Drunk On Sour Grapes - The Quotable Mitt Romney

Back in March, Mitt Romney got a little taste of political success in Illinois.  It was a mixed blessing, really, because the politics of Illinois (particularly Chicago) have become a dog whistle to Republican operatives seeking to tarnish Obama's reputation in the blogosphere and social media.  While Obama's familial home-base is Hawaii, Republicans have had more than their share of self-induced political misfortune in the Aloha State, leaving them with only Chicago (and sometimes the Republic of Kenya) to alienate in their propaganda.  For some unexplained reason, however, Romney's big win in the Land of Lincoln was short on dignity and long on misfired bravado.  While Romney isn't known as a "guy you could have a beer with", the Huffington Post/AOL reported that Romney slurred his words and stumbled in laps around his perfectly working teleprompter.

That being said, it is not Mitt Romney's inarticulate moment that I want to call your attention to... I want you to notice what Romney had PLANNED to say... what his entire campaign presumed to be fit for the scrolling screen in front of their candidate.  It's no "gaffe" that I'm sounding the alarms on here - it's what the so-called "Believe in America" troupe actually believes about America.  Ironically, it was the following sentiment that Mitt Romney spoke clearly without stuttering:

"I have had many business successes and failures over the years. Each step of the way, I learned something about what it is that makes our American system so powerful.  You can't learn that by teaching Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago."

This is a direct quote from a victory speech that the Romney campaign crafted and Mitt Romney read aloud from a teleprompter after an Illinois Republican Primary win.  Not only is it rather unbecoming of any professional to mar a victory speech with unnecessary character attacks against their eventual opponent, but it's also very telling that Romney and his campaign chose this line of attack to commemorate their small victory in Illinois. Mitt Romney knows that our President's achievements are far greater than his few years spent as a civil rights attorney and college professor.  Although Romney is 15 years older than President Obama, he received his Business Degree from Harvard University where Obama would ultimately become Editor and then President of the esteemed Harvard Law Review.

More egregious than the implied insult and elitist dismissal of both the President and the University of Chicago, is Mitt Romney's contempt for Constitutional Law itself.  In Mitt Romney's world, the almighty dollar makes the world go around and there's no place for "governmental intrusion" in the private sector.  It is this lack of ethics that has led Mr. Romney into trouble throughout his various attempts at political office. He has personally signed his name to the dotted line allowing American jobs to disappear into foreign sweatshops. He has hidden the majority of his income from taxation - ultimately depriving the United States of the only dues he owes to this great country.  He has sought to convert the United States Government into an agency that conducts its affairs with his best financial interests at heart.  He has built his entire campaign for the Presidency with insults and personal criticisms, all the while avoiding the requisite details to explain his own positions on important matters.

These transgressions are not just the mark of a bad politician... They are cowardly and selfish. They are bad for America.  These immoral actions might be "business as usual" to someone like Mitt Romney, but small business owners and employees who pay their taxes and respect the laws founded in our Constitution will not likely adhere to Mitt Romney's myopic view of America as his personal ATM machine.

Mr. Romney never got around to explaining exactly "what it is that makes our American system so powerful". Hopefully, whatever it is, it will be used to help us all in our journeys toward freedom, independence and peace. We know it's already been used for quite the opposite purposes at times.

The Genesis of the "Tea Party Patriots"

The Heritage Foundation and FreedomWorks are the two main "think tanks" associated with protesting healthcare reform. The differences between them are as follows:

Heritage Foundation is much larger and ingrained in US Government and Media than FreedomWorks. They specialize in media manipulation and dissemination of propaganda but they also help to organize protests and faux townhall-style activism.

FreedomWorks has more control over the actual protesters and activists than Heritage Foundation does because they specialize in rallies, robo-calls and ground-level training.

Read more on the Heritage Foundation here and here and especially here.

Another anti-healthcare reform advocacy group that works closely with the Heritage Foundation and in much the same manner is FreedomWorks which you can read about here and here.

And The Band Played On...

I’ve been looking for a cultural-anthropological expression for a while.

During that time I’ve watched Jarrett be politically active and read what he writes about.
Jarrett and I have known each other awhile- sorta well, mutual friends, that sorta thing. I’m older and used to be politically involved. While I’ve grown cynical, hope isn’t dead entirely, yet. When I suggested writing on his blog he was amenable. We may not always agree and we may play off each other. So here I am.

I chose to write under the pseudonym “Titanic Observer “as I may want to say more outrageous things than I normally would; I do have a job and clients, and a family. So far, no criminal record, though.

Then I chose the name because- we’ve hit the iceberg, folks. That’s done. Damage control is being exercised all around us, frantically, but it’s all rearranging the deck chairs. So that will allow me to point out elements of décor and style, as we observe this comedy of manners. I’m observing it, of course, from the 1st Class deck. Most of those people will be ok- that’s generally the way it goes.
There are several decks below; 2nd Class, Third, Steerage (you’ve all seen the movie).

There are only so many life boats aboard, and of course, they’re mainly on the 1/st class level:

Lobbyists earn healthy fees from bill
DAILY Business Review, Dec 31, 2009
By: Carrie Levine

"President Obama may have shunned lobbyists, but he gave them a big gift with his health-care plan.

From the moment he proposed overhauling the health-care system in February, the industry turned to K Street to help shape the plan.

It has been, without a doubt, the biggest lobbying campaign of 2009. Health care has translated into nearly $400 million spent on lobbying through September of this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Among the biggest winners: the Podesta Group reported $5.8 million in fees from clients lobbying on health issues in the first three quarters of 2009; Patton Boggs reported $6.9 million; Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck reported $1.32 million; and Holland & Knight reported $2.76 million.”

There are 435 members of Congress and 100 members in the Senate- that’s 535 members of Congress. Divide that into $400 million and it comes out to $747,663.55 per member, more or less. So who do you suppose is gonna benefit from Health Care “overhaul”? Let me point out the really expensive shoes moving about the slightly shaky deck @ the top of the ship; the dresses, the suits, costing thousands. It’s cool so we see some sable, fox-fur’s back in style- and some huge stones on the men and women. Absolutely fabulous! I leave this tableau as stewards arrange some chairs for their charges to wait for the life boats to be loosened (their families are, alas, in 2nd Class).