[Hasphat'sAnts]

Four years from now, will you not want people to remember you for what you were in college, too?

Freshman year yeah.

[Derrick01]

I am guessing that the people writing this off as kids being kids were asshole bullies themselves and are making excuses to make themselves feel better about being little shits when they were younger. Fuck you if you were a bully.

Nope I never personally bullied anyone. I just don't think this was a big deal on the scale of things that I saw in the 90s and 00s, let alone what probably went on back in those days. Romney's done worse things as an adult then cut someone's hair.

[RDreamer]

Maybe I should run for office. I seem to be the only human alive that wasn't a complete ass when I was 18

Hah, same here. The absolute "worst" thing I ever did growing up was in direct response to years of being bullied. After getting an in school suspension with my bully for getting punched in the stomach and doing nothing I decided to fight back, so I did a few times. I never started anything, but after that point I figured if I'm going to get in trouble for fighting anyway then I should probably actually fight. So the next time someone slammed my head into a window, etc, they got what was coming to them.

[Hari Seldon]

This was in 1965. That is when Mad Men takes place. Senator Byrd was probably in the KKK still at that time.

[Ponn01]

No, you were. Everyone was. Including mostly every president who has held office.

If by collecting comics, being one of the "weirdo art students" and playing video games and D and D then thats a pretty broad definition of doing stupid things. Me and my group of friends. Just because you were an asshat that did stupid things doesn't mean every kid is. Stop projecting to excuse your actions.

[Seanspeed]

I am guessing that the people writing this off as kids being kids were asshole bullies themselves and are making excuses to make themselves feel better about being little shits when they were younger. Fuck you if you were a bully.

If you're right, then wouldn't you say that somebody who was a bully themselves and then grew up and felt bad about it be a prime example of how people can be stupid when young and then change later on? Thats hardly 'making excuses'.

And I dont think anybody is saying that bullying is fine or acceptable, just that you shouldn't judge somebody's character by what they did 40 years prior in high school.

[ClovingWestbrook]

Nope I never personally bullied anyone. I just don't think this was a big deal on the scale of things that I saw in the 90s and 00s, let alone what probably went on back in those days. Romney's done worse things as an adult then cut someone's hair.

Yep. Focus on what he has done as an adult because that is much more offensive and damaging.

[thetrin]

Everything I did at school was apparently gay. The way I stand is gay, the way I hold my pen is gay, the way I check out all the men in the locker room is gay, after a while I just didn't care and took it as a compliment for doing stuff differently. I'm not gay btw.

Did you have really amazing penmanship?

[Mercury Fred]

What's more important to me is how he responds to it now, as a "man" and as a candidate to lead the entire country, and how he views his actions. His "I don't remember", "well I apologize IF anyone was offended" response was weak and cowardly, or worse, oblivious. It shows a lack of courage for taking responsibility for past mistakes, even ones you might consider "excuslable". The fact that he even claims not to remember is disturbing, because his classmates remembered, and the victim sure rememberd, but to him it was probably "just another prank", and why should he care about anyone besides himself? He leads a charmed life, who cares about the kids he bullied? Out of sight, out of mind. What's not great for him is this is in line with the widely-discussed treatment of his dog - dog was miserable and terrified strapped on top of a car, but he didn't give a shit and just sprayed him down. And he doesn't understand what all the fuss was about. As leader of the free world, he'd be responsible for the welfare and well-being of millions of people, and his decisions could destroy the lives of people in countries thousands of miles away. If he is unable to show remorse or empathy for his personal decisions, or be honest and take responsibility for them, how will he respond (or will he respond at all) to the plight of the poor, the disenfranchised, minorities, people in third-world countries - people he will never see face-to-face, but who would depend on him just the same. If they're out of sight and not within the circle of his charmed life, will they matter to him, or will he even remember they exist? I could respect him if he took responsibility for the incident, made a statement that bullying was wrong and unexcusable whether in the past or today, and that he learned from the incident. But it seems he's still the same privileged prep school boy who doesn't understand why "other people" get offended when he has a bit of fun. I don't think President Obama has been perfect, either, but the contrast in the President supporting same-sex marriage and expressing his moral convictions, even at the cost of votes, vs. Romney's cowardice and lack of empathy is pretty stark.

Nice post.

Yes, Romney's past actions show the pattern of a sociopath-- the bullying along with guiding a blind teacher into a closed door along with strapping the dog to the roof-- but what's really telling is his inability to see what was wrong in these situations.

[jgwhiteus]

Romney could have made this go away by issuing a mature, remorseful response, but his "I don't remember" has just added this to the running theme of "Mitt the Robot can't understand what other people feel".

Also, he's been completely tone-deaf by focusing on whether the people he bullied were gay or not (e.g. "he was closeted, so of course I didn't know he was gay") - like, how about focusing on the fact that you were a bully in the first place? If he was a heterosexual nerd, that would have made it okay?

You can say that incidents in the past don't tell you who a person is today (which is true), but how a person responds today about their past certainly says a lot about them.

An update from Salon.
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/10/mitt...school_sadist/

Update: This is rich: Some of Romney’s school-days friends are being asked by the campaign to step forward and defend him from the Washington Post story charges – and they’re balking. Stu White told ABC News that he is “still debating” whether he will help, addding, “It’s been a long time since we’ve been pals.” Another classmate and old friend of Romney’s told ABC “a lot of guys” who went to Cranbrook have “really negative memories” of Romney’s behavior there. He described it as “evil” and “like Lord of the Flies.” The classmate, who wouldn’t be named, says Romney is lying when he says he can’t remember the hair-cutting incident. “It makes these fellows [who have owned up to it] very remorseful. For [Romney] not to remember it? It doesn’t ring true. How could the fellow with the scissors forget it?” the former classmate said. And another classmate, Phillip Maxwell, who witnessed the hair-cutting incident, told CBS today: “Mitt was a prankster, there’s no doubt about it. This thing with Lauber wasn’t a prank. This was, well, as a lawyer, it was an assault. It was an assault and a battery. And I’m sure that John Lauber carried it with him for the rest of his life.” It seems like Romney’s glib dismissal of the story is bothering his old friends. Stay tuned; Romney’s going to have to say more about this soon. A lawyer just termed it “assault.”

[Jonm1010]

I'm not a Romney fan by any means but I do find it laughable that what he did like 45+ years ago is being held against him now. I think its good politically to paint him as being a bully, and potentially having problems with gays, but lets not hold what people did like 45 years ago as a teen against them when they're 60+ years old.

I don't think there is anything wrong with holding him accountable for his subsequent reaction to the story and judging that though.

Nor do I think it is out of bounds to wonder how tolerant he has grown given his opposition to many gay rights. Though a declaration one way of the other based off this story is certainly inappropriate right now.

Now if people begin uncovering stories that suggest this type of behavior or intolerance has carried over into adulthood then there does become justification to start tying those strings.

[Davidion]

What's more important to me is how he responds to it now, as a "man" and as a candidate to lead the entire country, and how he views his actions. His "I don't remember", "well I apologize IF anyone was offended" response was weak and cowardly, or worse, oblivious. It shows a lack of courage for taking responsibility for past mistakes, even ones you might consider "excuslable". The fact that he even claims not to remember is disturbing, because his classmates remembered, and the victim sure rememberd, but to him it was probably "just another prank", and why should he care about anyone besides himself? He leads a charmed life, who cares about the kids he bullied? Out of sight, out of mind. What's not great for him is this is in line with the widely-discussed treatment of his dog - dog was miserable and terrified strapped on top of a car, but he didn't give a shit and just sprayed him down. And he doesn't understand what all the fuss was about. As leader of the free world, he'd be responsible for the welfare and well-being of millions of people, and his decisions could destroy the lives of people in countries thousands of miles away. If he is unable to show remorse or empathy for his personal decisions, or be honest and take responsibility for them, how will he respond (or will he respond at all) to the plight of the poor, the disenfranchised, minorities, people in third-world countries - people he will never see face-to-face, but who would depend on him just the same. If they're out of sight and not within the circle of his charmed life, will they matter to him, or will he even remember they exist? I could respect him if he took responsibility for the incident, made a statement that bullying was wrong and unexcusable whether in the past or today, and that he learned from the incident. But it seems he's still the same privileged prep school boy who doesn't understand why "other people" get offended when he has a bit of fun. I don't think President Obama has been perfect, either, but the contrast in the President supporting same-sex marriage and expressing his moral convictions, even at the cost of votes, vs. Romney's cowardice and lack of empathy is pretty stark.

This was really, really nicely stated.

[TheSeks]

Yes, Romney's past actions show the pattern of a sociopath-- the bullying along with guiding a blind teacher into a closed door along with strapping the dog to the roof-- but what's really telling is his inability to see what was wrong in these situations.

Wait, what?

[Seanspeed]

"Another classmate and old friend of Romney’s told ABC “a lot of guys” who went to Cranbrook have “really negative memories” of Romney’s behavior there. He described it as “evil” and “like Lord of the Flies.” The classmate, who wouldn’t be named, says Romney is lying when he says he can’t remember the hair-cutting incident."

Ouch. lol

Wait, what?

Yea, I didn't know about that part, either.

[bjb]

Yet another stupid distraction to get people riled up instead of focusing on real issues / problems.

[Ponn01]

If you're right, then wouldn't you say that somebody who was a bully themselves and then grew up and felt bad about it be a prime example of how people can be stupid when young and then change later on? Thats hardly 'making excuses'. And I dont think anybody is saying that bullying is fine or acceptable, just that you shouldn't judge somebody's character by what they did 40 years prior in high school.

If a person is more concerned about the actions they did causing them to be misjudged then actually being remorseful then yea thats making excuses. A truly remorseful person wouldn't be demanding, insinuating or begging for those actions to be swept under the rug. When that does happen with no repercussions for the bully at all that is accepting it and saying its ok. After all "kids" (since 18 now qualifies you as a kid, can't wait till college students are just kids too) are impressionable.

At this point when Romney has a press conference to express his true sympathetic apology to the dead bull-e it will be 100% politically motivated. It will satiate the media and empower his lobby to cry "he apologized lets move on and you are just harping on the issue" and his silent section that are cheering him for bullying a supposed gay youth will still be happy. After all, he is still bullying homosexuals. Which is sad because this issue really needs this national attention regardless of his politics.

[Mengy]

What's more important to me is how he responds to it now, as a "man" and as a candidate to lead the entire country, and how he views his actions. His "I don't remember", "well I apologize IF anyone was offended" response was weak and cowardly, or worse, oblivious. It shows a lack of courage for taking responsibility for past mistakes, even ones you might consider "excuslable". The fact that he even claims not to remember is disturbing, because his classmates remembered, and the victim sure rememberd, but to him it was probably "just another prank", and why should he care about anyone besides himself? He leads a charmed life, who cares about the kids he bullied? Out of sight, out of mind. What's not great for him is this is in line with the widely-discussed treatment of his dog - dog was miserable and terrified strapped on top of a car, but he didn't give a shit and just sprayed him down. And he doesn't understand what all the fuss was about. As leader of the free world, he'd be responsible for the welfare and well-being of millions of people, and his decisions could destroy the lives of people in countries thousands of miles away. If he is unable to show remorse or empathy for his personal decisions, or be honest and take responsibility for them, how will he respond (or will he respond at all) to the plight of the poor, the disenfranchised, minorities, people in third-world countries - people he will never see face-to-face, but who would depend on him just the same. If they're out of sight and not within the circle of his charmed life, will they matter to him, or will he even remember they exist? I could respect him if he took responsibility for the incident, made a statement that bullying was wrong and unexcusable whether in the past or today, and that he learned from the incident. But it seems he's still the same privileged prep school boy who doesn't understand why "other people" get offended when he has a bit of fun. I don't think President Obama has been perfect, either, but the contrast in the President supporting same-sex marriage and expressing his moral convictions, even at the cost of votes, vs. Romney's cowardice and lack of empathy is pretty stark.

Agreed 100%.

Mitt's response to this whole thing is what greatly troubles me.

I got bullied in high school, and I did a little bullying myself, but I also later stood up to bullies too. I eventually learned how wrong it was and did what I could to prevent others from going through it. But 30 years later I still remember every single incident, both good and bad, and I don't think I will ever forget them.

And even though it sounds like the other kids involved remember the incident clearly and feel remorse over it, not Mitt. He doesn't even recall it, it never mattered to him. He never learned a damn thing from it apparently. AND, he only apologized for offending anyone, not for the incident itself. It's simply not important to him.

I'm a republican, and I don't like the direction Obama wants to take the country with his health care plan and other things, but Holy Mother of God the more I Iearn about Mitt the more I strongly dislike him. I think he is a spoiled brat who is terribly disconnected with the American populace. And if he had admitted his part in this and shown remorse, EVEN IN THE SLIGHTEST, I might have excused him. But he didn't. So I can't.

I hate to say it, but I may have to vote for Obama again. Last time it was because McCain picked a soccer mom governor who was grossly unqualified to be in the White House as a running mate. I'm still mad at McCain for forcing me to vote for Obama last time. But now, I just can't vote for Romney. I simply can't. He is not a man I want in the oval office.

God I hope Huntsman runs third party so I don't have to hate myself come election day for voting Obama again. Stupid ass republican party. I'm almost ashamed to admit I'm republican nowadays. :(

[ColonelColon]

I'm a pretty damn big liberal, and watching that idiot Lawrence O'Donnel on MSNBC get all angry made me LOL. It was a long ass time ago. I said and did a lot of dumb things when I was in high school.

It's nice that you've come to terms with your behavior. But if you held another student down and cut his hair against his will, then don't be surprised if he's not as forgiving as you are.

[KibblesBits]

Yeah, but since the alleged victim is dead, people can also inflate the situation to be something huge when, possibly, the alleged victim might not have thought it that big of a deal. But since he's dead, you'll never have that angle of the story. The whole thing is just shady as hell, what with the timing of Obama coming out supporting gay marriage one day and then a 40+ year old story pops up the very next day, painting Romney as some anti gay bully. Really? This whole thing and other similar stories like "Oh, Obama was a druggie!" are so fucking stupid. Yes, BREAKING NEWS! People do stupid shit when they're young! Its when you're doing stupid shit as a grown man, like John Edwards, that it should be a real story, not this kind of garbage.

I've already addressed most of your concerns. If you're going to quote me at least have something to contribute that I haven't already gone into be it implied or on a higher comprehension level.

The situation is horrible from all perspectives but Romney hasn't handled it as well as he should have.

[anaron]

What's more important to me is how he responds to it now, as a "man" and as a candidate to lead the entire country, and how he views his actions. His "I don't remember", "well I apologize IF anyone was offended" response was weak and cowardly, or worse, oblivious. It shows a lack of courage for taking responsibility for past mistakes, even ones you might consider "excuslable". The fact that he even claims not to remember is disturbing, because his classmates remembered, and the victim sure rememberd, but to him it was probably "just another prank", and why should he care about anyone besides himself? He leads a charmed life, who cares about the kids he bullied? Out of sight, out of mind. What's not great for him is this is in line with the widely-discussed treatment of his dog - dog was miserable and terrified strapped on top of a car, but he didn't give a shit and just sprayed him down. And he doesn't understand what all the fuss was about. As leader of the free world, he'd be responsible for the welfare and well-being of millions of people, and his decisions could destroy the lives of people in countries thousands of miles away. If he is unable to show remorse or empathy for his personal decisions, or be honest and take responsibility for them, how will he respond (or will he respond at all) to the plight of the poor, the disenfranchised, minorities, people in third-world countries - people he will never see face-to-face, but who would depend on him just the same. If they're out of sight and not within the circle of his charmed life, will they matter to him, or will he even remember they exist? I could respect him if he took responsibility for the incident, made a statement that bullying was wrong and unexcusable whether in the past or today, and that he learned from the incident. But it seems he's still the same privileged prep school boy who doesn't understand why "other people" get offended when he has a bit of fun. I don't think President Obama has been perfect, either, but the contrast in the President supporting same-sex marriage and expressing his moral convictions, even at the cost of votes, vs. Romney's cowardice and lack of empathy is pretty stark.

PREACH

The dog treatment was illustrative enough, this just further confirms what a fucking nutjob he is.

[Clevinger]

Wait, what?

Among his pranks included fucking with his blind teacher. The dog thing he did as an adult way later. While on a family trip he put his dog in a kennel and strapped it to the roof of his car for a long road trip. The dog shit itself and then he hosed it down in the kennel.

[Eight Diagram Bat Fighter]

If by collecting comics, being one of the "weirdo art students" and playing video games and D and D then thats a pretty broad definition of doing stupid things. Me and my group of friends. Just because you were an asshat that did stupid things doesn't mean every kid is. Stop projecting to excuse your actions.

D and D is pretty stupid.

[quadriplegicjon]

at conservatives that dismiss the actions of an 18 year old Romney as "just a kid". If he were a 15 year old black kid that killed someone they would all demand he be tried as an adult.

Or a 17 year old black kid carrying skittles and iced tea is clearly an aggressor who is rightfully killed.

[Ponn01]

D and D is pretty stupid.

Right, and I bet anyone that played it in high school deserved wedgies.

[theBishop]

I'm thoroughly opposed to Romney being president, but this is pretty weaksauce political mudslinging.

It concerns me that Obama is "our" George W. Bush. If we're playing the "Which guy do you want to have a beer with" version of politics, it's clearly Obama this time. Mitt Romney is playing the role of Al Gore or John Kerry. That wouldn't be so bad except that Obama actually has worse policies than George Bush. Instead of torturing people, he just kills them with secret drone strikes. Obama is every bit as subservient to the Wall St banks. He supported extending the Bush tax cuts. His education policy has exacerbated No Child Left Behind.

Honestly, it's hard to imagine how Romney could be more conservative than Obama. He'd practically have to stand up and vocally endorse slavery.

[theBishop]

This was in 1965. That is when Mad Men takes place. Senator Byrd was probably in the KKK still at that time.

I literally just heard Rush Limbaugh make the same point.

[les papillons sexuels]

wow, so people are really excusing his actions, thinking that he's a "changed man"? That at 18 he's still a kid? that it shouldn't matter?

If an 18 year old molests a child, then beats their children at 45, would you fail to recognize the connection?

A man that bullies a perceived gay at 18, then advocates against the rights of gays at 45, do you assume that these events don't hold some connection?

Both show a lack of regard for human decency.

Sure, now he might not go out and attack some gay people on the street, but his actions are still relevant in how he deals with the social issues today. You can't just act as if these things never happened, and that they aren't part of who he is. When your a teenager, going through highschool, that's when your social fabric develops, that's how you define yourself as a man. It doesn't matter if he has restraint now, who he was then, and who he is today are still tied together.

[Seanspeed]

If a person is more concerned about the actions they did causing them to be misjudged then actually being remorseful then yea thats making excuses. A truly remorseful person wouldn't be demanding, insinuating or begging for those actions to be swept under the rug. When that does happen with no repercussions for the bully at all that is accepting it and saying its ok. After all "kids" (since 18 now qualifies you as a kid, can't wait till college students are just kids too) are impressionable. At this point when Romney has a press conference to express his true sympathetic apology to the dead bull-e it will be 100% politically motivated. It will satiate the media and empower his lobby to cry "he apologized lets move on and you are just harping on the issue" and his silent section that are cheering him for bullying a supposed gay youth will still be happy. After all, he is still bullying homosexuals. Which is sad because this issue really needs this national attention regardless of his politics.

You dont know that they were not also remorseful. You just said it 'seemed like that' and then went on to create some pseudo-psychological rambling about how bullies only stop being bullies because the world doesn't let them bully anymore.

Among his pranks included fucking with his blind teacher. The dog thing he did as an adult way later. While on a family trip he put his dog in a kennel and strapped it to the roof of his car for a long road trip. The dog shit itself and then he hosed it down in the kennel.

As an adult? How long ago was that? I'm not so sure thats something I can forgive him for.

Forgiveable or not, changed or not, its undeniable that this is all making him look so much worse than Obama.

[Funky Papa]

I really, really like jgwhiteus's post.

[Dude Abides]

I'm thoroughly opposed to Romney being president, but this is pretty weaksauce political mudslinging. It concerns me that Obama is "our" George W. Bush. If we're playing the "Which guy do you want to have a beer with" version of politics, it's clearly Obama this time. Mitt Romney is playing the role of Al Gore or John Kerry. That wouldn't be so bad except that Obama actually has worse policies than George Bush. Instead of torturing people, he just kills them with secret drone strikes. Obama is every bit as subservient to the Wall St banks. He supported extending the Bush tax cuts. His education policy has exacerbated No Child Left Behind. Honestly, it's hard to imagine how Romney could be more conservative than Obama. He'd practically have to stand up and vocally endorse slavery.

Have you heard of something called the Paul Ryan budget plan?

[massoluk]

Among his pranks included fucking with his blind teacher. The dog thing he did as an adult way later. While on a family trip he put his dog in a kennel and strapped it to the roof of his car for a long road trip. The dog shit itself and then he hosed it down in the kennel.

Hey, he said the dog like it.

[ClovingWestbrook]

wow, so people are really excusing his actions, thinking that he's a "changed man"? That at 18 he's still a kid? that it shouldn't matter? If an 18 year old molests a child, then beats their children at 45, would you fail to recognize the connection? A man that bullies a perceived gay at 18, then advocates against the rights of gays at 45, do you assume that these events don't hold some connection? Both show a lack of regard for human decency. Sure, now he might not go out and attack some gay people on the street, but his actions are still relevant in how he deals with the social issues today. You can't just act as if these things never happened, and that they aren't part of who he is. When your a teenager, going through highschool, that's when your social fabric develops, that's how you define yourself as a man. It doesn't matter if he has restraint now, who he was then, and who he is today are still tied to his previous actions.

Oh for fuck sakes. He didn't molest anybody. Don't even compare the two. Nobody is excusing his actions. We're saying his actions as an 18 year old shouldn't be brought up when he is a 65 year old and that there are many worse things he has done as an adult that are more relevant to the office of the President than what he did as an 18 year old bully.

[les papillons sexuels]

Oh for fuck sakes. He didn't molest anybody. Don't even compare the two. Nobody is excusing his actions. We're saying his actions as an 18 year old shouldn't be brought up when he is a 65 year old and that there are many worse things he has done as an adult that are more relevant to the office of the President than what he did as an 18 year old bully.

So his stance on gay marriage, and the fact the he bullied gay people in highschool aren't connected at all?

[Mercury Fred]

Oh for fuck sakes. He didn't molest anybody. Don't even compare the two. Nobody is excusing his actions. We're saying his actions as an 18 year old shouldn't be brought up when he is a 65 year old and that there are many worse things he has done as an adult that are more relevant to the office of the President than what he did as an 18 year old bully.

And you don't think that his bullying when looked at next to running a blind man into a wall for kicks and strapping a dog to a roof of a car form a pattern of any sort?

[DragonSworne]

Oh for fuck sakes. He didn't molest anybody. Don't even compare the two. Nobody is excusing his actions. We're saying his actions as an 18 year old shouldn't be brought up when he is a 65 year old and that there are many worse things he has done as an adult that are more relevant to the office of the President than what he did as an 18 year old bully.

Would you vote for a bully as class president?

[DY_nasty]

wow, so people are really excusing his actions, thinking that he's a "changed man"? That at 18 he's still a kid? that it shouldn't matter? If an 18 year old molests a child, then beats their children at 45, would you fail to recognize the connection? A man that bullies a perceived gay at 18, then advocates against the rights of gays at 45, do you assume that these events don't hold some connection? Both show a lack of regard for human decency. Sure, now he might not go out and attack some gay people on the street, but his actions are still relevant in how he deals with the social issues today. You can't just act as if these things never happened, and that they aren't part of who he is. When your a teenager, going through highschool, that's when your social fabric develops, that's how you define yourself as a man. It doesn't matter if he has restraint now, who he was then, and who he is today are still are still tied together.

so far we've got

MURDER
Animal cruelty and torture
And now molestation

Lets keep it up. Maybe we'll get a Hiroshima comparison next.

[ClovingWestbrook]

So his stance on gay marriage, and the fact the he bullied gay people in highschool aren't connected at all?

... no? He was 18 years old and now he is 65 years old. Again, look at his policy for who he will be as President. Don't look at what he did some 47 years ago. My goodness.

Would you vote for a bully as class president?

No, since his actions at 17 or 18 would be relevant to that of a class President. His actions at 17 or 18 aren't relevant to that of a 65 year old President. All that I have to look at is his actions in the last 10 years to see what he'd be as a President. His statements in the last year alone for goodness sakes. His statements in the last week. I couldn't care less what he did 47 years ago.

[Jangocube]

I did some dumb stuff as a teenager, but I never physically or emotionally assaulted someone. This just further confirms how much of a douchebag Romney really is.

[ThLunarian]

Turbulent times. First the NC amendment vote and resulting backlash (I live in NC, and the uproar and political arguments and battle lines forming is STILL all over my Facebook feed), then Obama's announcement, and now this.

I wonder where it's all going to lead?

[theBishop]

Have you heard of something called the Paul Ryan budget plan?

I know that president Obama and Nancy Pelosi responded to it by offering to cut Social Security.

Paul Ryan's budget is a goddamn joke. No president would accept it wholecloth, including Romney. It's only on the table so that Obama can look Serious and "Centrist" while pursuing disastrous austerity policies.

[Mercury Fred]

so far we've got MURDER Animal cruelty and torture And now molestation Lets keep it up. Maybe we'll get a Hiroshima comparison next.

Well, we do have this already. And Mitt is remorseless about it.

[Emitan]

Someone bigoted against gay people was a bully to them in high school?

O:

SO SHOCKING

[les papillons sexuels]

so far we've got MURDER Animal cruelty and torture And now molestation Lets keep it up. Maybe we'll get a Hiroshima comparison next.

I'm not making a comparison between him and a child molester, I'm saying that the actions of a child molester at 18, and the actions of an abusive father 45 years later are tied together.

His actions at 18, abusing and bullying a gay classmate, and his approach on the rights of gay people in america are connected. If you want to attack the absurdity of the example as opposed to the actually argument, it just shows your cowardice. Sure people change, but not as much as we hope.

[Escape Goat]

Some may claim it's all in the past but people like that will still retain the same core personality even if it's slightly tempered by age.

Are you a trained psychologist?

[truly101]

In today's climate, that will probably get him votes.

[Kinyou]

Hey, he said the dog like it.

Yeah I remember that. Though the dog shitting itself doesn't really fit into that

[faceless007]

Heard a guy on the radio this morning who says he was at Cranbrook a few years behind Romney and while he didn't know Romney well, his take is that it wasn't motivated by homophobia but by the fact that guys were starting to grow long hair as a trend and the upperclassmen didn't like that, and there were several incidents of them cutting the hair off other guys.

I don't really think that makes a difference though.

[Seanspeed]

So his stance on gay marriage, and the fact the he bullied gay people in highschool aren't connected at all?

Was it ever clarified that he 'bullied gay people'? I know in high school, it was pretty common to call things 'gay' without actually meaning 'homosexual'.

ex - "Pop quiz? Thats gay." Or somebody wears a goofy looking shirt so "Dude, your shirt is really gay." Apparently this kid Romney picked on was picked on cuz 'his hair looked gay' or something, but does that mean he was specifically discriminating against this person because they, in fact, appeared to be a homosexual or just cuz his hair looked silly to them? There is a difference.

[NH Apache]

Someone bigoted against gay people was a bully to them in high school? O: SO SHOCKING

I'm not making a comparison between him and a child molester, I'm saying that the actions of a child molester at 18, and the actions of an abusive father 45 years later are tied together. His actions at 18, abusing and bullying a gay classmate, and his approach on the rights of gay people in america are connected. If you want to attack the absurdity of the example as opposed to the actually argument, it just shows your cowardice. Sure people change, but not as much as we hope.

Just want to say, yet again, that the sister of the victim said the guy was not gay.

And as someone who went to boarding school, I have to say that when you live in an environment 24-7 with guys from 14-18, crazy shit happens.

I also love how Salon's article keeps describing people that Romney supposedly humiliated in high school and won't come to his defense now as his friends.

[BruiserBear]

I'm not making a comparison between him and a child molester, I'm saying that the actions of a child molester at 18, and the actions of an abusive father 45 years later are tied together. His actions at 18, abusing and bullying a gay classmate, and his approach on the rights of gay people in america are connected. If you want to attack the absurdity of the example as opposed to the actually argument, it just shows your cowardice. Sure people change, but not as much as we hope.

Do you even realize Mitt Romney was in favor of gay marriage in 1994?

http://www.npr.org/2012/05/10/152431...-also-evolving

This is what cracks me up about people that get so passionate about politics. The very people you're arguing about often don't believe half the things they claim they believe in.

These people are manufactured cardboard characters that are supposed to appeal to certain demographics.