Election 2012 – Framing the context and the contest

In light of the Bain Capital affair and his appearance at the NAACP, Mr. Romney seems to be suffering a severe credibility gap.

Mr. Romney’s series of interviews merely served to raise more questions than they answered. When did he really relinquish all his business ties to Bain Capital? Instead of explaining that the process was gradual, with him going on leave in February of 1999 and finalizing his departure in August of 2001, he insisted he had nothing to do with the company after February of 1999 and didn’t recall being back after that date. Previous interviews indicate that he attended board meetings after that date. Lies? Falso SEC statements? Gaps in memory? I don’t know. But what I do know is that most people perceive politicians to be dishonest to begin with, so if you’re telling the truth and people think you’re lying – you have a problem, and this is one I’m not convinced will be fixed by November 6, 2012.

It’s one thing to stick to your guns while appearing before a hostile audience and another to later insinuate that the audience booed you because they are simply minorities who are looking for government handouts. Similarly, to suggest that government sponsored birth control is just more “free stuff” that he’d never approve of, doesn’t help define his plan for tackling unwanted pregnancies, if he has one. In short, Mr. Romney begs the question “Can he represent all Americans if he can’t relate well to people of a different ethnic,philosophical, or religious background than his own?”

Neither Mr. Romney nor his team seem to get it. It’s not just about the scandal in politics, it’s about how you handle a scandal that sticks in people’s minds. Just ask Bill Clinton. Few people cared about him having oral sex with Monica Lewinsky, but many cared that he lied about it even after being caught, this writer included.

I think the Democrats are in an excellent position to frame this contest in terms of “Well, we know that Barack Obama isn’t perfect, but…is Mitt Romney really so much better?”.  Of course, many other questions could be raised, chief of which is “Can we really trust Mitt Romney?” As long as the Democrats get enough people to answer “NO.” then I think Mr. Obama will get another four years in the White House.

Good discussion on July 15, 2012 about the potential impact of Bain Capital & Tax Returns:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/george-will-matthew-dowd-blast-romney-for-not-releasing-tax-returns/

Mitt Romney & Bain Capital -Another Etch-a-Sketch moment…

There appear to be three general arguments trotted forth by conservatives in response to questions surround Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital: A) Romney wasn’t there after February of 1999, and accusations to the contrary are false. B) The length of Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital is irrelevant and a diversionary tactic by liberals/Obama supporters. or C) Romney’s tenure at Bain Capital is simply off limits from discussion/examination.

Let’s run through these in reverse order:

Thank Mr. Bob McDonnell for C, which is my favorite argument of all. I am glad to know that political candidates can pick and choose which topics of discussion or examination are off limits. This encourages me to want to run for public office…No. That’s in another universe, sorry.

Argument B is another charmer. Isn’t Mr. Romney’s business acumen and record of job creation one of his main arguments for qualifying him for the presidency?  Shouldn’t we know whether or not he lied about his business record? Is his company’s record for outsourcing jobs rather than creating them not an important part of his business record?

Argument A tickles me nearly as much as the other two. Either Mr. Romney was involved with Bain Capital after February of 1999, or he lied on the company’s SEC filings and press accounts of his Bain Capital activities in 1999 and onward were also false.

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/07/13/romney_admitted_in_2002_he_never_cut_ties_to_bain.html

http://news.yahoo.com/romney-no-role-bain-management-1999-222247975.html?_esi=1

Mitt Romney & Election 2012

Although Roland Martin makes some valid points about why it’s a good idea for Republicans to woo the African American vote – see –http://snipurl.com/24abb87 – I think the results of Romney’s performance show him to be politically inept in some respects.

Let’s take a look at this part of his NAACP speech – “If you understood who I truly am in my heart, and if it were possible to fully communicate what I believe is in the real, enduring best interest of African-American families, you would vote for me for president,” Romney said to murmuring from the crowd.

To me, this suggests A) Romney doesn’t think African -Americans understand him B) He isn’t able to communicate what he believes in a persuasive manner. If these two premises are true, why should he reasonably expect people of color, or for anyone for that matter, to want to vote for him?  If these two premises are false, his choice of words was exceptionally poor and left an undesirable impression which will likely take more than three months to correct.

I also have to ask – how many taxpayer dollars do all the 33 legislative efforts in Congress to repeal “Obamacare” translate into? How many uninsured Americans could have been helped with that money?

Finally, let me just ask, since when does the United States President single-handedly control the world’s economy, or that of the United States? No matter who is elected in November, the economy is going to stay in rough shape for at least another three or four years.

It’s time to stop blaming and start working together, and so far, I’ve only heard one candidate talk like that.