It was funny enough when Rick Santorum tried to rebrand himself as an economic populist. But you’ll never guess who’s getting on the “we are the 99 percent” bandwagon. Well, unless you’ve already read this.
Mitt Romney, sudden champion of Americans trying to make ends meet — it’s coming off to progressives and veterans of President Barack Obama’s winning reelection campaign as a little too rich.
The 2012 Republican nominee’s sudden return to presidential politics already had them dusting off old attack lines. His reinvention Friday night as an anti-poverty warrior has them in a frenzy of excitement, even glee, at what they see as the Democratic Party’s stroke of good luck.
Yes, children, Mittens now fancies himself to be the Savior of the Downtrodden. This is something like making Ronald McDonald the poster boy for heart-healthy diets.
His message, or as much as I can glean from news stories, is this:
- Mittens really cares about poor people. He knows this because his wife Ann says so.
“She knows my heart in a way that few people do,” he said. “She’s seen me not just as a business guy and a political guy, but for over 10 years as you know I served as a pastor for a congregation and for groups of congregations… She’s seen me work with folks that are looking for better work and jobs and providing care for the sick and the elderly. She knows where my heart is.”
- Liberal policies haven’t worked. Of course they haven’t actually been tried for decades because they’ve been obstructed by conservatives, but let’s not quibble. The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer, and this must be Obama’s fault. The fact that the rich have been getting richer and the poor poorer since the Reagan Administration is water under the bridge.
“Under President Obama, the rich have gotten richer, income inequality has gotten worse and there are more people in poverty than ever before,” Romney said. “Under this president, his policies have not worked. Their liberal policies are good every four years for a campaign, but they don’t get the job done.”
- Mittens has a plan, something bold and original that hasn’t been done before. He explained to Republican National Committee members,
“The only policies that will reach into the hearts of the American people and pull people out of poverty and break the cycle of poverty are Republican principles, conservative principles,” Romney said to no applause from the Republican crowd.
I’m sure they forgot to applaud because they were struck numb by the boldness of Romney’s plan. And maybe he could get Gov. Sam Brownback to serve as an economic policy adviser.
Snark aside, it appears income inequality is going to be a big issue in 2016. Hillary Clinton also has been making noise about it and trying to tie herself to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a long-time friend and alleged progressive. Opposing income inequality is the new black.
But hearing it from Romney, de Blasio said, is a sign that income inequality has really arrived as the defining issue of the 2016 campaign.
“This is on the minds of more and more people around the country, because income inequality is basically the touchstone of what we’re dealing with right now,” de Blasio said. “It is very telling that a guy who’s trying to find his way back to political relevance will grab onto it.”
It is telling, and it suggests the 2016 election campaigns will be a ton of fun. But if we end up with an HRC-Jeb Bush general election choice the terrorists will have won.
Mitt, the economic populist!
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And Mitt’s prescription for income inequality?
I’m sure that it’s more conservatism:
Bigger tax cuts for the rich – and to shred the existing safety-net programs, because… FreeDUMB! LiberTEA!!!
Make the disabled go to work – the moochers, taker’s, parasi…
Whoops!
Better make that ‘Find abling jobs for the disabled!” Or, something…
As for Hill v. Jeb, while I may wish for a better Democratic candidate, I wouldn’t mind seeing Jeb win the Republican nomination. Of course, after the damage his brother did to the “Bush” name, he should run as Jeb Hsub.
And maybe, in the case of Hillary, it’ll take a Villager to save the village.
After all, only Nixon could have gone to China. Or, whatever…
Mitt, the economic populist!
Still ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Income inequality will be to the 2016 campaign, what “change” was in 2008.
Even though I would enjoy a HRC/Mitt campaign more I really believe it is going to be a HRC/Jeb race.
Romney is right to take on inequality but it’ll be amazing if he can surmount 1) how he’s perceived even if his concern is genuine, and 2) the fact that the Republicans really aren’t interested in him for 2016 and want him to go away.
The big challenge for anybody from the left is to forcefully demonstrate that this problem has little to do with Obama but goes back to Reagan. Whenever I get into an argument about this, it’s amazing how conservatives are completely flabbergasted that anyone would bring up the years before Obama. History doesn’t exist or is irrelevant to them. In their tiny little brains, It’s All Obama’s Fault. There needs to be a massive PR campaign to correct this, because getting through to them requires explaining things in bigger concepts than the sound bites their little brains are accustomed to.
Sadly, Elizabeth Warren or Robert Reich could provide all the intellectual ammunition needed, but neither of them is running.
moonbat,
It doesn’t matter who the messenger is – conservatives only want to listen to messages that support their viewpoints.
No deviation from what FOX and Rush tells them!
All other viewpoints and opinions, are heresy – and thus, verboten!!!
And of you bring something other than the expected confirmation of their righteousness, then they stick their fingers in their ears, and yell, “LA-LA-LA-LA-LA, I can’t hear you!!!”
And they criticize Muslims for THEIR ululation!?!?!?!?!
What manner of man is this Mitt Romney? He speaketh of things that we see not in him.
conservatives only want to listen to messages that support their viewpoints.
Agree Gulag, but nonetheless the case needs to be made, vigorously. Look what happened to Obama when he sat on those wonderful oratorical powers of his these last six years. Can the guy even compute the phrase “full throated defense”? Their noise machine MUST be countered otherwise they rightly call us cowards and can shove any idiotic beliefs down their followers’ throats. I’m tired of conservatives taking the battle to us, of us always having to play according to their rules and their game – the only way to win against these people is: offense, offense, offense – whether they want to hear it or not.
Moonbat — damn straight. HOOyah!
moonbat,
I’m widchya, brother!!!
Wax on, wax off. If we end up with hrc vs jeb, we have arrived at the twilight zone.
I just hope to hell Elizabeth Warren DOES run for POTUS. She’s really the only hope for those of us who don’t have anything. Already the OMG party is making noises about cutting disability by 20% and who knows what they will try to do to Social Security. I don’t really want to die yet, but it may be the only hope. And I will have a lot of help from my government. Check out what has happened in England lately with this sort of thing.
Erinyes: I kinda like the twilight zone.
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