Mitt Romney: A Chip Off the Ol' Blockhead

The National Review’s Mona Charen, in yesterday’s column, noted how the apple sometimes tries too hard to fall farther from the tree; that Mitt Romney was playing it too safe so he wouldn’t make the mistake of his father, Michigan Gov. George Romney, who was running for the GOP nomination in 1968.  Apparently, Mitt didn’t fall far enough.

His Dad made a comment to a radio host about how his visit to Vietnam made him realize how “brainwashed” he’d been.  Conservative voters didn’t appreciate his view that communism was not the threat they believed it to be and nominated moderate Richard Nixon (who opened the doors to trade with China and took us off the gold standard).

“I like to fire people.”  The Media isn’t making much of that line – yet.  They’re waiting for the primary dust to settle.  They don’t want people to realize just what a mistake that line was.  That line will make him eminently beatable in the general election.  You won’t hear it for awhile.  But just imagine how that line is going to sound in a bad economy with the real unemployment rate at somewhere around 15 percent?

No doubt, what Romney meant was that sometimes it’s necessary to lay off people, for economic reasons, and even fire poor producers.  That’s what my company said, only more tactfully.  But to say you enjoy it puts you in the “Bah Humbug!” Ebenezeer Scrooge category.

Brother B. is a supervisor.  Years ago, before he became a supervisor, we were discussing management position.  I said I never wanted to be put in the position of firing people.  Big Brother (being a Big Brother) took this opportunity to tease.  “Not me!” he cried.  “I love firing people!”

Then, one day, he was promoted to a supervisory position.  His company had to lay off workers and it was his duty to “fire” some of his employees, one who’d been a long-time employee.  The employee hadn’t taken advantage of “The Package” and so lost out on income.  She didn’t believe the Company would fire her.  But they did.  She collapsed and Big Brother, sobbing himself, had to carry out to her car.

Business has to do what it has to do.  You survive it by being prepared.  Romney was perfectly correct in what he meant.  What he actually said, though, is going to be played and replayed by The Media ad nauseam.  The GOP may not realize, but Romney’s electability just plunged.  The next choices – Ron Paul, an isolationist who is supported by pot-smoking college students, and Obama clone John Huntsman aren’t much better.

Already, there’s talk of Conservative Republicans staying home – again – because the choices are so weak.  The GOP should have gotten behind Rick Santorum (who can be straightened out about union support more easily than an addle-brained yet shrewd old man who endears himself to addle-brained college students).

In addition to a history test, candidates should be genetically tested for foot-in-mouth disease.