Of all the smarmy unbelievable things that Mitt and Ann say to and about about the "regular folks" on the trail, I have come to really be offended by one in particular. They have both often repeated some variation of a story that people come up to them on rope lines and grab their arm or their sleeve and ask something like, "Can you help us?" in some pathetic and pleading way. Although I've always found the idea that a supporter of a candidate would go out of their way to do that a bit ridiculous, it didn't really get to me in a personal way until this week. Mitt mentioned it in a discussion of "coal country" during the debate and Ann repeated it again on The View later in the week. Understanding that the candidates have really only focused on swing states for most of the campaign this means that these desperate people must be largely from either Appalachia or the MidWest. After being raised in the former and living a number of years in the latter I can tell you...We. Do. Not. Beg.
I grew up in WV to parents born during the Depression. One raised on a farm and the other in a city among immigrants from Italy, Germany, and Ireland who worked in coal mines. They both grew up poor, but proud. You didn't complain and you didn't ask for a hand out. You did the best you could with what you could and hoped that your children were better off than you were. This kind of pride was not the exception, but the rule throughout the state and the region, and is just as strong now. There has always been a certain level of distrust of government, but much of it stems from a long history of government allowing businesses to take advantage of the people and the natural recourses of the state.
This is something that Robert Byrd always understood. The people of his state weren't going to ask for what they needed (like highways, schools,and hospitals) so he made sure when he went to Washington he brought it back. Thus his reputation for being one of the kings of pork and the reason there are so many highways named after him. So while we would gladly accept those things because they were necessary...we did not beg for them.
During the comparatively short time I've lived in the Midwest I feel the same sort of pride from people native to this region. People here don't act like victims if something goes wrong (like floods or tornados) we dust ourselves off, lend each other a hand, and move on. If government can help in a natural disaster or someone can take advantage of the benefits they have paid into the system, fine. But for everything else...we do not beg.
I haven't found in either place I've called home people who ask for hand outs or want government or anyone else to take care of them and fix all their problems. I generally find that people often will do without before asking for help. This is why I find the Romney's story so distasteful. I can completely imagine someone asking, "What can you do to fix this mess?" or "Do you have a plan for the economy?" What I cannot envision are people in some dystopia called "coal country" pawing desperately at their arms and $1000 shirt sleeves to ask, "Can you help us?" I find it offensive that even people with whom I have great political differences would be portrayed in such a stereotypical and demeaning light. I've known those people all my life and they do not beg.