.
Republican states generally are the worst off for personal income.
Voting Republican HURTS the average working person.
----------
Wyoming
Republican 63 24 Wyoming 44,861 6
Utah
Republican 56 20 Utah 32,473 45
Idaho
Republican 50 22 Idaho 31,986 49
Alabama
Republican 48 34 Alabama 33,516 42
Nebraska
Republican 48 34 Nebraska 39,674 20
Mississippi
Republican 47 38 Mississippi 31,046 50
Indiana
Republican 46 32 Indiana 34,042 41
South Dakota
Republican 46 38 South Dakota 39,593 22
Texas
Republican 45 21 Texas 37,706 27
Georgia
Republican 44 32 Georgia 34,800 38
Kansas
Republican 44 27 Kansas 39,005 23
South Carolina
Republican 44 33 South Carolina 32,460 46
Missouri
Republican 39 37 Missouri 36,965 29
Montana
Republican 39 32 Montana 35,068 35
Virginia
Republican 39 36 Virginia 44,246 7
North Dakota
Republican 38 29 North Dakota 42,764 11
Tennessee
Republican 38 34 Tennessee 34,955 37
Ohio
Republican 37 36 Ohio 36,180 33
Arizona
Republican 36 32 Arizona 34,553 40
Colorado
Republican 35 33 Colorado 42,226 14
Alaska
Republican 26 15 Alaska 44,205 8
Arizona Willie posted at 10:30 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
That includes the Arizona Congressional delegation.
Arizona Willie posted at 10:29 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
For those who blame Obama because the economy hasn't recovered and everyone doesn't have a job yet --- let's not forget how the Republicans in Congress have acted.
They have opposed almost every thing he has tried to do to fix the problem.
They have become known as the party of NO.
Did you see the expressions on the faces of the Republicans during the SOTU?
Even when he proposed tax breaks for companies they sat on their hands and made it obvious they would not co-operate under ANY circumstances.
Benson's cartoon this morning show an pretty accurate picture of Boehner and his fellow travelers.
The Republicans in Congress are TRAITORS to the country.
They don't care how much damage they do as long as they can try to damage Obama in some way.
Even if you elect another Republican come next election ... these hate filled individuals do not deserve to be re-elected.
Rich posted at 9:09 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Still you got bit and admit it. This time it's on you.
Mike McClellan posted at 7:04 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
A disaster? For me, a disappointment but not a disaster -- a disaster was to continue the Bush Adminsitration's policies, which had us in a tailspin.
Job growth is up; the stock market is up. Banks are stronger; the car bailouts worked (they've paid back most of the money fronted to them). Our economy was on the brink of a complete collapse; now we've inched away from that brink. Inched away.
My concern is with financial sector reform, of which there's been little. In that sense, Obama's been a disappointment, both in policy and in appointments, many of whom bear some responsibility for the housing/financial sector collapse of the last decade.
Of course, the Republicans don't even like the very weak Dodd/Frank reform, which all have promised to reverse if they become President. Talk about getting bitten twice.
Rich posted at 6:16 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Obama has been a disaster. Romney may be no better, but when a dog bites once it's the dog's fault, when the dog bites you twice, it's your fault. You seem to be advocating that there is some virtue to being bitten twice?
bookbinder posted at 5:46 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
The editorial piece ignores the true reason we would want someone with exceptional skills as president. Romney has proven leadership skills. There is no more disconnect with him than any other. It is writer opinion, nothing more. Does a board of directors hire a guy to turn around a failing corporation because he gets along with all of the employees or because he knows how to get the job done? As long as we elect people based on emotion and politicking we will never get the most effective leader unless he also is willing to play the game. Reason and logic say Romney is the right man with the right skills to lead. I have more confidence in his skills than the other candidates that have all been involved in the mismanagement that helped bring us to where we are today.
Mike McClellan posted at 5:26 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Slabside, since you have more in common with Romney than Obama, why don't you explain how you gamed the tax system, as Romney did through Bain lobbying in 2007?
You have lobbyists to fight any change in favorable tax laws for you, as Romney did through Bain? You have lobbyists that go after fellow Republicans who supported the change, as Bain did?
You made $56,000 a day on average, as Romney did?
I'm impressed.
Arizona Willie posted at 4:52 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Slabside, another example of Romney being out of touch. He was asked how much he made from speaking fees last year and he replied " not very much " --- turns out he was right --- he only made $374,000 in speaking fees.
NOT VERY MUCH IN HIS WORLD
Arizona Willie posted at 4:50 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Slabside, Obama is a millionaire NOW but he wasn't born one. He didn't have multi-million dollar trust funds the day he was born.
I don't know his total work history but I wouldn't be surprised that at some point Obama worked at some regular job while in school.
I'm reasonably sure he depended on a regular paycheck when he was an organizer -- he didn't live on dividends and capital gains like Romney has all his life.
Obama does understand that a tax cut that puts an extra $50 a week in low income people's paycheck helps a heck of a lot.
Romney can't understand why that is such a big deal -- his lunch at Chez Chef cost more than $50.
As for the color of your skin -- I realized that I didn't know for sure after I had posted that -- it was just a presumption based on your language in the forums.
Slabside posted at 4:00 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
@Willie, "About the only thing you have in common with Romney is you are both white."
Willie, how do you know what color my skin is?
Slabside posted at 2:29 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
@Willie, "He makes more in one hour than most families make in a year, and never gets his manicured fingernails dirty."
Willie, Obama is a millionaire too... what is your point there chief?
Leon Ceniceros posted at 1:45 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
How could any US Miltary Veteran or their family or friends vote for a man who refused to serve his Country when his Draft number was called. How can you expect any member of the US Armed Services to ...."RENDER A SALUTE"....to a "Jodie" (that's what we used to call Draft Dodgers back in the 1960's).
Instead of Mitt Romney going to Fort Dix or Fort Leonard Wood or Fort Polk, Louisana when he was Drafted........he went to ...........PARIS, FRANCE....PARIS, FRANCE......for....3 YEARS....ON A ..."MORMON MISSION".
Since Mitt didn't fill the needed slot....SOMEONE ELSE WENT IN MITT'S PLACE.
THAT JUST SHOWS YOU WHO MITT ROMNEY TAKES HIS ORDERS FROM...THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS....AND NOT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WHO ORDERED MITT TO BE DRAFTED ONCE HIS DRAFT NUMBER WAS CALLED BUT INSTEAD SOME BACKROOM DEAL BETWEEN THE MORMONS AND THE PENTAGON EXCUSED 1 OUT OF EVERY 5 MORMONS DRAFTED TO BE "DEFERRED" FOR A MISSION....IF IT WAS A SMALL TOWN AND JUST 1 MORMON WAS CALLED THEN HE WAS AUTOMATICALLY DEFERRED FROM THE DRAFT. THAT'S WHY THERE IS JUST A HANDFULL OF MORMON MILITARY HERO'S NAMES ON THE VIETNAM WALL...........BECAUSE THERE WERE JUST A HANDFULL OF MORMONS THAT SERVED IN VIETNAM OR IN THE SERVICE.....PERIOD.
I am not going to tell all kinds of crock & bull stories about being Special Forces or a Ranger or Green Beret like we see here in the "Comments" section...I was a pencil-pusher, a Remington Raider because that's where the Army decided I was needed. I have a friend who ended up being a .."poopie-burner" in Vietnam the whole 13months that he was over there....I HAVE AND WILL ALWAYS HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR HIM THAN ANY .........DRAFT DODGER WHO WENT TO CANADA OR TOOK A COLLEGE DEFERRMENT OR A RELIGIOUS DEFERRMENT AND CAUSED ANOTHER TO SERVE IN THEIR PLACE.
Arizona Willie posted at 1:16 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
What < real > job did Romney ever have? He was born rich and never depended on a weekly paycheck.
He makes more in one hour than most families make in a year, and never gets his manicured fingernails dirty.
VofReason posted at 12:13 pm on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Have to agree with Slab. I feel much more connected to Romney then Obumer. I also feel a little more comfortable with a man who had a real job in the real world and made a way. Sure he had benefits, but Obama hasn't run a cafeteria.
Arizona Willie posted at 7:46 am on Wed, Jan 25, 2012.
Slabside, Obama was sworn in on Jan 20, 2009 -- NOT 2008. Bush the Lessor was still pResident then.
In June 2008 the average price of a gallon of gas hit a historic high of $4 gal WHICH WAS ON BUSH'S WATCH.
About the only thing you have in common with Romney is you are both white.
Slabside posted at 8:17 pm on Tue, Jan 24, 2012.
@ Mike, "It's a silly exercise in futility, since a man worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars probably has little in common with the commoners."
Perhaps Mike. Yet, we elected a man that began his political career in the living room of a known enemy of the United States, an unrepenting terrorist. We elected a man that for 20 years, sat in a church led by an America hating pastor. Under this president a gallon of regular gasoline the day he was inaugurated was $1.79
on average in the U.S. Today that price is $3.59, a 100.6% increase.
Under this president, the number of food stamp recipients has risen from 31,983,716 to 43,200,878, a 35.1% jump.
This president, applied for college aid as a foreign student, then
denied he was a foreigner.
I have more in common with Romney than Obama Mike.