The last few weeks of the Presidential elections have been entertaining, to say the least. But, up until recently my interest in this race had been rather indifferent. I’ve never been a fan of politics. I think its because campaigns are often dirty, and candidates will take the low road, making false promises they know they will never keep. And, once they are in office, I am never surprised with their mediocrity. But, I am a voter and I do believe in the principle of exercising this right. Although I had never classified myself as belonging to any particular party, I tend to identify with values of equality, fairness, and liberty and justice for all Americans, regardless of their economic status.
What started out as just another run-of-the-mill, dirt slinging campaign, quickly caught my attention when Romney began airing ads using former President Clinton as a mouthpiece. I, as were many Americans, was drawn into this allegation they were making that President Obama wanted to strip the working requirement from welfare. Could it be so? Maybe its true. They are using President Clinton, Democrat, to make this point after all.
Knowing how politics is played, I decided to research this further. I quickly learned that the Republican claim that President Obama wants to strip the welfare work requirement was a blatant LIE! And, that was just the beginning. When confronted about this, the Romney campaign stood by the lie and stated their campaign would not “be dictated by fact checkers.” Wait! What? They made up a lie. They are using President Clinton to try and convince people that the lie is true. They know its a lie. And, they stand by the lie. President Clinton has since told America that this claim is not true. But, they continue to tell the lie. Personally, I’m surprised that President Clinton hasn’t sued them for using his image to propagate this lie.
This little incident perked up my ears. I wanted to know more. If Romney was unscrupulously standing by this lie, what else is he capable of? I was insulted that a candidate for President, who should be courting the country for votes, was instead insulting our intelligence with, not just half-truths and skewed facts, but blatant LIES. How stupid does this man think Americans are? Does he really think that we will never know the truth? Mitt Romney had taken dirty politics to the next level, and I took a personal interest in shedding light on him, even within the confines of my small social circle. If there is one thing I hate, it is a liar. Spot-lighting Romney was my new favorite spectator sport.
The fact that Romney is a liar is no secret. And, he seems proud that his campaign is being dictated by so many lies. So many, many lies. In fact, Steve Benen chronicled Romney’s 533 lies in 30 weeks, and that was just from January through August (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2012/08/29/mitt-romney-tells-533-lies-in-30-weeks-steve-benen-documents-them/). After reading that article I had to ask myself, “why does this guy have to lie so much?” And my first response was, “because he won’t win this if he tells the truth.” So rather than running on a platform where he tells America how great he is, and what he will do, and how he will do it, he lies, lies, and lies some more. Rather than getting the electorate excited about cheering for him because of how great he will be, he is reaching into the ugliest far right territory just to tear down his opponent. He has to make Obama look bad for him to look good. He aims to win by default, not by deserve.
If you give a man enough rope he will eventually hang himself. And I think Romney did just that. In secret footage released to Mother Jones Romney lets us know what he really thinks. This video shows me, the average American, one of “those people,” that this man is not a leader for all, does not have all our interests at heart, and is only running for office for self-serving reasons. He is divisive. He is out of touch with mainstream USA. And he will sell us out in a New York minute if he is given the chance.
I am part of that 47% he slammed. I am the working poor. I don’t get welfare, or Medicaid, or food stamps. But I used to. I raised 3 kids on welfare after leaving an abusive, drug addicted husband. Mitt Romney would have rather seen me get beat up every day. I put myself through college while receiving assistance so I could feed my children at the same time. Mitt Romney would say my kids weren’t entitled to eat. I have 2 kids who counted on student loans to pay for their college education, and a son who is actively serving the US Army. In Mitt Romney’s world they should have never been given those loans to attend college, and my son should never been given benefits after sacrificing life and limb for our freedoms. I also have elderly parents who rely on Social Security and Medicare. But I’m sure Mitt Romney would rather they just suffer through homelessness, hunger, and disease until death finally claims them. In Romney’s delusion the poor, sick, elderly, children, and veterans are all just a bunch of lazy moochers, who enjoy being taken care of by government. What an immoral, corrupt, and vicious man!
Unlike Mitt Romney, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. But, despite the challenges I have endured, I have NEVER seen myself as a VICTIM! I’m not a victim. My children are not victims. My parents are not victims. We are Americans. We are average Americans. We live in the greatest country on the planet. We have dreams. We want a better life for our children, and for our children’s children. We take responsibility for our lives, and we want a government that does, too. We are Americans and we count!
Mitt Romney does not deserve to be my President! He hasn’t earned my vote, nor my respect.