Mitt Romney disgusts me again. Am I surprised? Hardly.
A couple of days ago I tweeted asking if anyone had started a pool on when we’d see Mitt again. Bingo! Yesterday he emerged – partially – from the ether for a conference call with donors during which he showed he’s still as delusional as much of the rest of his party.
Even while some Republicans have started modifying their positions (Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, William Kristol and Sean Hannity, for example), plenty, including Romney, have stuck to the same post-election narrative: We’re right, everyone else is a taker and Obama bought the presidency. Romney boiled his loss down to the big policy “gifts” the Obama administration meted out to its constituency.
Frankly this ticks me off for two reasons. First, I’ve been voting for presidents since 1980 and I’ve never once cast a ballot with the primary thought of “what stuff can I get from this.” Not in the immediate and exclusive sense that Romney means. Does anyone actually do that? Of course we all vote our pocketbooks to some degree, but how many do so in such a craven way? Few, I think. More likely, this is a prime example of the low opinion Republicans have of the American people. Young people want stuff. Poor people want stuff. Black people want stuff. Hispanics want stuff – without even being citizens! Single women want free birth control above all and will casually abort a fetus when that birth control doesn’t work. Gays will indoctrinate the young and destroy the traditional family simply by trying to be a part of it.
Can’t imagine why they’re having trouble getting votes.
Second, the “job creators” are the ones who want the stuff – and they want it now. Quarter million dollar tax breaks are pretty substantial stuff and they’re a lot more immediate than whatever benefits I might get from Obamacare. They’re also a hell of a lot more generous than what any welfare recipient is likely to get in a lifetime. Job creator votes were clearly bought by the prospect of much more lavish gifts than the “takers” have ever hoped for. Trouble is there are just fewer of them than there are regular people.
Here’s the thing: Conservatives need to learn that they can’t take multiple policy positions against the majority of the electorate, then smile and say those policies shouldn’t keep those voters from supporting the GOP. I vote for the candidate who doesn’t spit in my eye at every opportunity. Always have, always will. I do, however, remember the spitters. Forever.
I hope I’m not alone. I hope we all have long, specific memories. And if this GOP does get any of our votes in the future, I want them to work their asses off to win them with tangible policy changes and real mea culpas, not the amateur smoke and mirrors they gave us this time.