The mounting pile of "gaffes" that has marked statements by Mitt Romney on the campaign trail and in debates is long and growing, and is creating a big headache for his presidential bid. In order to address this problem, apparently his campaign staff have compiled a list of words and phrases which Romney should avoid saying in order to prevent further embarassment. Wikileaks claims to have acquired copies of secret emails between Romney staffers about the subject, and have published a partial description of the "Taboo Word" list. More below the squiggle.
According to the email, Romney should "avoid speaking the following words and phrases at campaign stops, during debates, and in media interviews". Romney's "Taboo Word" list includes:
The poor
The rich
The middle class
Cars
Race cars
NASCAR
Cadillacs
Car roofs
Dogs
Animal rights
Human rights
Rain coats
"Let Detroit go bankrupt"
Money
"Not very much money"
"$10,000 bet"
"Sprung the big bucks"
Bain Capital
Corporations
People
"Corporations are people"
Mr. Burns
Trees
Bushes
George Bush
Jeb Bush
"I'm also unemployed"
Unemployment
"I like being able to fire people"
Pink slip
Golden parachute
Jobs
Taxes
Robots
"Severe conservatives"
Flip-flop
Health Care
"I care"
According to additional documents released by Wikileaks, Romney's closest advisers believe that if he can just avoid uttering any of these words or phrases for the next 8 months, the rate of his "gaffes" can be reduced to less than 5 a day.