So Mittens has done it again-shot himself in the foot, or another case of foot - in - mouth disease. At least that is how left and right-wing pundits are discussing it. Josh Barro at Bloomberg discusses the survivability of previous blunders in comparison to this one and what it will mean to the overall demographic. Mother Jones does point out some of the inaccuracies of Mitt's perspective, but again focuses on Mitt's inability to stay away from blunders. The Daily Mail gets in on this, discussing the leaked tapes and also publishing a rather humorous piece from Gail Gitcho, Romney’s communications director. In fact a quick "google" of Mitt tapes shows page after page of hits - stories about what happened and how Mittens just cant keep his blunders to himself.
But...
This follows closely on the heels of another Mittens goof - the attempted upstaging and blaming of the middle east riots on President Obama. Again, we were treated to a MSM parade of "Mittens looking desperate... Mittens must learn when to be quiet... Mittens not looking presidential..." In other words, this too was portrayed as bad optics.
Which followed on a whole host of other blunders:
1) the foreign trip of insults thing
2) the "you dont need to know what is in my taxes" thing
3) the "I left Bain ... REALLY..." thing
4) the "I was a resident of Utah..." thing
5) the "I never outsourced jobs" thing
6) the convention without ideas thing
7) the convention with lies thing
8) the "we dont care if we lie" thing
9) the dog
10) the "do you know who I am, I will just pay the boating fine" thing
11) the "I am not so sorry for being a bully" thing
12) the etch-a-sketch thing (technically not his, but founded in truth)
13) the "companies are people my friend" thing
14) the corporate race horse thing
And so forth...
As Mittens has stumbled through this election cycle, the MSM has treated us (left and right alike) to the tired old: Mittens is handling his campaign badly... Mittens needs to learn when to talk and when not to... Obama takes off the gloves and Mittens doesnt help matters any...
So I have just a quick message for the MSM... Its NOT his messaging, its HIM!
Very few outside of the HuffPo, DKos, and a few others ever dig to uncover the very deeply flawed reasoning and world view of this person. So this diary is really a critique of the media more than it is Mittens. This is not about spin, not about building a narrative, not about viewpoints, it is really about trying to see who this person is. We can all say "oh I am sure he is doing what he feels is right, even if I dont agree with him..." But what he feels is right is based on how he sees the world. We had a glimpse into world views with Ryan/Rand, but few people in the electorate get how very different these two individuals are from the vast majority of people that live and vote in this country. Sure, we have loads of folks that are misinformed at the moment, and loads more just mad at the world. There are a lot that are racists, sexists, and so on. These are problems within our society that are understood in large degree, though we havent done a good job of dealing with them. Yet, when people actually sit down to discuss matters beyond their pick for the presidential superbowl, very many of us face the same hopes desires and needs. For instance, the vast majority of Americans do believe that the great society and the new deal were fundamentally good for them. That famous belief in American fairness - the level playing field is still, as far as I know, still alive and well. Most Americans distrust and dislike systems or companies that take advantage of people. Talk to anyone about a company's outsourcing of jobs while simultaneously having profits soar. What I am saying is that many Americans, the vast majority I believe, have some basis for experience with which to share: middle class, poor, etc. We know who our neighbors are, because we know what they are living through.
What I am suggesting here is that the GOP ticket is fundamentally different from this experience. It goes beyond just saying that Mittens cant connect with people or that he has a silver spoon in his mouth. There is an arrogance and disconnect from real data points - our data points that is astonishing. The GOP elite clearly hoped they could Trojan Horse him into the WH by keeping him and Ryan quiet. This elite shares in this bizzaro world, this caricature of the America they see - believing that it is all the rest of us that are somehow crazed. And they see it as their unique task to use all the power of marketing anything else they can think of to "fool" the 5% of people out there needed to place the power into their hands where they believe it clearly belongs. I personally think one of their tools has been driven by the highjacking of a single, powerful media outlet together with the cynical pandering of the remaining outlets. But the point is they are not there trying to convince us that their VISION is the right one for the country! They too recognize that there is a huge divide in the way the super wealthy see things and the rest of us see things.
So just as there is a wealth divide in our country, there is also a divide in perspective, vision, reality. But where does this incredible level of cynicism leave us should Mittens win the WH? Where does it leave that Middle class white guy? Well, whatever you thought you were voting for, is completely irrelevant. You are, by clear and obvious record, voting for a world view that does not correspond to one of your experience. How the U.S. deals with unfolding troubles in the middle east, the way in which we fund or defund Social Security, the way we tax, treat the poor, stabilize hospital operations, etc, etc. are all decisions that will be made from a different set of concerns and viewpoints than you know or understand. Mittens isnt just misunderstanding, or flubbing, this is exactly who he is as well as Paul Ryan. Most people are fond of thinking that "well, we have had many conservative presidents come and go, none have done the things that the liberals claim will happen... It wont happen this time either." In fact, Rush has already aired this several times "No one is seriously talking about making abortion illegal." The trouble is, this equivalency isnt true today. We face a major shift in the KIND of president we are seeking to elect this time around. Mittens is NOT Reagan - who did raise taxes because it was necessary and did pull the troops from Lebanon. Mittens doesnt make decisions from a place of commonality. Frankly, neither does Ryan. I have known quite a few Objectivists in my time - it is as much a religion with them as any church. It is also about as hedonistic and selfish, as well as shallow as any philosophy one might encounter. In fact, I would say that it runs counter to the majority of GOPers out there if they really took the time to examine it.
So to bring this rambling to a close (and thank you for indulging) the story I would like to see in the MSM is "Mittens/Ryan are not you!" Sure I might can see myself having a beer with George W - many people can even if this faux Texas, Kennebunkport, Yale grad is a bit fake around the edges and I dont agree with most of what he says. But in no world can I ever see any of us being allowed into the rarified atmospheres of the Romney's club. It just doesnt work that way. And if he is ever elected, you better believe that the government will become a part of that club - one in which none of us - GOP or DEM will any longer have a say. He just doesnt think we deserve it.