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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe moment a 19-year-old Mitt Romney demonstrated in favour of Vietnam War draft
Preppy protester: The moment a 19-year-old Mitt Romney demonstrated in favour of Vietnam War draft
They say every picture tells a story.
A newly-unearthed photograph showing Mitt Romney demonstrating in favour of the Vietnam War draft might leave the presidential candidate feeling somewhat embarrassed.
The veteran Republican, then 19, can be seen picketing an anti-war sit-in at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, in 1966.
Mr Romney will no doubt be proud of his younger self taking what was at the time a very unpopular stance.
However, he might grimace at his clean-cut appearance and preppy wardrobe.
Fortunate son: Mr Romney's status as a 'Mormon missionary' meant he was exempt from the Vietnam War draft
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2083002/Mitt-Romney-19-demonstrated-favour-Vietnam-War-draft.html
chelsea0011
(10,115 posts)Gold Metal Flake
(13,805 posts)Meanwhile, he hid safely behind a religious shield. Sociopath.
DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)If he flunked out of school and lost his academic deferrment his father would of been able to get him into a national guard unit for the well connected- much like George Bush junior. IOWs - he didn't have a religious shield, he had college and political connections.
What a fuckin' hypocrite.
Gold Metal Flake
(13,805 posts)wakemewhenitsover
(1,595 posts)From Wikipedia: "Regarding the military draft, Romney had initially gotten a student deferment, then like most other Mormon missionaries had received a ministerial deferment while in France, then got another student deferment.[25][34] When those ran out, his high number in the December 1969 draft lottery (300) meant he would not be selected."
Of course, that might have been thanks to the political connections.
So I guess his attitude was, "I'm not going, but you should."
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)roguevalley
(40,656 posts)country by trying to get old dad elected last time. I loathe them. Viscerally.
KansDem
(28,498 posts)Demonstrating for the draft when you have an exemption from that same draft?
This coward stains the memories of those brave Americans who were drafted and never came back...
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)And seeing that exempt jerk protesting in favor of it..... ARGH.
The hypocrisy is so great it has its own gravitational field!
Joe Bacon
(5,165 posts)But like every other chicken hawk, he wants others to do his fighting for him.
Last edited Fri Jan 6, 2012, 07:25 PM - Edit history (1)
I was a senior in college in 1966 (in Kansas I might add) demostrating against the war. My brother enlisted in 1964 because he was about to be drafted. My boyfriend did the same. I had already lost a good friend from high school. My sister dropped out of college to marry her boyfriend and start a family so he could not be drafted.
That damn war changed everything.
I am seething with anger at that smug rat bastard.
The picture brings up bad memories...
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)DURHAM D
(32,617 posts)I knew I was too angry to type.
NNN0LHI
(67,190 posts)He could have killed two chickenhawks with one stone but didn't.
Wonder why that was?
Don
jakeXT
(10,575 posts)Brickbat
(19,339 posts)JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)Team Obama won't have to get very creative to reveal what an asshole Romney is. He has done all the work in that regard.
Julie
Spazito
(50,559 posts)In favor of a draft policy from which he was exempt. How utterly brave of him to put his life on the line to serve.....oh....wait...how brave of him to support putting everyone else's life on the line BUT his.
tridim
(45,358 posts)He's probably one of those idiots who still think Vietnam was a just war, even in hindsight.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)When I saw that picture it suddenly hit me.
Greg Marmalard, formerly the whitest person in America (before Mitt).
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)He and the young Mittens share one thing - a facial expression that makes you want to pelt them with rocks and garbage.
JBoy
(8,021 posts)Botany
(70,633 posts)Chicken Hawk Little Turd ...... Protesting so others can go and fight in Vietnam because he
knew that since he was rich and connected there was no way he would have to go and risk his ass.
The same Mitt grow up to be so cold and nasty that he made millions killing off jobs for many
Americans.
BTW I bet some Vietnam vets would recoil in horror @ see this picture.
woofless
(2,670 posts)Right?
comipinko
(541 posts)yardwork
(61,748 posts)In 1966 there were relatively few protests against the draft. Many students at affluent private universities like Stanford knew that they were unlikely to be drafted. It was quite easy to get exemptions, as Dick Cheney and most of the other Republicans now in office did.
Even at the height of the anti-war protests in the late 1960s and early 1970s many, many Americans disagreed with the protests. Many people were quite happy to let others be drafted. And there was a lot of patriotic fervor even then.
riverwalker
(8,694 posts)of a fortunate son,
who now has five fortunate sons.
Not a one fought in wars they supported in word, deed and money. At least three generations of .01% chickenhawk hypocrites in one family.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)This should be all over the news.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)I wonder how many of them went to that war they loved so much.
HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts). . . somehow the words "Obama couldn't be HANDED a better opponent" doesn't quite cut it.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Fortunate Son
Recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival
Written by John Fogerty
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief"
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no
Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no
slay
(7,670 posts)so sad that the poor have to fight the pointless wars of the rich.
cthulu2016
(10,960 posts)zbdent
(35,392 posts)to run for President) and came out against the war ... (think Nixon's "I have a secret plan to get out of Vietnam" . Suddenly, the rumor was that he was "brainwashed by the communists" ... a concern that Mitt actually adopted, and, IIRC, Mitt came out questioning his own father's "mental health".
Strange, since many times, mental illness can run in families ... and, since Mitt would think his father might have been mentally ill, then it would follow that Mitt could suffer from mental illness, too ...
yellowcanine
(35,703 posts)on a visit to Saigon in 1967. The statement pretty much finished off his campaign for the Republican nomination for President in 1968. That more or less left the field open for Nixon, as Romney was the most serious obstacle to Nixon, though Nelson Rockefeller and even Ronald Reagan garnered a significant number of delegates.
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)he can't clear that essential hurdle
I'm sorry to say it but this now brings his faith into the debate. If he used it to avoid the draft then it is fair game. We need to start asking about how his faith, and his prior status as someone exempt from the draft, would influence him as CIC. Also how he can be so gung ho about attacking Iran when this seems to be contrary to his faith.
I don't like playing the religion card but he did it first.
no_hypocrisy
(46,264 posts)Yavin4
(35,453 posts)Jeebus.
yellowcanine
(35,703 posts)When I was in public high school in 1966 blue jeans were still somewhat frowned upon.
kiranon
(1,727 posts)serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. Then I remember, Romney didn't serve - "like father, like son." It's easy to be a chickenhawk and promote military engagements when there is no personal cost to be considered.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)Totally off topic, but something about them
Bolo Boffin
(23,796 posts)Different nose, but wow.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)That is, corrupting the "uncorruptable" (as if Nixon's kids could be that...)
Bolo Boffin
(23,796 posts)But the young lady is certainly cute as a bug.
Taverner
(55,476 posts)Say, a fundy Christian, tight as hell, realizing his life was a lie...
Would that work?
Bolo Boffin
(23,796 posts)But temptations will always abound.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)Nevernose
(13,081 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)He knew he was exempt because he was a "Mormon missionary", but he had no problem protesting in favor of sending young people to their deaths in an unwinnable war in an jungle on the other side of the planet.
Fuck you, Willard.
slay
(7,670 posts)i think you have to be to support all their hate filled policies.
i hope this makes the rounds on the interwebs though - people need to know just how big of an asshole this guy is. and when he's not doing that he's - Tying his dog to the roof of his car for a 12 hour trip! heartless bastard.
"... the family went on a 12-hour drive with their pet Irish setter strapped to the roof of the car in a crate. -- http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/picture-of-the-day-the-past-dogs-mitt-romney/250991/
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)right now. Let me know if that's a prob.
slay
(7,670 posts)it's a pic of a dude from liberal activist group "SC Forward Progress" and I'm sure they'd be glad for people to pass it around. Here's some of what they had to say about it to buzzfeed:
"Anyone who would strap their dog to the top of a moving car has neither a soul nor a brain," SC Forward Progress said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed. Mitt Romney obviously does not share our South Carolina values. South Carolinians deserve to know about Mitt Romney's history of animal cruelty. We do not strap our dogs to the tops of cars in this state. Not only is it illegal, it's downright cruel."
from: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/picture-of-the-day-the-past-dogs-mitt-romney/250991/
coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)with which I took issue, finding them tied. I think this thread pretty much tips the balance of who's the biggest asshole firmly in Romney's favor.
Goddamn, this really pisses me off.
I wish John Kerry would come out and just destroy Romney for this.
The Genealogist
(4,723 posts)He should have had that on his little picket sign. Nearly 46 years later, and he is still a big hypocrite and elitist snob.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Draftees accounted for 30.4% (17,725) of combat deaths in Vietnam
http://www.mrfa.org/vnstats.htm
Bolo Boffin
(23,796 posts)Ah, the protests of privilege.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)What an asshole.
JI7
(89,282 posts)JI7
(89,282 posts)for those who can do videos put these two pics and the audio of him offering the 10k bet
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)My three sons.
fasttense
(17,301 posts)I can just hear his chants now: "Send them now." "Draft others, not me." "I've got 3 deferments but send other people."
"I like war but wont be fighting in this one or the next." "Force other people to fight and die, not me."
Sounds like what all RepubliCONS say and do.
malaise
(269,250 posts)What a fugging elitist scumbag.