Romney “Cheat Sheet” Was A Handkerchief, Campaign Says

and putting them in his jacket pocket, then taking them out and handing them to his son.
Several threads on DU about that which include the video of him doing it.

I am surprised that the campaign addressed this. If it was really just a handkerchief, they wouldn't even see it as an issue. They're kind of admitting it is a fishy issue by even making a statement about it.

They would've just laughed and walked off if there was no 'there' there.

They want this to go away

"Romney loves America like a tick loves a dog."

...and people still think businessmen are brainy? Mitt and Dubya are those guys in middle school that figured out how to crib the notes to tests and sold them to other losers.

God, I hate Conservatives!

n/t

tries to put them in his coat pocket (they don't fit), then hands them off to his son. That's no hanky.

And a hanky doesn't stack like paper, doesn't come out of your pants front pocket, and then disappear at the end. It was folded notes...plain and simple. Yea, and then he ran back to retrieve them. Why hand them to his son? Didn't want to get caught with the goods?

Those poor kids. How many times in their lives did he pull shit like this.

putting it back in his pants pocket or picking it up from the podium to use it? It is very clear that when he went back to the podium after the debate he was retrieving paper he didn't want anyone else to see. He handed it to his son who quickly put it away in his coat pocket. It could have been notes he scribbled during the debate. But if so, where was the hanky? Surely he didn't hand a used hanky to his son.

On edit: Right at the start of the debate - while he is standing at the podium - the camera catches what sure likes like him putting his hand back into his pants pocket. Could he be putting the hanky back after removing his notes which remain on the podium? I can't see fastidious Mitt leaving a hanky he's going to wipe his nose with on a potentially germy podium for any length of time.

who still carries a handkerchief. And, much as I hate to say it, that's what it looks like in the video. The key moment is at the 0:50-1:02 mark, when he tosses it downin slo-mo; it looks far more like folded cloth than a piece of paper.

Still, I won't be sad to be proven wrong.

Republicans are masters at cheating.

Interesting if true.

would be if someone could find him picking the hankie up from the podium during the debate. Honestly, I don't know anyone who would take a hanky out of their pocket and put it on the podium BEFORE the debate starts. Would it not be normal just to keep it in your pocket and retrieve as necessary from there?

I think that might be why when he picked his paper up from the podium after the debate, he tried to slip them in his breast pocket and they wouldn't fit. He tried putting them in both sides of his jacket though. I don't recall any of my husbands suits having two breast pockets and they were always on the left side. Do mens suits come with more than one breast pocket or was that just Myth's nerves?

http://www.youtube.com/samgreatuncle

Stiff pieces of paper do.

it shows in the tape that when he puts it on the podium that he unfolded it. How could it be folded when he used it?

I suggest the hankie was used to hide the cheat sheet.

Plus do they explain what happened at the end?

Do they explain that the paper on his podium has folds in it? And writing?

We need more info Mitt.

Why couldn't there be a handkerchief there to absorb hand sweat?

No offense. It's election season, and I have to watch how I come across to right-leaning people in my life.

In the little animation in the OP - where he wipes his lip...

Compare that to the size of your folded printer paper...

That may have been a hankie - but it also may have contained some notes.

Using the hankie on camera was just part of the ruse...

If you watch just after that it looks like he is unfolding something...then puts something in his right hand pocket. Its hard to see though because it is all blocked by the podium. Ill agree it does look like a hankie, and it does not change the outcome of the debate, it would however explain how he came up with some many statistics and numbers so quickly.

Contained his notes - probably 2 pages.

make a lump in his pants leg as he is wearing them and then he might fold it again to make it a more useful size when he needs it.

I'm trying to decide from the very last few fractions of a second of the video if it looks as though he is moving the "handkerchief" or opening it from the lower-right corner.

"handkerchief" (and why would he do that?) or just moving it off of the (legal) note-paper.

It would be easy enough to keep folded in your front pants pocket it and grab as needed.

On the lectern should be a no-no.

Especially under hot lights. Far easier to use it quickly that way than to reach into your pocket, especially if you've got other things in your pocket as well.

That's disgusting. I hope you disinfect after doing that. People put their hands all over the podium.

I can't tell...

while speaking or interrupt how you look to others, like you would have to if you had to reach into your pocket to get it, so, knowing you're going to need it, you place it on the podium.

and that's important at this stage of the race.

Surely the Romney didn't envision today as a denial of cheating at the debate.

Did anyone notice that after the debate, when Mitt walks over to the podium--he retrieves the papers and then joins his family. Watch Ann. You see her notice what Romney has in his hand. She does a double take! Then, it's unmistakable...her demeanor changes and she seems to move into action. Meanwhile, Mitt is trying to put that papers in his pocket, but he can't--and Jim Lehrer is right there! Mitt tried to keep himself in front of Lehrer, almost using Lehrer as a shield from anyone seeing what he's doing!

Ann then says something to Mitt--it's not clear, but it sounds like, "We need to get you off this stage!" It seems as though she's panicked. Then, she says something to one of her sons, and her facial expression looks panicked and strained.

I think she saw what Mitt had.

Can't the audio be enhances, so we can hear more clearly what Ann Romney is saying???

as you see in the video he unfolded what he tossed onto the podium.

Later towards the end of the debate he wiped his upper lip with the hanky as a cover so he would have an excuse ready in case anyone had seem him tossing the cheat sheet/hanky onto the podium.

Who on earth goes onto a national debate stage, shakes the hand of the President of the United States and then immediately the first thing he think of is tosses his hanky onto the podium? It makes NO sense that anyone would do that unless it was the cheat sheet that he had in the forefront of him mind.

and I think we can get proof.

Someone has to have access to the following things:

1.) The raw footage that was rolling the entire debate--of behind Romney. This footage needs to be zoomed in, and inspected for the following items:
---What was on the hanky/sheet? Can you see words--written or typed?
---If he's saying it was a hanky (is there a point where we can see a hanky being removed from under the notes, then cast aside on the podium? That would be key! Then, you could demonstrate that yes, a hanky was on the podium, but you see him remove the hanky and underneath is the notes. If this is shown---voila!
--Also, prior to Mittens taking notes--can you see him reading off of a sheet?
--Do we ever see him unfolding the sheet?

If these things happened, they are visible on that video footage--from the vantagepoint of behind Romney--which was rolling the entire time.

2.) Enhanced sound of the post-debate happenings. After the debate, Romney walks over to join his family and Obama. Then he returns to the podium, retrieves the ????--then walks back to his family. A TON of things happen here--simultaneously:
---Ann sees what is in Mitt's hand. She does a double take. Then, you can see her look panicked. She says something to Mitt and it sounds like, "We need to get you off this stage NOW!". We need sound enhancement to know what she is saying.
--Ann also says something else to one of her sons. I can't make it out, but it sounds like...we need to go now...or something. She sounds even more panicked now.

Unless we have these things---we have nothing but accusations. Accusations can actually be worse than having nothing--because they can be turned against us as being sore losers and desperate. Or worse.

Efforts should be underway to make these things happen. I don't know how...but that's really where this stands.

What we think we see is meaningless unless there is more proof.

Who specified wood podiums with walls?