The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Romney's guest appearance at the NAACP

    By Oxy Mora on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 4:59pm |

    I wrote a sarcastic bad piece about Romney's NAACP appearance and deleted it when I realized that to stoop to Romney's level of disingenuousness in such an article is to mimic what I hate, thereby indirectly partaking of it and glorifying it. 

    Then I wrote what I thought was a much better piece with what I thought was a balanced perspective. In attempting to preview it, I managed to delete it. I take all of this as a sign. Stop trying to write about this subject. Suffice it to say that Romney's appearance was disgusting---in concept, premeditation, delivery, hokiness, and disingenuousness. In short, Romney's performance yesterday makes me embarrassed to be an old white man.

    I really wish someone would write a good blog on this subject. I'm out of time and out of sorts. But maybe Romney's act was so transparent and despicable that it is just like a turd in a punch bowl---there's not that much more you can really say about it.

    Comments

    I only heard a few lines from the speech on the radio.  I took it for granted that the point of the appearance was to appeal to white people by publicly lecturing black people, and to earn increased street cred among said white people by mocking Obama in front of said black people.


    by Dan Kervick on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 7:53pm

    Thanks, Dan. It is clear to me that his insult was premeditated and intended to stir up the Republican base, in the manner you suggest. Romney is not respected by the right wing of the Rep. party. Romney's timing is interesting, preceding by a day or so the Mother Jones article about Bain's 1998 investment in the Chinese outsourcing company---which I think is appalling even to the base of the Republican party. Because of the digging required in the Mother Jones article, the Romney campaign probably knew about the pending story, outsourcing, disclosure forms, etc, and may have been trying to shore up the base ahead of it, as well as diverting the media.  


    by Oxy Mora on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 7:46am

    But maybe Romney's act was so transparent and despicable that it is just like a turd in a punch bowl---there's not that much more you can really say about it.

     Please excuse my taking liberty and 'editing' your fine post, but now (IMO) it's perfect.


    by Aunt Sam on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 12:28am

    Don't mind at all, Aunt Sam.


    by Oxy Mora on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 7:48am

    Romney has to deal with a new reports from David Corn of Mother Jones, Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo and the Boston Globe that indicate that Romney was still the head of Bain when it was in it's business destroying heyday until 2002. Romney had previously alleged that he left Bain in 1999 and was not responsible for the firm's' business plundering activities.

    In another article, Corn notes notes that Romney was a pioneer in outsourcing jobs to China.

    Romney has to explain why he should escape criticism for destroying American businesses and outsourcing American jobs. The little smirk that he demonstrated at the NAACPis being replaced by frustration because he has no easy answers for his behavior as a businessman.


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 1:39am

    Thanks, mrd0000. Romney is now caught up in a host of lies and half-truths. How involved in Bain he was from 1999 to 2002 can be fudged. But the disclosure forms he filled out for the Massachusetts Ballot Commission are very specific, as in that case he absolutely had to prove his Mass. residency in order to run for Governor. In so doing he stated that his intention had been to return to Bain and that he had traveled back and forth etc. While it doesn't prove his level of involvement, it undercuts his general narrative about completely divorcing himself from Bain in 1999.

    But I think the clincher was the story of his investment in a Chinese company whose entire business plan required good ole American companies like Coffee Mate to shift jobs to China with the purpose of bringing the products back to America, somewhat of a first in the outsourcing world. The key point is that the $14 million investment was made by Romney himself in 1998, well before the period of the Olympics. I think he has been caught red handed, so to speak.

    I was just thinking if a regular citizen made such conflicting statements as Romney has, to the public, to the SEC, to the Mass Ballot Commission they would have their entire careers derailed. And then there's the matter of the tax returns. As a small businessman, I can't even get a line of credit at a bank without disclosing three years of tax returns. Romney's trying to become president of the biggest economy on the planet, and doesn't have to disclose his returns. Go figure.


    by Oxy Mora on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 8:04am

    Another point which I think really undercuts Romney's entire narrative and may perhaps force his hand on the tax returns is that on one of the disclosure forms, he checked off a box that he was receiving a salary of at least $100,000 a year---but in fact it could have been a million or 10 million as the only question was "0ver $100.000". The amount of his salary is germane to his entire narrative and is probably only obtainable via his tax return.

    By the way, and imagine this in a state like Utah---$54,000 of property taxes on a Utah residence shouldn't have been deducted from his state return (it was decided, combined lack of judgment by both bureaucrats and accountants), Romney was able to make amends by returning the $54K, the problem about the Utah residency vs. the Mass residency(in preparation for his run for Governor) in his son's basement magically resolved. Oh, and by the way, Ann owned the Utah house, and "...she is actually the one who paid the taxes, not me."  This guy is steadfastly accountable.


    by Oxy Mora on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 8:43am

    I was really dissappointed to see a blog over at Time's Swampland chastizing the NAACP for being "uncivil."  As if we can't have a civil society if people can also boo what they don't like and clap for what they like.

    My other beef, though, was what the NAACP audience clapped for.  The Time writer, Tim Padgett, pointed out that they applauded warmly Romneys rhetoric about expanding opportunities for minorities.  Fine.  But then I read over at TPM that they also cheered Romney's anti-same sex marriage rights stance.

    And that made me really mad at Time.  Because it seems that their argument is that if you boo somebody's vow to repeal universal health care, that's uncivil.  If you cheer somebody's attempt to take away marriage rights from loving couples, that's not even worth criticizing.

    Is Time saying that homophobia is civil?

    Or is Time saying that civil behavior means politely applauding your betters and never, even showing them your dissatisfaction? I have a feeling this is the real message.


    by Michael Maiello on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 9:23am

    Destor, I think you're right, I think the message was to behave yourselves. I'm reminded of Republican audiences who booed a gay soldier on active duty in Afghanistan.

    I didn't know about segment on marriage rights. Apparently there are strong feelings against gay marriage among African Americans. But the cross currents in the audience might have been skewed by the fact that Romney brought his own black entourage of about twenty people who sat up front and may have boosted the clapping department.


    by Oxy Mora on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 9:48am

    I know this makes me evil but whenever I see the phrase, "Romney brought his own black people..." I laugh.


    by Michael Maiello on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 9:57am

    "I'll have my black people talk to your black people ..."


    by Donal on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:17am

    "Having black people is as American as Thomas Jefferson!" -Lindsay Graham.


    by Michael Maiello on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:51am

    Romney had approximately 200 black Republicans brought in to the conference. The homophobic applause could have come from those interlopers. Additionally, we don't know if the booing was a setup with the black Republicans booing to provide the audio response Romney desired.

    While the above scenarios may seem far-fetched, Romney lied by saying that he had not brought black Republicans to the NAACP convention. This was refuted by Florida Lt Gov Carroll who said that Romney invited her to attend the conference.When asked who paid for the trip, she referred staff at "The Ed Show" to the Romney campaign.

    Conservative Niger Innis of CORE said that Romney invited him, but he (Innis) paid his own way.

    There were ringers in the audience and we don't know if they influenced the audio response.We do know that Romney lied about their presence. Why lie if they were not there to influence the outcome. If Romney said he wanted some support that would have been understandable. Instead he lied suggesting the black Republicans were there on a mission.


    by rmrd0000 on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 10:02am