Can you believe we're down to ten days already? Things are really heating up, and it's looking like Mitt Romney has had the worst week ever, politically. With that, I bring you reason #5 I won't vote for Mitt.
The Company He Keeps
My grand-dad always used to tell me that you could get the measure of a man by the company he keeps. A good man will surround himself with men of equal caliber. If that's the truth (and I know it is), it's not looking too good for Mittens. The people that Mitt Romney chooses to surround himself with, and to be identified with, say a lot about his character. It speaks to his true system of values and beliefs. It's one sure fire way to get a read on a man who has publicly flip-flopped and changed positions and opinions so many times, it's impossible to know him on his own merits at all.
The person presumably closest to Mitt would be his wife, Ann. Tapped on the campaign trail to present the softer, more human side of Mitt; these are personality traits she struggles to present for herself. In response to the many requests for Mitt to release more of his tax returns, Ann referred to the voters as "you people". Her words, along with her demeanor made her seem arrogant and condescending. From making inappropriate jokes on The View, to accusing Hispanics of being "biased" against Republicans, Mrs. Romney just can't seem to connect with average Americans. Her life of comfort, wealth and privilege are apparent in her every word and deed. When she told us at the Republican National Convention of the early days of her marriage, and of the "struggles" she and Mitt faced, eating tuna and pasta and selling off stock, we collectively knew for sure that she simply wasn't one of us. Because of that, we have a pretty good idea that Mitt shares those qualities with his wife, and like Ann, he isn't one of us either.
It would be remiss not to mention Romney's son Tagg's recent statement that he'd like to hit the President for calling his father a liar, but could not because of the presence of Secret Service Agents. This really speaks to the Romney family philosophy of rash actions over words and diplomacy. Is this kind of hot-headed behavior we want in our President? Or do we want a thoughtful, introspective, though decisive man in control of our foreign policy? It's clear that the Romney family prefers drastic measures to rational ones, never pausing to consider what is appropriate or necessary.
We must also take a look at the folks Romney surrounds himself with on the campaign trail, and the people he has allied himself with. In recent events, Mitt has refused to back down regarding his endorsement of Richard Mourdock, who went on the record as saying that pregnancy that is the result of rape is "what God intended." He further went on to clarify that the rape itself wasn't the Divine intention--just the resulting pregnancy. We can only assume that Romney shares this view, as his campaign has stated that the candidate disagrees with Mourdock, but the candidate himself has yet to comment on it.
And then there's John Sununu, co-chair of the Romney campaign, who, after learning of former Secretary of State Colin Powell's endorsement of President Obama, went on the record saying that the reason behind his endorsement was because both men are black. Sununu took a thoughtful and well considered opinion by one of the most respected men in Washington; a man respected by both parties, and dismissed it as an issue of racial solidarity, and in doing so--embarrassed himself as well as Mitt Romney. Again, Mitt has failed to comment on Sununu's outrageous remarks, let alone denounce them, or even more appropriately, dismiss him from the campaign staff. Do we really want a man who condones (or agrees with) these kinds of remarks as our Commander-in-Chief?
By surrounding himself with a rogues gallery of advisers, misogynistic candidates that he supports and endorses, plus a family who is short-tempered, heavy-handed and out of touch with every day Americans, it is hard to see Mitt Romney as an effective President who is able to bring the country together, or who will garner respect for himself or our nation throughout the world. Sometimes, it really is who ya know! Yet another reason I won't vote for Mitt Romney.
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