September 30, 2014

"If I had to do this again, I’d insist that you literally had a camera on me at all times," said Mitt Romney...

... quoted by Mark Leibovich in a NYT Magazine article titled "Mitt Isn’t Ready to Call It Quits."
"I want to be reminded that this is not off the cuff." This, as he saw it, was what got him in trouble at that Boca Raton fund-raiser, when Romney told the crowd he was writing off the 47 percent of the electorate that supported Obama (a.k.a. “those people”; “victims” who take no “personal responsibility”). Romney told me that the statement came out wrong, because it was an attempt to placate a rambling supporter who was saying that Obama voters were essentially deadbeats.

“My mistake was that I was speaking in a way that reflected back to the man,” Romney said. “If I had been able to see the camera, I would have remembered that I was talking to the whole world, not just the man.”...

Romney’s camera-at-all-times plan... reflected his own limitations as a candidate. By the same token, it was quite an indictment that “Mitt” — made by a little-known filmmaker on a shoestring — created a more palatable rendering of Romney than his campaign, which spent hundreds of millions on genius operatives and image makers. Romney, for his part, seemed to understand this. No matter how content he appeared, when the conversation turned to his disappointment in losing, his voice dropped. “It really kills me,” he said. “It really kills me.” He became inaudible, and it seemed as if he might tear up.
Here's "Mitt," in case you're interested.  It's only on Netflix. I watched it a couple weeks ago when my younger son (who has Netflix) was in town. It didn't change how I saw Mitt, so I do think that view of him was, in fact, on display during the campaign for anyone inclined to see it. The reason so many people looking at that film now feel as though it shows something that had been hidden is, I think, that those people were against Mitt Romney and resistant to what was positive. After the election, they were open to material that had become harmless. Seemingly harmless. Romney might run again.

43 comments:

RecChief said...

wait...so that clip wasn't exactly what the media portrayed it as?


I'm shocked I tell you.

rehajm said...

a little-known filmmaker on a shoestring — created a more palatable rendering of Romney than his campaign, which spent hundreds of millions on genius operatives and image makers.

Campaigns are waged not with anecdotes and personal beliefs, but with tested and vetted impersonal talking points that could be cut and pasted for the benefit of multiple candidates.

At least in theory.

Freder Frederson said...

wait...so that clip wasn't exactly what the media portrayed it as?

Actually it was. Romney claims he would have changed his answer if he knew a camera was on him.

Ann, I really don't understand why you think "Mitt" would have influenced anyone. The complaint about Mitt was that he was an out-of-touch plutocrat. If anything the movie confirms that view. He surrounded himself with family and sycophants and seems genuinely surprised that the entire world doesn't appreciate his brilliance like his family and sycophants.

garage mahal said...

I remember in 2012 Romney was doing a handshake line and this guy says "Hi, I've been unemployed for [x] months ..." and Romney smiled awkwardly and moved immediately to the next person in line. Just sums up Romney to me.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"He surrounded himself with family and sycophants and seems genuinely surprised that the entire world doesn't appreciate his brilliance like his family and sycophants."

Sweet, sweet irony!

Curious George said...

"garage mahal said...
I remember in 2012 Romney was doing a handshake line and this guy says "Hi, I've been unemployed for [x] months ..." and Romney smiled awkwardly and moved immediately to the next person in line. Just sums up Romney to me."


I guy with ten kids told Obama that gas for his SUV was killing him...Obama told him to drive a small car.

Does that sum up Obama for you Corky?

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Dang, Curious George beat me to garage's laughable softball lob.

Brando said...

I think if I were a campaign handler I'd tell the candidate that we're filming everything s/he does 24/7, so act like the camera is always on and video can always be leaked. We're living in a time when you never know when you're going to be secretly filmed so you might as well expect it.

Romney's gaffe sapped his momentum when he needed it most, and while I think he was still going to be defeated it was just one more thing he didn't need. But all campaigns should learn from this--the gaffe hurt particularly because he'd already had (unfairly or not) a reputation as only caring about rich people. Making a statement to supporters about 47% of the country being "written off" (even if he was conflating the 47% who owe no income taxes with the 47% that were definitely voting Obama) was a big gaffe in that context.

garage mahal said...

I guy with ten kids told Obama that gas for his SUV was killing him...Obama told him to drive a small car.

This guy can fit 10 kids in a SUV? I call b.s.

rehajm said...

Just sums up Romney to me.

For me it's his devotion to his family, his church, his partners, his friends. How he shut down the office and set up a task force to search for (and find) an employee's abducted daughter when the police were uninterested. How the military seeks advice from him and his church brothers on how to most efficiently organize and distribute aid in emergencies. How he finished first in his class at law and business school simultaneously. How he sat bedside of a dying friend's son and helped him write a will. How he worked as governor and savior of The Olympics and didn't accept a salary...

Hagar said...

If Romney does decide to run again, I hope he assembles his own team and keeps Karl Rove's at at least elbow length.

Brando said...

"For me it's his devotion to his family, his church, his partners, his friends. How he shut down the office and set up a task force to search for (and find) an employee's abducted daughter when the police were uninterested. How the military seeks advice from him and his church brothers on how to most efficiently organize and distribute aid in emergencies. How he finished first in his class at law and business school simultaneously. How he sat bedside of a dying friend's son and helped him write a will. How he worked as governor and savior of The Olympics and didn't accept a salary..."

Once you get past the Obamaphiles' idiotic propaganda--which was necessary to prop up their own flawed candidate who has been a mess as president--any intelligent person quickly realizes that while Romney was always a bit awkward around regular folks, he was and is a fundamentally decent man with exceptional talents for pragmatically fixing problems. It's a shame that didn't translate into being a successful political campaigner, but the way our campaigns work it seems they reward glib condescending liars like Bill Clinton and reject anyone who might have a bit of respect for the voters.

garage mahal said...

For me it's his devotion to his family, his church, his partners, his friends. How he shut down the office and set up a task force to search for (and find) an employee's abducted daughter when the police were uninterested. How the military seeks advice from him and his church brothers on how to most efficiently organize and distribute aid in emergencies. How he finished first in his class at law and business school simultaneously. How he sat bedside of a dying friend's son and helped him write a will. How he worked as governor and savior of The Olympics and didn't accept a salary...

For me it's implementing RomneyCare in MA, showing the country how it can be done nationally.

gerry said...

He surrounded himself with family and sycophants

You are confusing him with Obama.

lemondog said...

As I recall the NYT kept pushing his Mormon faith, I assume, to frighten voters......wooooooo.....

Brando said...

"For me it's implementing RomneyCare in MA, showing the country how it can be done nationally."

And yet even with that example, Obama found a way to screw it up.

Curious George said...

"garage mahal said...
I guy with ten kids told Obama that gas for his SUV was killing him...Obama told him to drive a small car.

This guy can fit 10 kids in a SUV? I call b.s.

9/30/14, 12:56 PM"

It was during a town hall, so unlike your example, which requires trusting you (always a mistake) it's on record.

Here you go Corky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1JtIY0K_cY

So you can mock Romney because he avoided an awkward situation, but Obama mocks this guy. What a douchebag.

Curious George said...

Oh, and no one says he put ten kids in an SUV Corky, just that he needs a large SUV because he has a large family.

gerry said...

Romneycare is a failure, largely, too.

rehajm said...

...showing the country how it can be done nationally.

If only the country had followed Romney's lead.

garage mahal said...

And yet even with that example, Obama found a way to screw it up

It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors.

Curious George said...

"garage mahal said...
And yet even with that example, Obama found a way to screw it up

It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors."

Sure it is. LOL And the Dems kicked the employer mandate...which has many times the effect of the personal mandate, until after the election.

Wonder why they did that?

Brando said...

"It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors."

We Maryland residents might take issue with that...

And if you consider "adding people to the Medicaid rolls who still can't see a doctor because no one wants to take Medicaid" to be a great success, then congratulations--you might have what it takes to be the next Obama press hack.

Curious George said...

"Brando said...
And if you consider "adding people to the Medicaid rolls who still can't see a doctor because no one wants to take Medicaid" to be a great success, then congratulations--you might have what it takes to be the next Obama press hack."

Add that most people taking insurance through the exchanges...state or Federal, are taking high deductable high copay plans because that's all they can afford. I just sat through a HFMA seminar where they said hospitals need to start treating all patients, even those with insurance, as self pays. Add to that the shrinking reimbursement from government payers...disaster.

Brando said...

And whether Obamacare turns out to be a success or a failure won't be known for a few years, considering so much of it hasn't yet been implemented and its effects will take time. It remains to be seen whether the federal government will continue to bribe insurance companies into staying on the exchanges while losing money, or whether "enrollees" end up paying premiums for more than a month or two, or whether employers end up dropping coverage or expanding it. It also remains to be seen what quality of care the beneficiaries receive--having "coverage" means nothing if you can't get in to see a doctor or get a procedure. And while the administration is quick to take credit for drops in the number of uninsured which may be due to the ACA and may be due to more people getting jobs that offer coverage, determining the effect that the law has on the health care system in this country will take a while to figure out.

I know, it's fashionable now to talk about how awesome Obama is for having delivered free or cheap health care for millions of people, even though this hasn't really happened and the costs (in terms of quality of care and prevention of job growth) are less easy to measure but no less real. But I suppose it's the job of some future administration to clean up the messes caused by this one.

rehajm said...

It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors.


Massachusetts residents would take exception here, too. PCP shortages, day long waits at the doctors office. Our employees premiums nearly doubled under the Massachusetts plan, they were up this year and we've been warned to be prepared for large premium increases for next year. BTW, next year is still a subsidy year- can't wait until 2017!

And the MA website that 'worked' before didn't work during the last enrollment period, and we have low expectations during the next enrollment period in mid November...

Brando said...

"Add that most people taking insurance through the exchanges...state or Federal, are taking high deductable high copay plans because that's all they can afford. I just sat through a HFMA seminar where they said hospitals need to start treating all patients, even those with insurance, as self pays. Add to that the shrinking reimbursement from government payers...disaster."

Yeah, a lot of these new plans are a mess. The big flaw in this reform was that it did nothing to increase supply of health services in the market--so simply shifting around the way things are paid for and adding more to the demand side seems to me to lead to higher prices. Maybe the idea is that the treasury will pick up the tab, but we've seen how that same approach increased access to higher education in this country, by which I mean a lot more people in debt, huge outlays by the government, and drastically inflated higher education costs.

How this won't lead to disaster hasn't yet been explained. I suspect that's because the Obamaphiles are not a part of the reality based community.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

I suspect if we traced it back that we would find the 47% comment came straight from Rush Limbaugh's radio shtick.

That would mean Rush planted two of the three seeds that undermined the Romney candidacy.

Brando said...

Rush is more hurt than help to the Republicans. But remember, he isn't benefitted when they win--his brightest days are those when there is a Democratic administration for him to rail against. His biggest rise came during the Clinton administration, then again when Obama took power. There really wasn't as much material for him during the Bush years.

Drago said...

garage: "It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors."

LOL

Nuclear grade stupidity.

And of course, the employer mandate still has not kicked in!

Random lefty: "But the employer mandate that hasn't taken effect yet hasn't had the effects the republicans said it would!!"

You can't make this stuff up.

tim in vermont said...

"... surprised that the entire world doesn't appreciate his brilliance like his family and sycophants." - Frederson

Boy, nobody could have written that sentence about Obama, could they?

But I guess it takes a sycophant to know one Freddy.

tim in vermont said...

"This guy can fit 10 kids in a SUV? I call b.s." Garage

Of course you do, I have taken ten people skiing in a Suburban. Admittedly, a couple of them snagged rides home with people they knew that they met on the mountain...

tim in vermont said...

"I suspect if we traced it back that we would find the 47% comment came straight from Rush Limbaugh's radio shtick." - LeftBankOfTheCharles

Of course you do, because you listen to his show all the time right? And this is the kind of things he says? Or you are just one more liberal who substitutes the conservatives who live in his head for "reality."

Jim Howard said...

I believe it is true that close to half of the voting population of the United States relies on government payments of one sort or other for a substantial part of their living.

Tim said...

garage: "It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors."
I have a Dem governor.My insurance cost only doubled and the deductible only went up 25%. ZERO coverage until I spend $6k. Otherwise, yeah, O'bastardcare is working great.

Fandor said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

We have a Dem governor here in Washington State. Our exchange is supposed to be the cream of the crop of the exchanges.

And yet, if its working fine here, then working fine means increased rates across the board. Is that what working fine means?

Anonymous said...

Ann, does it bother you that he misused the word literally here?

I don't think he wants the camera on him while he is in the bathroom, for example.

Ann Althouse said...

"Ann, does it bother you that he misused the word literally here? I don't think he wants the camera on him while he is in the bathroom, for example."

Yeah, that's what I was saying out loud to Meade as I was writing this post: "Mitt Romney wants us to watch him pee."

tim in vermont said...

"... surprised that the entire world doesn't appreciate his brilliance like his family and sycophants." - Frederson

What I should have responded, allow me to undulge a bit of "carriage wit," was "All of the assholes are on the other side!"

Michael K said...

"He surrounded himself with family and sycophants and seems genuinely surprised that the entire world doesn't appreciate his brilliance like his family and sycophants."

The movie "Mitt" wasn't about Obama. That movie won't get made because SHUT UP !

Michael K said...

"It's working fine. Especially in states with Dem governors."

Sure it is. Oregon even has a doctor as governor so it's extra special good.

Then there is Minnesota . Another triumph.

Maryland is working well.

Maryland has given up on its Obamacare website, but not before spending $90 million of taxpayer funding on technology, according to a cost breakdown released Friday.

Did I leave any out ?

The Crack Emcee said...

Hillary beats every Republican candidate in a head-to-head match-up, so "Run, Mitt, Run!" I'd LOVE to see you lose again.

And why would that be? Couldn't be RACISM, could it?

"Sen. Rand Paul on Thursday blasted his own party for making it tougher for minorities to vote."

Niggerlover! Blast him, you guys! Tell him he ought to die, and starve on the streets, and call his mother a whore - like you do me, you non-racists! Even worse, call him a Democrat! That HAS to be the worst thing a person can be (Obviously, being mass murderers doesn't hurt white's image of themselves - to them!) Speaking of Democrats, listen to this infammatory crazytalk:

“So many times, Republicans are seen as this party of, ‘We don’t want black people to vote because they’re voting Democrat, we don’t want Hispanic people to vote because they’re voting Democrat. We wonder why the Republican Party is so small. Why don’t we be the party that’s for people voting, for voting rights?”

The man's at least a communist,...