Update- 2-3-2012
Update-2-6-2012
Update-2-12-2012
Who and what is Mitt Romney? According to literature on the internet, political pundits on radio and TV, the answer to the question is rarely consistent. It is common knowledge that Romney routinely alters has political positions based on the climate of the electorate at any given point in time. If one does a search on any of the search phrases below, what appears is hundreds of sources, noting Romney’s changing positions. Most of the sources are non partisan.
1.Romney flip flops
2.Romney changing political positions
3.Romney alters political positions
So how does one interpret his personality and character based upon the continual altering of political positions?
Further, during the 2012 Republican primary campaign every one of Romney’s opponents has accused him of lying. While all major political candidates may misquote or forget the facts periodically, does Romney, win the gold for intentional deception? From my research, I believe Romney creates a ruse when necessary for political gain.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a “Ruse” as: “a wily subterfuge” and uses the following descriptive sentence.
“His act was just a clever ruse to get me to go out with him.”
Webster’s includes a second definition: “a trick or act that used to fool someone”
Most on-line dictionaries include the list below as antonyms for ruse.
1. truth
2. reality
3. sincerity
Update: 2-3-2012
It’s only appropriate to begin the story of the ‘Romney Ruse’, by starting with his early life. Understand, that the point we are intending to make herein, is not simply to degrade the privileged or an individual in this case, but instead to point out the lies or more politely the ruse Romney intends to create as a presidential candidate. His desire is to portray himself in a setting that would garner the most potential votes.
Romney claims he is a self-made man and on occasion notes the struggles he encountered as a young man. Unlike most college students, Romney’s education was entirely paid for by his parents. He never needed to obtain a student loan, which for many students delays marriage, the purchase of a home and other amenities when not undertaking the obligations of additional debt. Further, he did not have to obtain employment to pay for books and other education related items during his college years. And from a privileged family, Rodney was educated at a prestigious prep school to prepare him for college.
When Romney was married, his parents purchased a car for him and helped pay for an apartment. According to his wife Ann, they did not have to work. Later, his parents assisted him in purchasing a home. For the most part, Romney was a good student, obtaining honors and excellent grades and worked hard. After he completed his education and started a family, most of the money Romney obtained was through his own hard work. However, there are numerous sources that call into question his statements about never inheriting any money from his family. Although the numbers differ, there is credible evidence that he did in fact inherent nearly one million upon his father’s death in 1995. While there’s nothing wrong with being born into a privileged family, Romney should not act as if he struggled like most Americans to reach their station in life.
Update-2-6-2012
Pink Slips: Really??
While campaigning in New Hampshire, in response to concerns by an audience regarding employment and the loss of jobs, Romney blurted out, “I know what it’s like to worry whether you’re gonna get fired.” he further went on to say, “I know what it’s like to worry whether you’re gonna get fired.” His rivals at immediately scoffed at the idea that Romney ever had to worry about receiving a pink slip. This was just another attempt to create a ruse to identify himself with the middle class and the average American family.
Texas governor, Rick Perry, responded by stating, “I have no doubt that Mitt Romney was worried about pink slips, whether he was going to have enough of them to hand out.”
However, when confronted by reporters, neither Romney or his campaign staff could give a specific instance where he was in jeopardy of losing employment. And even if Romney was fearful of receiving a pink slip, the circumstances would be quite different than the average American, who did not inherit $1 million and does not have a considerable amount of cash in the bank or in other investments. This is simply another Romney ruse to identify with middle America. What can we say, another Romney lie.
Update-2-12-2012
The abortion issue
It is not unusual for intelligent individuals to alter their positions on various issues upon obtaining additional information or improving their knowledge of same. Many people including politicians have altered the position on same-sex marriage upon obtaining additional information. However, with Romney one has to wonder whether it is a change in position due to the improvement of knowledge or simply based on the current direction of the political wind.
When Romney ran against Senator Ted Kennedy in 1994 for a Massachusetts Senate seat,Charles Manning, a political advisor of his informed the Boston Globe that there were “tiny nuances” in the difference between Kennedy’s and Romney’s view of abortion. In that same year, Romney proclaimed, in a debate with Kennedy, abortion should be legal, stating that, “regardless of one’s beliefs about choice, you would hope it would be safe and legal.”
As Americans,we enjoyed great freedoms including the ability to maintain and hold true to our personal beliefs. However, under no circumstances should we enact laws and force people to abide by our own personal beliefs that may strongly differ from theirs. This is what the Republican Party has evolved to since 2010 when the tea partiers took control of the House of Representatives. So again, what is Romney when it comes to the subject of abortion? At one time he was strongly pro-choice and now that he is running for president in a significantly more conservative Republican Party, he is against pro-choice and is intent on placing impediments in the way of those women that want to make their own decisions.
Update: 3-23-2012
This article published by the New York Magazine provides a psychological explanation why Mitt Romney is prone to lying. It’s really sad this individual actually has a chance of becoming the president of the United States. A pathological liar. Mitt Romney Lies a Lot, But He’s Not a Liar
More to come