2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumNCR: Romney's Taxes and "All You People" -- "like a Hitchcock movie"
http://ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/romneys-taxes-all-you-peopleby Michael Sean Winters on Jul. 20, 2012 Distinctly Catholic
When Mrs. Ann Romney told Robin Roberts on ABCs Good Morning America that she and her husband, presidential candidate Mitt Romney, had given all you people need to know and understand about our financial situation and how we live our life, she betrayed a grave misunderstanding on modern democracy. Her comment lacked the cluelessness of Marie Antoinettes famous, and likely apocryphal, let them eat cake line, but the two remarks share a common lack: accountability.
In a democracy, we the people get to decide what we think we need to know about those who aspire to public office. And the extent to which we are entitled to invade a persons privacy is directly correlative to the amount of power we are being asked to entrust to the person seeking office. In the case of the modern presidency, Mr. Romney seeks a great deal of power and consequently we are entitled to know a great deal about his past.
No one knows what Mr. Romneys tax records will show. But, his reluctance to share them demonstrates something we most definitely want to know about an aspirant for Chief Magistrate: He believes he is entitled to more privacy than an aspirant for such a public office is so entitled.
The kerfuffle over Mr. Romneys refusal to release more of his tax returns indicates something else: His campaign is not ready for prime time. The issue is not going away. Soon, he will name a vice presidential candidate. How many years of tax returns will the person chosen decide to disclose? Did the person chosen already release more of their tax returns when seeking a prior office? Mr. Romney has promised to release his tax returns for 2011. Whenever he decides to do so he has promised by October the issue will come back. Is there no one in the entire Romney campaign structure that can sit the candidate down and explain that the day of reckoning is unavoidable?
SNIP
DCKit
(18,541 posts)I now have a deeper understanding about just how offensive that phrase is to the AA community.
On the other hand, I explained to her the concept of "dog whistles" and she laughed her ass off. I'm sure she'll share it around.
For someone who claims to not know a whole lot about what's going on in politics, she knows more than enough to avoid falling for any Republic B.S..
We also talked about the NAACP appearance and agreed there was no benefit to Rmoney. He already had the racists on his side and, now, the NAACP is going to have a voter registration drive that'll make ACORN's efforts look weak by comparison.
lillypaddle
(9,605 posts)It would be funny if it weren't scary. Can you imagine them in the WH?
pnwmom
(109,604 posts)when I see that phony face.
JustAnotherGen
(33,726 posts)*Reviewing what I've written below prior to hitting post and I want to make sure OP knows I'm not being snotty - just factual*.
Marie Antoinette never would have said and did not EVER say "You people'" - or "Let them eat cake/brioche" or "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche". It was most likely said 100 years earlier by Marie-Therese the wife of the Sun King Louis. She was too busy picking out shoes to even consider it. And keeping her hair from catching fire at parties.
Most of what has been attributed to her as 'legend/lore' was written by a German Author in a 1931 children's book. Chew on that a bit. Place France and Germany in that time and place understand the German perception that they were being punished by France by having to pay back debt from World War I.
And - if there is ever an inauguration of *I shudder at the thought* of a King Rmoney and Goody Ann - and if during the fireworks a stampede ensues - I highly doubt that they will do what Louis and Marie Antoinette did - and give their personal spending money for a year to those injured in said stampede or their surviving loved ones/families.
And in 1774 - when she became a very young Queen - she requested that a tax called "The Queen's Belt" be removed on the people of France.
Ann would do the opposite - The First Lady's Belt would be a tax imposed on those making less than 10K a year to make sure they have absolutely NOTHING so she can laugh at them and point her finger and call them 'you' people.
And with that said - it was the Propaganda of the Revolution that gave M.A. the horrible reputation. And it served it's purpose well.
I'm very well traveled to France, used to be highly conversant (learning Italian now since I married one ) and I am very well read on French history. She is one of the most fascinating female figures (she fascinates me in the way Mathilda of Tuscany does) of history - and her manners, reserve, discipline growing up in an Austrian household, sense of fashion - both glamourous and hippie, cosmetics, appearance, still influence women throughout the world to this day. You could say this leftist progressive feminist has a great deal of admiration for this woman who came into her own - could have saved her own neck, but insisted her husband was STILL the King of France and thus click, clack, chop.
Look up - Mrs. Romney is nothiiiiiiiiiiiiiing like Marie-Antoinette. She will never be. It is simply not in her to look at anyone else with empathy. Not even her dogs.