The Stepfather

I understand that Mitt Romney received the nomination as the Republican candidate for President of the United States. I wouldn't know for sure, because, for my own well-being, I don't watch Republican conventions, which is merely a festival of lies.

The larger question is, who is Mitt Romney? A dilettante, who seems to have no principles, integrity, or courage. A man who wants desperately to be president, and will do or say anything to get it, including making a deal with the devil (in this case, the Tea Party). A man who has been rich all his life, and cares nothing about the poor or middle-class. A man who once got yuks by dressing up as a state trooper and pulling innocent people over (which is a felony). A man who strapped a dog to the roof of his car and insisted that the traumatized animal liked it (that dog would repeatedly run away).

As I follow the election, it's clear that this is a close election because of an anti-Obama segment of the population, people who are willing to believe lies of all stripe, whether they be the absurd birther lies or more subtle lies about Medicare or welfare requirements to work. The Republican mantra this year is that if a lie is told often enough, people will believe it. These same people have ignored the immense good Obama has done in his first term, from saving the economy, saving the auto industry (and by doing so, the economy of Michigan and Ohio), taking out Osama Bin Laden, and the Affordable Care Act, which has been turned into such a giant bogeyman it's hard for anyone to sort out the truth.

What will probably save Obama's bacon, despite the lies, is that Romney, try as he might, is just not lovable. If the Republicans had fielded a better slew of candidates, Obama might be trailing right now. I'm not sure who that would be, but surely if someone with the charisma of Ronald Reagan were around today Obama would be toast. But Reagan is dead and buried, and Romney, the great unknown, is running instead.

When I see friend and relatives post their right-wing propaganda on Facebook, it's all anti-Obama. Not one thing good about Romney. What's good to say about him? He was a successful businessman? Yes, by destroying companies and outsourcing jobs. At his tenure as governor of Massachusetts? Yes, by getting what is essentially Obamacare through. And also with the state being 47th in job creation. Nothing about Romney's background suggests he knows how to create jobs, other than by giving tax credits to the richest, which has been tried repeatedly and failed.

Romney doesn't even know what he stands for. In one day two statements about abortion exceptions for rape and incest came out; one from him, one from his campaign, that said exactly the opposite. At one time he was attending fundraisers for Planned Parenthood, now he's the inquisition. He says that a president should be required to have private sector experience, but he picks a VP candidate who has none, and is a career politician.

Make no mistake--if Romney is elected the poor in this country will suffer, and so will the middle class. Jenna Jameson, a porn star of some success, endorsed Romney, and she did so for a very good reason--she's rich. From the mouths of porn stars.

Who is Mitt Romney? He reminds me of a certain kind of character, the step-dad. He's the guy who dates your mom after her divorce. She probably wants to marry a guy with some material wealth, so she doesn't have to work two jobs. He's slick, and he bends over backwards to ingratiate himself with you. But something isn't quite right. He plays ball with you, but doesn't know the rules of the game.  He watches TV with you, but doesn't know who the popular actors are. He laughs at the wrong things. You can't put your finger on it, but there's something sinister about him. Then your mom marries him, and he gets all dictatorish on you. He tells you to cut your hair. He makes you throw out your Playboys. And he does terrible things to the family dog.