In case you haven't noticed, the GOP had been gloating because Romney had "beaten" the President to Louisiana. Surely that's got nothing to do with the fact that Republican Governor Bobby Jindal set it up this way, and let's ignore that Romney himself sees cutting disaster relief as one efficient way to downsize the government.
Indeed Jindal, hardly has a stellar record on disaster relief either for that matter.
"It was already a risky decision for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to visit Hurricane Isaac-ravaged New Orleans immediately following the Hurricane Katrina anniversary-timed Republican National Convention, a risk exacerbated by conservative gloating that Romney had beaten President Obama to the “prize.”
"Already open to criticism that he was using the disaster as a political prop, Romney could hardly have asked for a worse headline than what he reportedly told one flooding victim."
"When the White House’s announcement that President Obama would visit New Orleans on Monday followed the Romney campaign’s announcement by a few hours, conservatives were quick to childishly declare he was simply following Romney’s lead, despite the fact that the President’s trip had already been planned, and despite the fact that the President actually has a legitimate purpose for going to tour a disaster. While this delighted right-wingers, it could only seem crass, at best, to everyone else."
"Still, Romney isn’t responsible for what his stupidest supporters say, and could have as easily faced criticism had he decided not to go. When faced with one of the victims of the flood, however, Romney came up well short in the empathy department. From The Associated Press:
Romney and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) spent close to an hour meeting with first responders and local officials. Romney shook hands with National Guardsmen outside the U.S. Post Office and talked with a local resident, Jodie Chiarello, 42, who lost her home in Isaac’s flooding."In Romney’s defense, at least he didn’t offer her a quarter for the payphone."
“He just told me to, um, there’s assistance out there,” Chiarello said of her conversation with Romney. “He said, go home and call 211.” That’s a public service number offered in many states.
Chiarello said she will likely seek some other shelter because her home was submerged in the flooding.
http://www.mediaite.com/online/mitt-romney-tells-louisiana-flood-victim-to-go-home-and-call-211/
I think this story is a perfect metaphor for Romney's philosophy of government. He says he wants to help, but so lacks empathy and common sense for what the average person goes through that he offers advice that is not applicable to them.
Think about it. This story is of a piece with what he suggested for people who don't have money to go to college. He opposes them getting loans but has no solution for them other than to do what he did-live off his Dad's trust fund.
This is all any help Mitt Romney could ever throw anyone's way amounts to. As he can't empathize or relate he gives advice that only applies to trust fund aristocrats like himself. For all this talk about the need for a "real American" Mitt is barely an American himself-what real American says "I like sport" and "everyone hates Yankee." Isn't the failure to use the letter s when discussing sports-rather than "sport"-a pretty good sign of lacking Americaness? He's more like the American Prince Charles and Ann is Camilla Bowles. I was going to say Princess Diana but I guess she was a half way likable person.
By the way, off the subject, I'm liking Chris Matthews more every day.
"Matthews' popularity with the Republican crowd probably wasn't helped by his scorched-earth confrontation with RNC chair Reince Priebus on Monday."
"Matthews himself had a run-in with some delegates at a restaurant early Friday morning. The Hill reported that, as Matthews was leaving the restaurant, he started getting booed and jeered, and went back in to confront his hecklers. Matthews said he told the group, "What is this, a douchebag convention?" He told The Hill that he was referring explicitly to the group of people he was talking to, not to the convention as a whole."
“I was trying in my way to engage as I often do with critics, hoping to find some common ground," he said. "Sometimes it works out better than this.”
"Matthews can certainly expect a better time at the Democratic convention, which starts on Tuesday in Charlotte."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/01/chris-matthews-rnc-delegates-shouting-match_n_1848853.html
Yah think? We owe him a statue.
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