James Moore: Mr. Mittbot, You and Me

[highplainsdem]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-moore/mr-mittbot-you-and-me_b_1209446.html

There is something troubling about the collective American consciousness that enables us to elect persons of privilege to a job whose most basic requirement ought to be a first hand understanding of economic struggle. Like the two Republican Bush presidents, Mitt Romney has always had a soft place to fall. In 1975, when he left Harvard, he went straight to Wall Street with a class of business school graduates who became consultants instead of employees. The mortgage his dad told him to deal with first was probably never a big worry and when Mitt landed at Bain Capital in 1977 he was launched on the business career that is somehow supposed to qualify him for the White House. Please explain how being successful at an investment fund trains an individual for dealing with foreign policy, a stubborn congress, and a lagging economy.

We Americans celebrate wealth and business success as if it were a form of religion. Of course, people who work hard and accomplish their goals, financial, material, or even spiritual, ought to be admired because they contribute to the advancement of our culture. But the rich are not necessarily special; they tend to be prepared and lucky. Their money is generally not the consequence of any intellect or insight that can translate to leadership or government. We simply want to believe that is how they earned it.

-snip-

There isn't any class warfare in America. We are all participants in the same game and some of us have greater advantages and use them to gain wealth but that doesn't mean the rich should be president. I've often thought the difference between the two political parties was that one was rolling down the highway in a nice new car and ignoring all of those who had fallen into the ditch while the other party was slowing down and pulling over to help get the stranded travelers back on the road. Capitalism is imperfect and x amount of effort does not necessarily produce y amount of results. Some of us end up in the ditch. People fail for many reasons. But almost all of them are trying. Our national discourse is over how we provide assistance.

We've had wealthy presidents in the past and some have had greatness. Our greatest president, however, came from a log cabin and understood the common man's struggle, and it is not about corporate tax cuts. Leadership is a product of intimate understanding, which rarely is a consequence of wealth. But America has only two types of citizens: millionaires and those of us who very shortly expect to be millionaires. The result is we admire money and project onto the wealthy characteristics they often do not possess.

-snip-

And, as Moore points out, putting those people -- people like Romney -- into the White House is a "grave mistake."

[DonCoquixote]

1. here is the deal

To butcher a quote for the great Molly Ivins,these type of people start off on Third base and brag that they hit a triple. As much as some of the self made types can be annoying, at least they have some sense of being NOT rich. When you have the Koches, the Bushes, the Romneys, they are not only clueless about the way America works, they have been hardwired and brainwashed to belive that they are exactly the living proof that the American dream works as advertised, despte the fact their aristocratic nature is what is a danger to that dream.

Now, at the risk of slamming all Mormons, Mitt's religion does indeed ramp this up, as he regularly consulted with the late Gordon Hinckley, aka the Mormon "prophet." Now, let me say this, some Mormons I know are great people, but, their offical beliefs can make L. Ron Hubbard seem tame. The Prophet is not just the equivalent of a pope or archbishop of canterbury, or even the "caliph" of old. This is a person who believes that he is right now, God's prophet on earth. If Mitt went to the temple and consulted him, and made political decisions based on that advice, which he did, that is NOT just the equivalent of if JFK went to the Vatican. This is someone who would be beliving he is getting direct advice from GOD's Prophet. It would be as if Mohammed (Peace be upon him) were still alive, and Kings consulted him.

In short, Mitt Romney would not just be blind by his aristocratic blood, but he would have a WHOLE RELIGION ready to pump dialy amounts of excrement into his brain. Like how the Mormons killed Gay Marriage in California, now imagine that with muscle. And no, this is not to say all Mormons would act as puppets for the church, but Mitt has shown behavior that says he will.