[Enron]

The sad part is this won't even stop a lot of his supporters from voting for him because the probably would do the same thing. They will probably feel better about voting for Romney.

Oh my god, really.

Yeah, when I think of kids calling each other gay back in high school I can't help but draw the line straight to nation-wide economic struggles

hah.

[GregLombardi]

How many decades ago was this?

Most people who get bullied in high school do not care how long ago it was, they still remember it vividly as though it happened yesterday.

I doubt the people trying to write this off were ever bullied. That said, in this case Romney's character would be determined not by the event but by how he handled reaching out to the individual after High School. In this case, it appears he did not reach out until 4 decades later when it was politically convenient to do so.

If I've got the facts wrong let me know, but I don't see how you can write this off and say that you cannot judge his character in this case. This is exactly the type of bullying event that is most damaging to an individual when it happens.

[Htown]

Look, guys, there are plenty of reasons not to vote for Mitt Romney.

I don't think something he did in high school forty-seven years ago is one of them.

If I've got the facts wrong let me know, but I don't see how you can write this off and say that you cannot judge his character in this case.

Are you the same person you were seven years ago?

Now tack four decades on to that.

[knitoe]

This election is already getting good. Can't wait for more shitty stories dug up closer to election date. Nasty elections are fun.

[GregLombardi]

Look, guys, there are plenty of reasons not to vote for Mitt Romney. I don't think something he did in high school forty-seven years ago is one of them. Are you the same person you were seven years ago? Now tack four decades on to that.

I'm not saying he is the same person. But this story shows me the character of a person who ignores something horrible he did to someone in the past as though it did not happen, until his hand is forced to acknowledge it. I'm willing to listen to him speak about why he doesn't remember an event during which he assaulted someone for being different, but I'm not sure I'll be convinced that it isn't a moment on which he should be judged.

Are you?

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

Look, guys, there are plenty of reasons not to vote for Mitt Romney. I don't think something he did in high school forty-seven years ago is one of them.

Nope. Especially when the Wash Post source, Stu White, who the Wash Post said "has long been bothered by the Lauber incident",

“Was not present for the prank, in which Romney is said to have forcefully cut a student’s long hair and was not aware of it until this year when he was contacted by the Washington Post.” -ABC News.

[Izick]

This paired with everything else shows that he hates gay people, and I'm not going to fucking stand here and cast a vote for an active, known homophobe. I just won't do it. Maybe Mitt has never done this, because he's been a silver-spoon sucking motherfucker his whole life, but maybe if he took the time and put himself in the place of one of those gay people, he'd understand how awful he's been over his entire life. You see, I may not be gay, but I think that I can at least sit back and contemplate the everyday struggle that a lot of them go through. Before you judge someone, you should put yourself in their shoes.

[DY_nasty]

I'm not saying he is the same person.

Okay, cool, because I was just lik

But this story shows me the character of a person who ignores something horrible he did to someone in the past as though it did not happen, until his hand is forced to acknowledge it. I'm willing to listen to him speak about why he doesn't remember an event during which he assaulted someone for being different, but I'm not sure I'll be convinced that it isn't a moment on which he should be judged. Are you?

what in the fuck?

[Tom_Cody]

This paired with everything else shows that he hates gay people, and I'm not going to fucking stand here and cast a vote for an active, known homophobe. I just won't do it. Maybe Mitt has never done this, because he's been a silver-spoon sucking motherfucker his whole life, but maybe if he took the time and put himself in the place of one of those gay people, he'd understand how awful he's been over his entire life. You see, I may not be gay, but I think that I can at least sit back and contemplate the everyday struggle that a lot of them go through. Before you judge someone, you should put yourself in their shoes.

Lol, because you were going to vote for him anyway.

[Enron]

This paired with everything else shows that he hates gay people, and I'm not going to fucking stand here and cast a vote for an active, known homophobe. I just won't do it. Maybe Mitt has never done this, because he's been a silver-spoon sucking motherfucker his whole life, but maybe if he took the time and put himself in the place of one of those gay people, he'd understand how awful he's been over his entire life. You see, I may not be gay, but I think that I can at least sit back and contemplate the everyday struggle that a lot of them go through. Before you judge someone, you should put yourself in their shoes.

uhm, what?

[Sickboy007]

We've all (at least, most of us) done our share of regretful things growing up, and i normally wouldn't blame a candidate for something that happened that long ago...that said, it takes a little vicious bastard to do something this degrading. As others have already noted, this is way worse than what i expected, and calling it a "prank" isn't going to do him any favours.

[GregLombardi]

Okay, cool, because I was just lik what in the fuck?

So if someone murders someone, are you saying that you will eventually be convinced they are a different enough person that you won't judge them for it?

[Chumly]

Frankly is pretty sickening that people are so willing to brush bullying under the rug. Its all fun and games until someone kills them self right? Romneys getting so much flak because he had such a piss poor response. Maybe he should have just come out of the gate and said how bullying is wrong and its wrong to make fun of people over their sexual preference.

[Woody Invincible]

Don't forget 'Romney hates women, poor people, and dogs.'

[GregLombardi]

Frankly is pretty sickening that people are so willing to brush bullying under the rug. Its all fun and games until someone kills them self right? Romneys getting so much flak because he had such a piss poor response. Maybe he should have just come out of the gate and said how bullying is wrong and its wrong to make fun of people over their sexual preference.

I agree with this. There was certainly a more presidential response he could have given that would have given me a lot more ease.

[EmmanuelMunoz]

Yeah. Not caring about this. Kids do stupid shit, news at 11. Also lol @ the poster saying that at 18 you have a pretty adult brain.

I think for me the issue isn't when it happened but just the fact that it did. He probably is a completely different person now, but the fact that his prejudices allowed him to go this far at one point in his life disturbs me. I'm more than willing to say "Hey, you did that a long time ago and now you've changed for the better. Good for you." But that changed person isn't someone I want to vote for. I want to vote for someone who never did something like this at all.

So while I agree with your point that as a kid he did something stupid and people shouldn't act like he is out there doing it right now, or even plans to do something like it in the future (He will do it the right way and pass legislation to legally bully LGBT individuals). I think in the end it does say something about him that Isn't hard to see as a negative characteristic. It is also easy to see why someone who IS LGBT would see a story like this and just say fuck him.

[Izick]

uhm, what?

Basically, I'm not going to vote for a bigot, and that maybe Mitt should put himself in the shoes of these people he dislikes so much, and maybe he'll learn a thing or two about himself, and what he's doing and done.

[Polari]

Mitt Romney is 65?

[SwiftSketcher]

I've never been so afraid of the possibility of a certain person becoming president.

Also, for these insane "kids will be kids" bullshit, realize you are considered a fucking adult by age 18.

[demon]

Filled with Christ's love from day one.

If he'd done this when he was 13 I might let it go, but being that much of an abusive asshole at 18 is inexcusable. Not that I was voting for him anyway. It's fun to watch the conservatives predictably defend this though. Can you imagine the reactions if Obama had done something like this at 18? Hell, can you even imagine Obama doing this? Fuck Mitt Romney, seriously. What an all-around asshole.

[ssolitare]

Will the real Mitt Romney please stand up.

Everyone knows that he's an asshole in real life.

He laughs at the disadvantaged, etc, etc. Look at his upbringing, he's entitled as fuck. He probably thinks that he's entitled to be president. I'm just saying, that's the real him and it's not surprising.

[subversus]

I've never been so afraid of the possibility of a certain person becoming president.

what about McCain?

[DY_nasty]

So if someone murders someone, are you saying that you will eventually be convinced they are a different enough person that you won't judge them for it?

Romney MURDERED someone!?

[Prez]

what about McCain?

Still not as bad as Romney. Palin was really scary as well.

[Man-is-Obsolete]

I'm not a fan of Romney myself, but I wish they would stop using what a person did as a teenager or even college years against. Unless of course they killed or raped a person or something else along those lines. But this was 30 years ago and a person's world view and personality change in that time, and I am sure he genuinely regrets doing it, election or not.

[Souldriver]

I get that people say this was long ago and he was young, but pinning someone down as an 18 year old and cutting their hair for looking gay is pretty fucked up.

It's really something that I would base someone's character on, even later on in life. He was 18. Not 11.

People can change, but I'd have to hear a real sincere apology to believe that. The apology should be how it really was an awful thing, that the bully feels really bad and how he has worked to change himself.

Instead we get a half-assed apology for a "prank" he "doesn't remember". I mean, what the fuck!? Perhaps the apology is so short and minimizing for political reasons, but as it stands now: Romney is a total douche, and I will judge him on this incident.

[BigDug13]

If he would have come out and said, "I was a different person when I was younger. I did some things I'm not proud of, and you know what? I learned from those mistakes as I grew as a person. Today, I'm proud to say that I would never do those same acts again and I strongly oppose bullying of any type."

But he didn't. He feigned forgetfulness. Sorry, but having your friends hold down someone while you cut his hair off when you were 18, and you forget that incident? The only way that is true is if you filled the rest of your life with acts so much worse that the acts of your 18 year-old self paled in comparison.

[subversus]

Still not as bad as Romney. Palin was really scary as well.

damn, I thought nobody except Cain and Santorum can be worse than McCain.

[GregLombardi]

I'm not a fan of Romney myself, but I wish they would stop using what a person did as a teenager or even college years against. Unless of course they killed or raped a person or something else along those lines. But this was 30 years ago and a person's world view and personality change in that time, and I am sure he genuinely regrets doing it, election or not.

I can potentially agree with this; that eventually smaller events shouldn't speak to a person's character. But his response doesn't speak to this truth, it speaks to a defensive political maneuver. Though I guess in fairness everything is politics right now. It's a tough case I agree, but right now with his response I fall on the side of judging him for it a bit.

[Souldriver]

I'm not a fan of Romney myself, but I wish they would stop using what a person did as a teenager or even college years against. Unless of course they killed or raped a person or something else along those lines. But this was 30 years ago and a person's world view and personality change in that time, and I am sure he genuinely regrets doing it, election or not.

Except that he "doesn't remember" it, and calls it a "prank".

[DY_nasty]

I get that people say this was long ago and he was young, but pinning someone down and cutting his hair for looking gay is pretty fucked up. It's really something that I would base someone's character on, even later on in life. He was 18. Not 11. People can change, but I'd have to hear a real sincere apology to believe that. The apology should be how it really was an awful thing, that the bully feels really bad and how he has worked to change himself. Instead we get a half-assed apology for a "prank" he "doesn't remember". I mean, what the fuck!? Perhaps the apology is so short and minimizing for political reasons, but as it stands now: Romney is a total douche, and I will judge him on this incident.

And 18 is a hell of a lot different than 65 too.

Mitt Romney is a douche - but you didn't need some high school shit talk to tell you that.

[SwiftSketcher]

what about McCain?

Not even close. Even looking at McCain you could tell he was a kind, respectful man. This earned his character a lot of points for me too.

[Tom_Cody]

So if someone murders someone, are you saying that you will eventually be convinced they are a different enough person that you won't judge them for it?

What, I thought Romney cut someone's hair?

[Izick]

I'm still not worried. Obama has to have this shit slam-dunk locked come November. I mean, look at the sparse, almost joke-character-esque line-up the GOP put up this election. Fucking Newt Gingrich and Santorum were "front-runners." The GOP either is having a bad election, or they need some sort of change, because I'm fine with the political side of the Republican party, on limiting government, I just don't like all the sexist, racist, homophobic baggage the candidates have brought this election.

[SwiftSketcher]

Romney MURDERED someone!?

Mitt the Ripper!

[AlimNassor]

I don't understand why care? We all do stupid things as a kid. This is just as bad as the media pulling up Obamas history doing drugs, and paling around with "terrorists". People do change.

[neorej]

I'm still not worried. Obama has to have this shit slam-dunk locked come November. I mean, look at the sparse, almost joke-character-esque line-up the GOP put up this election. Fucking Newt Gingrich and Santorum were "front-runners." The GOP either is having a bad election, or they need some sort of change, because I'm fine with the political side of the Republican party, on limiting government, I just don't like all the sexist, racist, homophobic baggage the candidates have brought this election.

The scary thing is... Romney actually has more than a fighting chance against Obama.

Don't forget; Obama is a gay-supporting atheist muslim who want to bring socialism and eventually communism to the United States. That scares the hell out of a lot of people. The fact that aforementioned is a lie and not true does not matter in a country where presidential campaigns rely on propaganda, rather than intelligent debates.

[Souldriver]

I don't understand why care? We all do stupid things as a kid. This is just as bad as the media pulling up Obamas history doing drugs, and paling around with "terrorists". People do change.

Smoking weed is not the same as bullying someone. It just isn't.

[Prez]

What, I thought Romney cut someone's hair?

That was after he killed him.

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Except that he "doesn't remember" it, and calls it a "prank".

Oh I agree the response can be as fanning as the accusation, and his spin team probably thought playing it off as just being a high school prank (kids being kids) was better than admitting it was wrong and he was young. But its the fact it was dug up in the first place. These guys have teams of people that that is all they do. They find dirt, release it, and hope the opponent trips up in response.

Parks and Recreation currently has a great story arc going on that is wonderful satire of political races.

[Izick]

And 18 is a hell of a lot different than 65 too. Mitt Romney is a douche - but you didn't need some high school shit talk to tell you that.

Are you black, DY_Nasty? What if this had been the same situation, but instead of a gay person, it had been a black person with an afro or something? (I guess the hair wouldn't be the focal point, rather than the race, as it wasn't really the hair of the kid, but rather his pervieved sexual orientation.) Would you still feel the same way?

People change, but in my eyes, a true leader would have never done something like this, especially at any adult age. A worm would do this, not the leader of "the free world."

[red_13th]

Don't forget 'Romney hates women, poor people, and dogs.'

He hates DOGS? What a horrible, horrible person.

[DY_nasty]

Smoking weed is not the same as bullying someone. It just isn't.

The guy's own family doesn't believe the entirety of the story lol

[SwiftSketcher]

I don't understand why care? We all do stupid things as a kid. This is just as bad as the media pulling up Obamas history doing drugs, and paling around with "terrorists". People do change.

Again, this "kid" stuff doesn't fly. Tell me, were someone to commit a crime or some sort of assault (which this was) would he be tried as a minor, or an adult?


Also, if the worst people can dig up on Obama's character is fucking weed versus Mitt assaulting and cutting a classmate's hair off, the candidate with the less immoral past is pretty clear.

[Clevinger]

Mitt the Ripper!

oh my god

and John Lithgow!

Again, this "kid" stuff doesn't fly. Tell me, were someone to commit a crime or some sort of assault (which this was) would he be tried as a minor, or an adult?

Is he black?

[DY_nasty]

Are you black, DY_Nasty? What if this had been the same situation, but instead of a gay person, it had been a black person with an afro or something? Would you still feel the same way? People change, but in my eyes, a true leader would have never done something like this, especially at any adult age. A worm would do this, not the leader of "the free world."

I don't even hold it against people when they say racist shit here on GAF.

People change. Leaders do too.

Shit, I don't even hold Ron Paul's racist shit against him. I don't think Zimmerman is a racist either. There's a difference between bullying a gay guy to suicide, tying a woman up in a West Virginia shack and raping her for days for nothing other than being black, and saying "that looks gay!".

Hell, I sometimes look through my own post history here on GAF and see the stuff that I said back in college and laugh a bit. Views change a lot in 3 years. I can only imagine how much they change in 50.

But we all knew Romney was a douche anyways. Clinging on to this is like clinging on to Obama's drug use like those damned dirty republicans!

[Xisiqomelir]

Totally unsurprising.

Democrats better do their goddamn jobs and make hay of this, especially contrasted with Obama's latest shamelessly cynical "evolution" of his opinion on Gay Rights, or I will be fucking disappointed.

[Derrick01]

I fail to see the big deal about this. As far as "bullying" goes, getting a haircut ranks pretty low on the list. In fact if I'm picturing the style right, Romney was doing him a favor. It's a terrible look.

It also says nothing about him being singled out for being gay. If anything it's prejudice of the story to assume the kid was gay and was singled out just because of his hairstyle. There were a lot of kids in my high school that I wanted to give haircuts too, none because I thought they were gay. There were also far worse instances of bullying going on too, like people getting filled up trash cans dumped on them or actually getting your ass kicked.

[demon]

I'm not a fan of Romney myself, but I wish they would stop using what a person did as a teenager or even college years against. Unless of course they killed or raped a person or something else along those lines. But this was 30 years ago and a person's world view and personality change in that time, and I am sure he genuinely regrets doing it, election or not.

What a politician has done when he wasn't under public scrutiny says a lot about who they are as a person. Sure, people change. Any evidence that he actually has? It's not like middle-aged men go around pinning kids down and cutting off their hair or giving them purple-nurples. The guy's still a raging asshole going by his actions as a businessman.

[NH Apache]

Boggles my mind how people are comparing mature ethics and morals of 2012 to the ethics and morals of a teenager in 1965. Get some perspective people.

The sister denies that the guy had any effeminate tendencies at all.

Also, to everyone that now despises Romney for his stance on LGBTs, I wonder how you felt just one week ago about Obama.