Steve Benen: For a guy whose awkward sense of humor keeps raising eyebrows, this incident in Florida this morning probably won’t help Mitt Romney’s reputation:
Mitt Romney sat at the head of the table at a coffee shop … listening to a group of unemployed Floridians explain the challenges of looking for work. When they finished, he weighed in with a predicament of his own.
“I should tell my story,” Mr. Romney said. “I’m also unemployed.”
……comments like these may very well be a deliberate self-deprecating strategy because Romney strutted around New Hampshire on Tuesday as if he’d already won the presidency, and no one likes an overconfident jerk.
But when an extremely wealthy person jokes to people who are actually struggling about being “unemployed,” it rankles. Indeed, Mitt Romney became extremely wealthy in a way that seems relevant to this discussion. (See here)
To be fair, there’s at least a kernel of truth to it. Mitt Romney hasn’t worked a day in over five years …. but if memory serves, Romney had a job. During his brief tenure, he struggled with his duties, received poor performance evaluations, and his employers were ultimately relieved to see him quit.
Maybe Romney should mention this at his next diner stop.
Full post here
Ezra Klein disagrees with Benen about the ‘joke’ (“It’s pretty clear from the context that he was making a joke”) but picks up on something else Romney said today:
I’d focus instead on Romney’s comment that “We have seen the most anti-investment, antigrowth, antijob strategy in America since Jimmy Carter. The result has been it’s harder and harder for people to find work.” By any measure, this is absurd. Taxes are at a 50-year low. The Dow has staged a roaring recovery. Business profits are near record levels. And the economy has gone from losing 780,000 jobs a month to gaining about 160,000 jobs a month. That is to say, it’s getting easier and easier for people to find work, even if it’s not nearly easy enough.
I don’t mind bad jokes. What I mind is bad economic analysis.
ROFLMAO: “I should tell my story,” Mr. Romney said. “I’m also unemployed.”
The word ‘douche’ comes to mind. Now lemme just state that I have never in my life said outloud nor written this word to describe another human being.. but in this case I find it irresistible.
I am sure this is what Mr. Romney would consider being ‘empathetic’. What a sad sad commentary on this person, he is a real hot mess.
LOL, sherijr, I sent an e-mail to all my medial folks telling them that I would love to be unemployed like Mittens with his multiple mansions and millions. He is insufferable.
ohh good on you africa! the media NEEDS to do their job and really hit on this cretin for his unbelievable arrogance and dishonesty. They are sooo attempting to set him up as their next ‘great white hope’. lol.. good luck with that one. Sheesh we need to call them out for just that too, imo. Good grief he is a loser extradinaire, just so seriously out of touch… and has LOST every single attempt at being POTUS he has ever vied for. And yet.. here he is again, really thinking he can win- and I’ll tell you why he thinks he can: Because he thinks folks are that in want of a white POTUS – that he Romney, is finally a shoo-in.
There should be a test before someone can declare their candidacy for Presidency. Really, these people are dangerous. We have a stellar person in office that is so genuine and working hard for the ungrateful half of this country who can’t be bothered to pay attention, or are ruled by hatred. But there’s a chance that he might be kicked out of office and a doofus like this idiot might ride around “with a big plane and Secret Service”. God help us all! I wish the people in this country knew the impact their decision had on the rest of the world. They might be more responsible.
heh.. and I wanna see their effing birth certificates too , lol !
He is “an over confident jerk” that is just what I see. He makes my skin crawl. He is like that guy in high school I always wanted to avoid talking to! So if he is unemployed too has he been wondering how to pay for groceries for his family? Whether he’ll lose his house? Whether he can afford to go to the doctor for a medical concern? Has he bought a pair of shoes at the salvation army?
Not one of the local networks are talking about romneys gaffe. I live in the st pete area, looks like mitt has enough money to cover this kind of stuff up. Sigh.
I will let you know if I hear anything on this!
Hey Jovie, Jerry Brown vetoed that wretched budget!
Oooops, I keep forgetting that simple link embeds on this platform. Argh.
I am so proud of my Governor!!! GO JERRY!
Me too tally.
The cool thing is that now they HAVE to work together to get this done by the deadline otherwise they don’t get PAID. Heh. They thought they could just slap this through but Jerry schooled them once again.
I know, governor lynch, Dayton, and the new governor from ct are having the same battles and are standing strong!
Thank heavens…
I can always count on Steve Benen. He just gets better and better. I love that all of this is coming to light.
Chipsticks, I’m just signing in this morning and looking through your fabulous posts! This is great. I saw about 5 minutes of the picnic last night before I had to leave. I laughed out loud about your comments about Rusty. They were perfect. It seems to me like he always has a pink tie on! Maybe I just notice the pink ones. I loved the pictures of the President and Michelle walking hand-in-hand.
You put up one of my favorite photos, the President with that cute little red-headed girl in Ireland. So many great photos. I love looking at photos of the President. Michelle is wonderful as always. Seeing them just makes me feel good.
Your “night everyone” post for last night was utterly fabulous. Right on the money. I agree, don’t pay any attention to them. They never wear part of the hope or solutions or anything we are involved in.
Thank you for all of this good stuff! Now I’ve got some videos to watch and some articles to read in their entirety and pictures to linger over!!!
Chip,
Can you send thus story to the st Petersburg times politics section?
Willard continues to put his foot in his mouth again, and again, and again, and again, AND AGAIN!!!
And he believes he could be President? LMFAO!!!!!!!
That Willard!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/16/coal-ash-industry-job-losses-epa-rules_n_878113.html
Obama administration still ruffling feathers with big coal. Big coal spinning it.
And don’t forget, Mitt is an Anchor Baby™ because his dad was born in Mexico.
Mitt Romney has 4 mansions and a net worth of 250 million dollars
He should have been ashamed of even saying something like that
Especially around a table of people wanting to work
Just like McCain saying that Obama was elitist but he was the one with 7 mansions
Yeah why do people say those kind of things? Do they get enjoy In rubbing our noses In the sand? Do they not know how they sound? What Is wrong with People like Mitt?
I don’t know it’s like they loose all common sense
And im not trying to say just because someone is wealthy they can’t relate to everyday people
But they need to keep in mind that they are wealthy and try to be aware of what others are going through
I don’t know it’s like they lose all common sense
And im not trying to say just because someone is wealthy they can’t relate to everyday people
But they need to keep in mind that they are wealthy and try to be aware of what others are going through
And im not trying to say just because someone is wealthy they can’t relate to everyday people
But they need to keep in mind that they are wealthy and try to be aware of what others are going through
Um, nice try DanaD. If Romney did that he wouldn’t be a Republican. Today’s Republican Party is renowned for not caring what people are facing. Empathy and sympathy is only for fetuses, but not their mothers or fathers; brothers or sisters.
Four mansions, are you sure? Why would we want that rich bastard as our President?
Besides providing comic relief, Willard’s comments reveal more than just an awkwardness or ineptitude. They reveal something at the core — a sort of disdain for people. I believe that at the center of his personality is a narcissism and willingness to use his fellow human beings for what he believes should be his: the Presidency. How he could do nothing but run for office and lounge for 5 years and think he should be elected to the highest office in the world exposes his true character. He’s sociopathic. Fuck him.
Excellent analysis PJ- that is what I see in this person too.. this is that ‘empty suit’ !
He is the EPITOME of “empty suit.” What a nut!
I wonder what the unemployed people he was speaking to had to say in response. I guess we will never know.
Damn it Mitt. First, you pretend you have a real plan to address unemployment. Then you pretend you are sexy to women. Now, you feel as if you can relate to people, telling them you are unemployed too. Whats next, will you say your father was born in Kenya and mother was born in Kansas?!
Ain’t no tellin’
I have no desire to have another silver spoon fed brat in office. We already had gwb – enough with people who have never had to worry about the kitchen table issues that most Americans deal with at some point in life. Romney has never had to worry about employment, saving for college, buying a home, childcare costs, healthcare costs, putting a meal on the table, buying car, safe neighborhood schools, providing care for elderly parents etc. He has never had a monetary worry in his entire life. His 5 sons didn’t have to serve in the military as a way to pay for college, they didn’t have to get students loans, they inherited wealth just like their out of touch father.
This is why it is so ridiculous that he said President Obama never had a real job.
‘MITTENS’ PLAIN AND SIMPLE…LIVES IN HIS OWN WORLD….I HAVE ALWAYS SAID….THEY NEED TO DROP THESE GUYS OFF IN POVERTY STRICKEN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF CASH EVERYONE ELSE HAS TO EXIST ON…AND PARK EM’ FOR A MONTH! A LESSON INDEED MUCH NEEDED BY THOSE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT STRUGGLING IS. I JUST GOT HOME…GUESS I MISSED THE WEINER RESIGNATION…JUSTICE IS SERVED!
Mitt’s on his way to the ultimate gaffe…..he can’t help it. There’s nothing inside him that understands people, at all. Like Claire said, we do not want another silver spoon brat in office. He’s never worked, his children have never worked, wherever he’s held a position (notice I didn’t say worked) he’s ruined everything and taken jobs away from people who needed them. He is poison. He doesn’t have the people covering his backside like GWB did, so he’s vulnerable. I predict his lead will last at the most two weeks before the media and others are tired of him. He can’t be let out alone.