From: http://www.afscme.org and Politico
Good to see the real feelings and beliefs of the Republican candidate have leaked out. Most of us that already sit on the other side have long figured out that the pandering and positioning of Romney and the others hide what they really think and more importantly how they really feel about most of the rest of America. This latest debacle on the Republican doorstep where Mitt shares his real feelings that 47% of America lives on handouts from Government and they have no sense of personal responsibility and care for themselves (and never will) should really help with his struggling campaign. He further denigrates these 47% by seeing them as non-thinking individuals who will automatically vote for Obama (not that the same phenomenon exists on his side of the aisle). Given the number of senior citizens in that 47%, his expressed concern for that segment of the America also has to be questioned. Despite the immediate push back from the Romney camp that this was all taken out of context, it is obvious we have a problem here with character and integrity – not new for politicians on both sides but one I think is critical as we look at who we want to lead our country into the future. While many might not see this recent look into the real Republican agenda has anything to do with integrity and/or character, I would beg to differ. Compromises in character and integrity have become more commonplace and people seem to be more accepting. That acceptance is a problem in itself but that is a different issue. Not an excuse, but I think most of America is just getting worn out. If we can’t expect integrity from our President, then we are really lost. There are alot of definitions out there but I found one that I believe is more contemporary and relevant to the world in which we find ourselves today.
Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs. (From Wikipedia)
I would suggest the following quote might be relevant here.
“In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” – Warren Buffet
I think this might be the core of Mitt’s struggle to connect with the most of America. He rarely feels or looks real. In looking at this recent video where he basically dismisses half of America, he actually appears to be pretty real and honest. Those words flowed rather easily out of his mouth and he needed no notes. His life experience has provided him little opportunity to understand the 99% and his voice to the contrary doesn’t ring true. I’m guessing his inability to move that “Likeability” needle is rooted in his issues with integrity.
Sorry Mitt – it’s really about what you say when you think no one is looking – worse because you are stupid enough (or pompous enough) to think it wouldn’t happen.
Ricky – doing his Stan Laurel imitation (look it up)
On another note, we are privileged to have Ricky Santorum back in front of us to remind us how big an idiot he really is (as if we need to be reminded). Thanks to my son for passing this along. At the Values Voter Summit in DC this past weekend, Ricky shared these thoughts – “We will never have the media on our side, even in this country. We will never have the elite, smart people on our side – because they believe they should have the power to tell you what to do.”
notthebestoftimes... 