President of the United states is one of the toughest, most exhausting jobs in the world. In fact, it may be the toughest, most exhausting job in the world. The President needs to be available, alert and ready to handle any situation at any time. We need someone who is not only smart, but mentally tough. If a presidential candidate is suffering from any type of mental illness, the country has a right to know that.
In 2008, there are constant demands that John McCain prove himself both physically and mentally capable of being president. The concerns were warranted, not only because of McCain's cancer history, but also because of his hot-headed reputation. Angry outbursts can sometimes be a symptom of mental illness. In May of 2008, McCain responded to these concerns by releasing his medical records.
Over the past year, or so, there have been several incidents that should be raising question about Mitt Romney's mental health.
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May 2012--News breaks that, as a teenager, Mitt Romney lead a gang of students into a physical altercation with another student who they believed looked "wrong." The gang held the boy down and cut his hair. The account has been corroborated by no less than five other students.
The incident was recalled similarly by five students, who gave their accounts independently of one another. Four of them — Friedemann, now a dentist; Phillip Maxwell, a lawyer; Thomas Buford, a retired prosecutor; and David Seed, a retired principal — spoke on the record.
Leading a gang of students in this kind of attack is not a minor thing. It is the kind of thing that should stick with someone. In fact, Thomas Buford continues to be troubled by what he did that day.
“It happened very quickly, and to this day it troubles me,” said Buford, the school’s wrestling champion, who said he joined Romney in restraining Lauber.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, says that he "
couldn't recall" the incident.
Still lingering is the candidate’s explanation that he doesn’t remember any of it.
May 2012--A leaked documents show that a SuperPAC is planning on running anti-Obama ads using video of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Romney says that this is the wrong direction; however, he had previously himself made an attack against the President, on the Sean Hannity radio show, for listening to Rev. Wright. When asked about that attack he responds:
I’m actually gonna — I’m not familiar precisely with exactly what I said, but I stand by what I said, whatever it was. I’ll go back and take a look at what was said there.
August 2012--Romney cancels a Florida rally due to "exhaustion." The campaign later flip flopped on that and said it was for some other reason.
September 2012--Romney holds a press conference at 10:30 pm ET to respond to the leaked 47% video. He is visibly frazzled, agitated and has the appearance of someone who has recently been woken up. He is in California, where it is only 8:30 pm.
September 2012--Ann Romney says in interview that she is concerned about Mitt Romney's mental health.
October 2012--During the Presidential Debate, Romney reverses several positions. Says he never proposed a tax cut that he posed repeatedly during both the primary and the general election. Says he doesn't know about a tax cut for moving jobs overseas that he has used. He even says if that tax cut exists he must not be a very good businessman.
October 2012--Mitt Romney continues to use the name of a fallen Navy SEAL after the SEAL's mother asks him to stop. The motherA friend retells the story of when the SEAL met Romney, which includes this tidbit:
He said it was pathetic and comical to have the same person come up to you within only a half hour, have this person reintroduce himself to you, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that he just did this 20 minutes ago, and did not even recognize Glen's face."
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Add to this, countless times when Romney has reversed his positions, sometimes within hours of each other. It's possible that Romney's flip-flopping isn't flip-flopping at all, but, rather, forgetting.
All of these things, individually, may not seem like such a big deal, but when you start adding them up, it is troubling. As Americans, we have a right to know if Mitt Romney is mentally fit to be president, before it is too late.