[Seanspeed]

Have you tracked down any of the people you picked on or bullied and apologized or asked them to forgive you? Honestly.

Have you ever judged somebody and made accusations about a person based solely on a mental leap of logic you just took 5 minutes prior?

[Ponn01]

Have you ever judged somebody and made accusations about a person based solely on a mental leap of logic you just took 5 minutes prior?

Sometimes yea, or just go by their own posts in threads what's your point?

[Canuck76]

This story will unravel. People grasping at straws in here. There are plenty of other things to stick him on.

I'm surprised people actually think he has a shot. Dude is the worst presidential candidate in like, 20 years. He combines democrat elitism, communication that's even worse than Bush's, kerry's flip flopiness and mormon space aginess. And just such a fakeness that's unbelievable.

I don't think one could frankenstein together a worse candidate.

[Seanspeed]

Sometimes yea, or just go by their own posts in threads what's your point?

That perhaps you should have a little bit more to go on other than your own pseudo-psychological principle you just made up and even assuming its based on rational ground, would still be unsafe to think it applies to absolutely everybody?

[Amir0x]

I'm surprised people actually think he has a shot. Dude is the worst presidential candidate in like, 20 years. He combines democrat elitism, communication that's even worse than Bush's, kerry's flip flopiness and mormon space aginess. And just such a fakeness that's unbelievable. I don't think one could frankenstein together a worse candidate.

This country elected George W.









Twice.

Because of the ridiculous two party system we have in this country, if it's not one candidate it's the other, and so whichever of the two candidates is up has a fairly good chance of becoming president. It's never, ever sane to discount someone's chances.


And it'd be extra silly to do it now, because it's not really up to Romney if he wins. It's up to the economy. If the economy keeps recovering, Obama will be elected. If not, he won't.

I'm actually waiting for the hard Obama attacks on Romney's own record. I want commercial after commercial showing Romney supporting one issue before being against it. Use his own words against him.

[half a moon]

I think there's different levels. There's "teasing" that you might do to your sibling, but if you and people are doing it to a person at school a lot it's "bullying". That's what I would call "part of growing up." Usually less vulgar.

But more vulgar and physical aggression is a different level of bullying only a few do in about every school.

[Canuck76]

This country elected George W. Twice. Because of the ridiculous two party system we have in this country, if it's not one candidate it's the other, and so whichever of the two candidates is up has a fairly good chance of becoming president. It's never, ever sane to discount someone's chances. And it'd be extra silly to do it now, because it's not really up to Romney if he wins. It's up to the economy. If the economy keeps recovering, Obama will be elected. If not, he won't. I'm actually waiting for the hard Obama attacks on Romney's own record. I want commercial after commercial showing Romney supporting one issue before being against it. Use his own words against him.

You forget how much more of a conservative country we were back in 2000 and 04. And Bush had a nice charm to him, and made convincing arguments. It's not hard to see how he was elected twice.

And some christians might just vote for Ron Paul or whoever the hell in that third party just because. I certainly can't vote for Mitt because of the mormonisim. A lot of christians i talk to feel the same way or will straight out vote for Obama despite being conservative.

And have you seen Obama's new campaign videos? It's essentially him looking like a gangsta and pounding home that essential message. This mother killed Osama. He could win based on that alone.

[Slavik81]

I don't think one could frankenstein together a worse candidate.

You must not have been watching the race for the Republican nomination. You wouldn't have had to go very far to find a worse candidate.

[kaching]

That kids can be cruel and that what you do as a kid shouldn't define how you are perceived later in life.

Except that politicians, as a rule, LOVE to use their upbringing and stories of their youth to get themselves elected, very much trying to define how they are perceived later in life by things they did in their childhood. Just, you know, based on the good things they did, not the bad ones.

Romney is no exception and he's not being treated any differently than any other candidate who makes it to the general election. They all run this same gauntlet. Want to argue that you're a man of character and quality because of things you did and were subjected to in your childhood? Fine let's talk about it.

[Amir0x]

You forget how much more of a conservative country we were back in 2000 and 04. And Bush had a nice charm to him, and made convincing arguments. It's not hard to see how he was elected twice. And some christians might just vote for Ron Paul or whoever the hell in that third party just because. I certainly can't vote for Mitt because of the mormonisim. A lot of christians i talk to feel the same way or will straight out vote for Obama despite being conservative. And have you seen Obama's new campaign videos? It's essentially him looking like a gangsta and pounding home that essential message. This mother killed Osama. He could win based on that alone.

Canuck, I don't know how connected you are to the political environment in this country, but it's not really true this country was "much more of as conservative country" back in 2000 and 2004. I mean, maybe slightly... if at all... but certainly not enough to even be remotely unlikely that Romney has a good chance. The conservative movement is simply even more dogmatic and stubborn on their positions these days, is all.

You can't vote for Mitt because of his mormonism? Well, even if there were a contingent that did that, there'd be a similar contingent that couldn't vote for Obama because they think he's a secret MOOSLUM.

[Loofy]

I dont think this should be ignored. A president shouldnt have any skeletons in his closet, zero. Squeaky clean. "I smoked dope but did not inhale" is pretty much the worst theyre allowed to do. Even if the kid didnt 'look' gay just the fact that he was bullying him is messed up. The president should be the type of guy in highschool telling bullies to stop.

[Amir0x]

A president shouldnt have any skeletons in his closet, zero. Squeaky clean.

Number of people in America now eligible to be president:

0

[Mgoblue201]

This country elected George W. Twice. Because of the ridiculous two party system we have in this country, if it's not one candidate it's the other, and so whichever of the two candidates is up has a fairly good chance of becoming president. It's never, ever sane to discount someone's chances. And it'd be extra silly to do it now, because it's not really up to Romney if he wins. It's up to the economy. If the economy keeps recovering, Obama will be elected. If not, he won't. I'm actually waiting for the hard Obama attacks on Romney's own record. I want commercial after commercial showing Romney supporting one issue before being against it. Use his own words against him.

One computer model predicted that Obama would win reelection even with an approval rating of 47% and an economy only growing at 2% per year. At this point I think that it would take some kind of shock or renewed economic crisis to keep him from a second term. There are also two other huge factors working against Romney. 1) The guy has the tendency to squander any sympathy he has built up as the electorate gets to know him. 2) Romney has never faced the kind of scrutiny that will occur during the election. This story is only the beginning of the stuff that will be dug up from his past in the next several months - not that I think it's all that relevant now.

[Bombadil]

I'm surprised people actually think he has a shot. Dude is the worst presidential candidate in like, 20 years. He combines democrat elitism, communication that's even worse than Bush's, kerry's flip flopiness and mormon space aginess. And just such a fakeness that's unbelievable. I don't think one could frankenstein together a worse candidate.

What is democrat elitism?

[Seanspeed]

Except that politicians, as a rule, LOVE to use their upbringing and stories of their youth to get themselves elected, very much trying to define how they are perceived later in life by things they did in their childhood. Just, you know, based on the good things they did, not the bad ones. Romney is no exception and he's not being treated any differently than any other candidate who makes it to the general election. They all run this same gauntlet. Want to argue that you're a man of character and quality because of things you did and were subjected to in your childhood? Fine let's talk about it.

I dont think there's a lot of fault in perceiving somebody as 'a good person' for whatever reason(s). If somebody wants to buy that a person is a terrific human being because of some charming childhood story, then whatever. If its based on that alone, its probably a bit naive, but its relatively harmless in my eyes.

Where people should tread water is when proclaiming somebody to be a bad person. Its a terrible thing to do unless you're quite certain of it and a childhood story certainly isn't enough to jump to that conclusion for me.

Similarly(and this is directed at Ponn01), I think its awful to accuse somebody of something bad without being quite sure about it. People should take more caution when pointing fingers cuz if you're wrong, you're really gonna look like a douche and will have only served to increase the general level of aggravation needlessly. If you have a 'hunch', feel free to express it, but stop short of coming out and directly accusing somebody without something strong to back it up.

Sorry for that last little bit, I was just a little annoyed at the lack of tact from a certain poster.

[Mondriaan]

Number of people in America now eligible to be president: 0

It wouldn't hurt for voters to have some standards. How many good politicians would we stand to lose if we were to start by weeding out the high school sociopaths?

[BosSin]

I just read the thread title as: "Milf Romney bullied for looking 'gay' back in school"

[Orayn]

What is democrat elitism?

Comparable to PC gaming elitism - Mostly a fairy tale, but people love to bring it up and complain about it.

[Canuck76]

Canuck, I don't know how connected you are to the political environment in this country, but it's not really true this country was "much more of as conservative country" back in 2000 and 2004. I mean, maybe slightly... if at all... but certainly not enough to even be remotely unlikely that Romney has a good chance. The conservative movement is simply even more dogmatic and stubborn on their positions these days, is all. You can't vote for Mitt because of his mormonism? Well, even if there were a contingent that did that, there'd be a similar contingent that couldn't vote for Obama because they think he's a secret MOOSLUM.

Oh I'm not saying that Romeny would have had a good chance in 2000 either. I'm just saying the political atmosphere of this country was much more conservative leaning at that time then say 2006-onward and we've sort of swung more liberal after the bush administration.

I think you would be surprised at how many conservative christians won't vote for Mitt. A lot of people still don't like Obama but in terms of him making decisions he really could have screwed up waaaay more on (leaving Iraq early) he's a pretty decent president. Only hard knock he had against him in 08 was his lack of foreign policy and killing Osama pretty much earns that cred 10 fold.

People don't like his economic or social policies but the average person usually doesn't give a crap unless the economy is going to get worse which i don't think it will.

In terms of democrat elitism look at anything Kerry related.

[NathanMcMahon]

What is democrat elitism?

I'd love to know as well. I'd also love to know if Democrat was purposefully used instead of Democratic, as that would explain a lot as well.

[Trent Strong]

Comparable to PC gaming elitism - Mostly a fairy tale, but people love to bring it up and complain about it.

PC gaming elitism is very real.

[NathanMcMahon]

In terms of democrat elitism look at anything Kerry related.

You mean his elite time in the military during a war? or just that he has a lot of money?

[Enron]

"democrat elitism" is that image of the northeastern liberal - a guy like Kerry, the Kennedys, etc. The prep school, educated, wealthy background, the connections, the family name, the "smarter than you" attitude that some interpret all of this as.....all of which Romney has in spades.

[Jackpot]

Well I'm glad you went to a special mystical school, but the school I went to - which is a pretty typical public high school - had plenty of bullying. And MUCH of it was the systematic, torture-someone type. There was this one guy, we called him Monkey Face because he looked exactly like a chimpanzee (he wasn't black, it wasn't a race thing - he just looked like a chimpanzee), but a couple of these dudes I knew would just brutally torture him everywhere he went. Went to a pool, they'd steal his clothes and then drag his trunks off, forcing him to painfully and embarrassingly wade his way into the boys locker room in full view of all the girls he had crushes on. They'd sit behind him in class slapping him in the back of the neck and then when he yelled, would act like nothing happened and would threaten him so much that he would actually tell the teacher that he just felt a random pain. They beat him up. They would toss food down his outfits. They would really loudly complain about how much he smelled, in front of every classmate he was ever near. One time they spent the entire bus ride spitting into a water bottle, and then by the end of the bus ride dumped it all out on top of the guys head.

That sounds like a terrible school. The idea that you think the above is "typical" for high school is disturbing.

[NH Apache]

It wouldn't hurt for voters to have some standards. How many good politicians would we stand to lose if we were to start by weeding out the high school sociopaths?

Standards meaning someone who is literally perfect? It is impossible. Not possible.

How many good politicians would we stand to lose if we were to start by weeding out the high school sociopaths?

So, we should evidently judge people by what they do in highschool. Grades 9-12. That is crazy talk.

[MonkeyKing]

Politically this story is fair game.

Romney's opponents want to push the narrative that on a personal level, Romney is a prick. That as a politician, he will say anything, with no character or principles beyond his own personal gain. This story and his reaction to it illustrates those points exactly.

And that's the funny thing about it. He can't help his past but he could stop putting his foot in his mouth. Or, maybe he can't and what we see of him exactly what his opponents make him out to be.

[Amir0x]

That sounds like a terrible school. The idea that you think the above is "typical" for high school is disturbing.

Disturbingly correct based on the statistics in this country. Over 80 percent of schools in the country report bullying that included some violence. 30 percent of those bullied said they felt so threatened they actually brought weapons into school!

Your magical school is the minority; trying to act otherwise only diminishes the real problem bullying is today.

[RDreamer]

Disturbingly correct based on the statistics in this country. Over 80 percent of schools in the country report bullying that included some violence. 30 percent of those bullied said they felt so threatened they actually brought weapons into school! Your magical school is the minority; trying to act otherwise only diminishes the real problem bullying is today.

Is that really typical of a high school, though?

I went through that stuff and it was pretty rampant through earlier education and middle school, but it was mostly done by high school. A few people were teased once in a while, but even the weirdest nerds really didn't get that much shit at all. People just ignored them. Most of the hardcore bullies dropped out as quickly as they could or had transferred or been put in special schools (as far as I know, anyway). The very few of those types left had mellowed out for the most part by then. That and they wanted to chase girls and stuff, and girls didn't really like guys who did that sort of stuff. I thought for the most part most high schoolers would be more mature than that. By senior year, when we were all 18 we were way, way beyond that kind of shit.

I guess I'm glad my school matured by then. I couldn't really take much more bullying in my life.

[PhoenixPause]

I find it odd that people are maintaining this story gives a glimpse at what type of person Romney is, and what type of president he will be...while some are also pointing out a similar story of George W Bush standing up for a gay student around the same age. The same George W Bush who championed a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, instituted various policies that benefited the rich while fleecing the poor, and started a unilateral war. Tell me, what did Bush's anti-bullying past say about his presidency?

Everything we know about Romney reeks of status quo rigidity. It's not surprising that someone like that would be incensed by a simple haircut, but I must admit I'm shocked that a young Romney decided to take "justice" into his own hands. There's no question this was a violent case of bullying that goes beyond "boys will be boys" but I am not sure this should be used to label who he is 50 years later. Romney, his wife, and friends have often said he was quite wild for a time during his youth, before he became serious about his faith.

[dIEHARD]

his opinions just werent fully "evolved" yet

[Duki]

do we literally care what someone did fifty years ago when they were young and stupid

may as well be talking about how obama ruined the projects by dealing

[NullPointer]

High school is a learning experience so part of me thinks we shouldn't hold those years against someone running for office (or other positions). But another part of me sees politicians who experimented with drugs in their youth passing the harshest of measures against recreational drug use in their adult life and that strikes me as overwhelmingly hypocritical, unjust and unfair.

Guess I'm not sure where I draw the line exactly, but this particular story doesn't seem important to me, just more scandal for the sake of scandal. We have plenty enough in his recent life to weigh against.

[Kosmo]

his opinions just werent fully "evolved" yet

OBAMA

[cheststrongwell]

Man, in 20 years or so politics will be awesome. Think of all the shit kids are putting on their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, ready to be unearthed in the future. Can't fucking wait!

[NullPointer]

This country elected George W. Twice.

Just rip the bandage off that wound why don't ya.

Man, in 20 years or so politics will be awesome. Think of all the shit kids are putting on their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds, ready to be unearthed in the future. Can't fucking wait!

Hopefully we give people the benefit of the doubt and the space in their lives to make stupid mistakes without being haunted by them to the end of their days. As long as those mistakes are mostly harmless.

[cheststrongwell]

Just rip the bandage off that wound why don't ya. Hopefully we give people the benefit of the doubt and the space in their lives to make stupid mistakes without being haunted by them to the end of their days. As long as those mistakes are mostly harmless.

Not gonna happen.

[echoshifting]

Frankly, it will probably be boring. They'll have responses to the unearthing of such things down to an exact science. Think how much less interesting this story would have been if Mitt hadn't reacted so poorly.

[starmud]

its all fair game, its not so much about what happened then versus how he responded now. it was weak.

its also the timing, the theme... its also a story that (on average) could resonate with mothers more than fathers. theres more than enough reasons for certain sides to want to keep it in the news for awhile.

also, when have we a had an election without stories coming out like this? (almost) everything comes out, silly or not.

i also agree about future politics with facebook/twitter/youtube/porn sites/tracking accounts and user names... online dealings coming to light. its going to be awesome.

[Onion_Relish]

Oh I'm not saying that Romeny would have had a good chance in 2000 either. I'm just saying the political atmosphere of this country was much more conservative leaning at that time then say 2006-onward and we've sort of swung more liberal after the bush administration

The rise of the tea party and electing a majority of republicans in the house of reps leads you to believe people are less conservative? I don't know man...

[soldat7]

I think you would be surprised at how many conservative christians won't vote for Mitt.

I think you would be surprised at just how badly conservative Christians want Obama removed from office.

[echoshifting]

Yeah, those conservatives will be lining up for miles to send the GOP a message this year, I'm sure.

[Trent Strong]

I think you would be surprised at just how badly conservative Christians want Obama removed from office.

A lot of conservative Christians hate Mormons, and really don't want to elect one.

[GoutPatrol]

It wouldn't hurt for voters to have some standards. How many good politicians would we stand to lose if we were to start by weeding out the high school sociopaths?

It takes a sociopath to run for office in the first place.

[not psycho]

do we literally care what someone did fifty years ago when they were young and stupid

Do I care what an 18 year old adult did to a younger underclassman that might currently be categorized as a hate crime and send him to big boy grown up prison (if he wasn't so well connected)?

No. Not really.

What I do care about is that he is still, to the current day, treating it like a joke. He comes across as "hahaha I did some wild stuff huh, and if it offends anyone I'd have to apologize. But honestly that kind of stuff was so normal for me I can't even remember it."

Yeah, sure you can't remember it. And if, by some miracle, you really can't, that's even more fucked up because what kind of person are you if that is just another day?

[v1oz]

His true views are now coming to light. Does anyone really want a bully as their President, when the President's job is to also protect those people who are bullied, sidelined and disadvantaged in society.

[DominoKid]

Is that really typical of a high school, though?

I think so.

[antonz]

His true views are now coming to light. Does anyone really want a bully as their President, when the President's job is to also protect those people who are bullied, sidelined and disadvantaged in society.

Do we really want a guy who spent his high school years doing cocaine and other drugs? Comes a time you have to move on and worry about now not then

[kaching]

I dont think there's a lot of fault in perceiving somebody as 'a good person' for whatever reason(s). If somebody wants to buy that a person is a terrific human being because of some charming childhood story, then whatever. If its based on that alone, its probably a bit naive, but its relatively harmless in my eyes. Where people should tread water is when proclaiming somebody to be a bad person. Its a terrible thing to do unless you're quite certain of it and a childhood story certainly isn't enough to jump to that conclusion for me.

There's plenty of risk in believing someone a good person if they're not. I think a lot of victims of such trust would beg to differ with you.

I'd say it pays to tread carefully whether you are deciding if someone is good or bad. Jumping to conclusions is rarely a good thing under any circumstances. And if the person in question thinks you should evaluate their childhood as evidence for being a good person, it's then fair game to use it to evaluate the possibility they may be a bad person.

[btkadams]

Do we really want a guy who spent his high school years doing cocaine and other drugs? Comes a time you have to move on and worry about now not then

doing drugs is equivalent to bullying someone?

[not psycho]

Do we really want a guy who spent his high school years doing cocaine and other drugs? Comes a time you have to move on and worry about now not then

If he did drugs in high school and they gave him brain damage which caused him to forget those years and say "I don't remember if I did drugs, but if I did it would have been wrong", then actually I wouldn't want him to be president.