So, I’m on record that I’m not a fan of Mitt. For what it’s worth, I’m hardly a fan of the GOP, and I loathe the Democratic Party. Alright, then, there are some of my cards on the table. I don’t publish this as a defense of Mitt or the GOP. I publish it because it is a clear illustration of common political speak, or, to put it another way, bald-faced lying.
A number of days ago, Mitt had hisself a “gaffe” – take a look-see (don’t worry, it’s a short video!). Now, when I heard Mitt, I couldn’t disagree with him. The reasons are that 1) what he’s saying is true, and 2) it’s simply dye-in-the-wool, historic Republican talk. I, therefore, like it.
Here’s the rub: political pundits get this into their hands and mold it into something entirely other than what it is. Jonathan Chait of New York (a magazine I do not read, but the name of a city that I love) wants to pretend that Romney’s words reveal something about him that Chait didn’t already know, something far more sinister than was expected. Check out his little article. Chait, working himself into an amusing little frenzy, unloads thusly: “Here is the sneering plutocrat, fully in thrall to a series of pernicious myths that are at the heart of the mania that has seized his party. He believes that market incomes in the United States are a perfect reflection of merit.” What do Mitt’s comments have ANYTHING to do with Chait’s? Chait is simply making it up as he goes along. One can almost hear him foaming at the mouth.
This is how politics seems to go. Maybe Romney is a plutocrat. Maybe he does think that market incomes in the US are a perfect reflection of merit. Maybe Chait is correct. What is certain is that none of those things could be ascertained from Romney’s “gaffe.” Chait’s just engaging in some bodacious politicin’. It might be par for the course, but it’s still odious.
Hi Tim. It appears that even the so called Conservative media are worried that Romney has wounded himself over this “gaffe.” It only remains to be seen if it proves fatal. For my part, I’m getting really tired of the media types talking about it because I have a hard time believing it really has made an impact with the electorate. The line that this is a “self inflicted wound” has all the marks of “inside the beltway” thinking.