A Desperate Mitt Romney Claims Obama Planted Gay Bullying Story

[Galraedia]

Source: Politicususa

Instead of taking responsibility for his bullying, Mitt Romney is accusing President Obama’s campaign of planting the story.

Here is the video from Mediaite:

Romney was asked by Fox News host Neil Cavuto if the he thought the Obama campaign planted the bullying story, and he answered, “Well, I think you’re going to find, throughout this campaign season, that the president’s team will be doing everything in their power to try and hold up very shiny objects many of them will be with regards to me…”

According to Romney, this was all an evil Obama plot to distract the American people, but the facts don’t support his claims. While political folks and conspiracy theorists alike are speculating that Obama’s announced support for same sex marriage was choreographed, the reality is that Vice President Biden’s comments got the president to make his announcement a little ahead of schedule. CNN reported that Obama wasn’t supposed to make his support publicly known until his appearance next week on The View.

Read more: http://www.politicususa.com/a-desperate-mitt-romney-claims-obama-planted-gay-bullying-story.html

[MADem]

1. Obama didn't PLANT it. He sure as hell exploited it, though--and who wouldn't?

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time, Mittsy.

There were too many witnesses.

Hey Seamus, can I get a woof-woof up in here?

[freshwest]

17. DUzy award!

[crunch60]

35. It's about time the Dems' gave the wingers some of their own medicine. Except

the Dems' are exposing the Truth, something the wingers don't care about, they attack with half truths or outright lies.

[high density]

2. Ah yes, the "It's Obama's Fault" chestnut

The GOP is going to wear that one pretty thin this summer.

[PatrynXX]

36. kinda typical bully scenerio too.

Irony of ironies. Obama was the one bullied (so have I , not there is no possible moral highground this guy can take. it's all low ground. I know the type. typically supposedly pretending to be Christian etc etc crap. I assume it's getting rather warm somewhere just for him

so Mitt's the bully. Great the Bully vs the Bullied. May the bully lose...

[FrenchieCat]

3. Everything is Obama's fault, hey Romney?

Even what you did with a pair of scissors in your hands when Obama was in Hawaii being what....4 or 5 years old?


Oh brother!

[freshwest]

16. Hey, it's always Obama's fault. I didn't win the lottery today, it's Obama's fault.

Now I didn't buy a ticket to play the game, but we'll leave that little item out.

See how easy that was?

[Lex]

25. I have some relatives like that.

They are so pathetic that the rest of us (the Democrats in the family) laugh at them. "I stubbed my toe---it's Obama's fault!"

[freshwest]

27. LOL! Just curious.. Who did they blame before Obama? Clinton? Carter? FDR?

We've been living under GOP control for most of the last thirty years.

[MADem]

66. Ahhhh, yessss....the CLINTONS!!!!

Bill and his saxaphone, and Hillary with her....her.....changing HAIRSTYLES!!!! Oh, the humanity!!!!

[PatrynXX]

37. oh sure. wasted an hour on a BDR

that I filled to within 3mb of capacity. but duh it's obama's fault it failed the test. shit.. stupid Obama.


course their stupid counter claim is Obama blames anybody but himself. he when it's Obamas fault he'll take it. But blame goes where blames due.

[Arkana]

74. I poured a bowl of Frosted Flakes this morning and then realized I didn't have any milk.

This is obviously Obama's fault. Damn socialized cereal!

[Pab Sungenis]

4. This is a total meltdown.

He could have survived the bullying story. But claiming it's a plant by Obama?

He's losing it. He might not even make it to the convention. Not because of the story, but because of his response. This is Muskie's melting snowflakes.

[RZM]

30. That's quite a stretch

I don't think this will have much of an effect at all on Mitt's candidacy. Once the real campaigning starts, the Obama team won't even bring it up. To the extent the go after him for his past, it will be on Bain and his political life. Even DU will move on from this incident once the campaign season is in full swing.

And the Muskie thing doesn't really work either. First of all, the snowflake incident was during the New Hampshire primary, when it was still anybody's game. Second, it was a gaffe (or a perceived one) in the here and now. The issue was that a grown man who was running for president had cried on the campaign trail.

In contrast, the Mittster's scissors incident was in 1965, when he was an adolescent. That's a far cry from the here and now. The closest equivalent to Muskie's snowflakes in this cycle was probably Rick Perry's 'oops' moment.

Romney's response here isn't all that unusual for a politician. When faced with damaging info, spin it and blame your opponent. It's damage control 101.

[randome]

82. It's not the story itself, though.

It's the awkward way he deals with stress. He has not been handling things well the entire campaign and we're only in May.

I think it's possible he may have a public meltdown before November. I'm not holding my breath or anything but I think he's in over his head.

[jonthebru]

86. Which is exactly why he is going in front of friendly questioners

and not facing the press straight on. Witness the questions from the reporter in Colorado wit questions he was not prepared to answer or discuss.
He is made of cardboard and will melt in the rain.

[RZM]

87. He's certainly not the best at it

Although I don't get the sense that his handing of this story has been god-awful. It hasn't been very good, but I wouldn't say it's a disaster.

But there will be plenty more such stories between now and November. We'll see how he handles those.

[PatrynXX]

38. yeah think this will eventually cripple at least his moral highground

ie he doesn't have one. Everyone knows he has a temper. This was hardly a plant..

[newspeak]

76. well, on our telly, they're airing the romney commercial more

the one where his business partner's daughter goes missing and how romney sent some of his people to look for her. First, it was his business partner; second, she was fourteen years old and I keep wondering why she ran away.

What I'm reading is romney heckled this poor guy in front of everyone numerous times before he got physical. To me, it shows one's character. Of course, saying something like you don't remember also shows a lack of compassion (couldn't care enough about causing pain to others) or you're nothing but a liar.

[Ruby the Liberal]

46. Ain't it awesome?

And they are going into full disaster-recovery mode as well.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002671132

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002673468

[coalition_unwilling]

54. Except in Muskie's case, Segretti's dirty tricks boys had been

doing their shitty stuff.

To even yoke Muskie and Romney together in the same sentence does a grave disservice to Muskie, imho. Romney isn't fit to lick the soles of Muskie's shoes.

[Pab Sungenis]

62. Didn't mean to insult Muskie.

But if Muskie hadn't broken down into tears over the assaults on his wife, he might have gone all the way to the nomination.

Also look at Perot's first withdrawal, claiming that the Republicans were going to disrupt his kid's wedding. That's what got him the "crazy" label, not his batshit insane policies.

The question now isn't just Romney's temperament (the bullying in his past, which might be fairly easily overlooked by some) but his stability. And that can be fatal. This accusation of his is what we keep hitting him on. Do we want someone looking for a scapegoat all the time in control of nuclear weapons?

[joshcryer]

55. +1, claiming "plant" was total BS.

Most American's won't buy it. Total fail on Rmoney's part.

[MADem]

67. Like father, like son?

"I was BRAINWASHED by those generals, I tell ya!!! BRAINWASHED!!!! It's all THEIR fault!!!!"

There is a defect in character that runs through that family, it would seem. They are unable to take responsibility, they find it impossible to form the words "I made a mistake" -- at least that's how it seems to me!

[charlyvi]

5. And if he did?

It's about damn time Democrats started playing hardball with these fuckers. After all, BOTH SIDES DO IT, right?

[freshwest]

18. Fight fire with fire.

[Politicalboi]

6. Damn Obama's good

He not only get a newspaper in Hawaii to print about his birth, he also has the power to control Rmoney old friends into exposing Rmoney for the real bully he is. Yes He Can!

[xtraxritical]

9. "Swift boat" Romney!

[Politicalboi]

13. All Hands On Deck

We need to make more of this story. We need to put that teenage face out there so we can see Rmoney victim. Let's hear from the victims friends and family as to how that day changed his life. Did he turn to drugs or alcohol over the abuse Rmoney put him through? And now he says he doesn't remember. Well let's get some pictures out there so Rmoney can see who we're talking about.

[Gman]

7. "But, but, but, but... we want to talk about the economy"

How many times in the last 3.5 years have we heard the 2012 election was going to be about the economy.

They're stumbling because they feel they've lost control of the message and the discourse. They need to hold onto their hats, there's much more where this came from.

[Icicle]

22. The problem is...

.... after getting a look at the newest Ryan budget, which Mitt said was "marvelous," we already know that their only economic idea is to gut the country and give everything to those who are already filthy rich.
They didn't want to talk about that, so they tried the social issues, and were promptly rejected. Now they don't know where to pivot.

[freshwest]

29. The problem for us is that they are stillwinning the votes like they did in N.C. It ain't over yet!

But you are right on, yes!

They're going to gut the country and sell it off at a faster pace than they are now.

The battle is state by state now.

[newspeak]

78. yeah, what romney plans to do to the american people

especially, after people losing their decent jobs, losing their homes; while further whoring to global corporations, is an outright randian dream. Predatory capitalism at it's finest. Oh, and ryan can take his randian ideas and shove it. Absolutely marvelous plan ryan if you want to get rid of the sick, elderly, children and those families having a time putting food on the table.

[madrchsod]

8. wow...what a loser

[Pachamama]

10. Those Obama's are amazing!!!! 1st they had the foresight 48 yrs ago to put an announcement in the

....newspaper announcing Barack Obama's birth (even though he was really born in Africa and they wanted him to be America's 1st Black President) and then they had the foresight to plant false memories into 5 people about an event to frame the person that they thought would run against him!

Amazing!!!!!

[TxVietVet]

32. BRILLIANT FOLKS! How f*ckin' stupid do the conservanazis think we are?

[crunch60]

40. Why are they called conservatives? They are radical, right wing faux Christians. Watch

out for those carrying a cross draped in the American flag.

[Journeyman]

51. I personally believe Barack Obama's a time traveler come from the future to take control. . .

Last edited Fri May 11, 2012, 04:39 AM - Edit history (1)

it's the only thing that can explain how "conveniently" everything he needs materializes when he needs it.

People question his birth, suddenly an announcement appears in a newspaper 50 years ago.

His opponent in 2008 looks "plausible," suddenly a cuckoo born 47 years ago is picked to be his running mate.

Romney becomes "presumptive" in 2012, suddenly strange memories are implanted in teens 50 years ago.

I tell you, there's no other explanation. I'm a "future birther." Obama must time travel to be as nefarious as his opponents claim.

[coalition_unwilling]

56. DUzY for sure! - n/t

[Pachamama]

72. You are true to your name Journeyman!!!!

"Future Birther".... I will join that movement!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. Romney digs a deeper hole for himself every day

and today every hour! What might be unearthed tomorrow?

[mwb970]

70. This "I don't remember" bit is worse than the original offense.

Remember Reagan, who "couldn't recall" anything about the Iran-Contra scandal? Or Alberto Gonzales, with his "I don't remember forgetting what I told you before that I forgot remembering", or whatever nonsense it was, about the US attorney firing scandal?

These republicans appear to have defective memory chips. They remember every imaginary offense committed by a liberal, but never have any recollection of their own misbehavior. Actually, I think they are just liars, with Romney the biggest liar of them all.

What a horrible man he is.

[coalition_unwilling]

80. I'm not so sure about that. The original offense is assault with

a deadly weapon. That's a pretty fucking high hurdle to get over.

But I get your drift.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. When called on their hate, bullies spew a million deflections and excuses

Romney is just like the rest of them. He'll lie while accusing others of dishonesty.

[polichick]

89. So true! He's showing more and more about the creep he really is.

[truthisfreedom]

14. Romney got played alright.

By Romney. He's still that little boy bully, and he has no idea what he's up against. The leader of the free world is not going to let this country fall into enemy hands.

[crunch60]

41. Can you imagine this vulture running our country? Very scary thought.

[Grassy Knoll]

15. ACORN, a plant, Bill Ayers, A plant, Rev. Wright A plant, .....

Shoe on the other foot, a plant, do repugs think we don't see the game ?

[Renew Deal]

19. How do you "plant" a story with 4 witnesses?

I don't get it.

[Lex]

23. Seriously.

He's just mad the story got out about him and is trying to blame anyone to distract from the actual story. WEAK.

[crunch60]

43. yes, and this is what one of the witnesses had to say: at least he is honest

and takes responsibility for his actions. Romney trying to blame Obama when all his buddies are coming forward with the true story of the incident, lying, elitist coward.

Former Mitt Romney classmate remembers his bullying as 'evil' and 'like Lord of the Flies'

snip;
"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," Maxwell told CBS News. [...] "I've carried this story with me a long time. It was very disturbing. I think that view is shared by everyone involved in it," Maxwell says. "It just was a black mark on my character that I didn't stop it."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/05/10/1090515/-Former-Mitt-Romney-classmate-remembers-his-bullying-as-evil-and-like-Lord-of-the-Flies-

[Bozita]

20. Mom, they're picking on me!

[Lex]

21. Is is a LIE or not, Mittens?

Blaming someone else for bringing up truths about you....

[matt819]

24. Of course, how could we have missed this

A 4-year old Obama secretly flew from Indonesia via madrasas in Pakistan back to the Cranbrook Academy, where he blended into the background disguised as either a tree, a slave, or a servant's child, whereupon he goaded the 18-year-old rich, white kid to attach a gay kid with scissors.

It's all so simple when you just think about it for a minute.

[tblue37]

26. That BS could hurt hm even more than the actual bullying story!

Last edited Sat May 12, 2012, 02:32 PM - Edit history (1)

It reinforces the impression that he is weak, slimy, and weasely.

[Pab Sungenis]

65. As I said, the bullying was about temperament, but

the "Obama planted the story" bullshit is about his stability. He's too unstable to be President. That's our message.

[BattyDem]

28. He could have easily survived it.

All he had to do was say ...

"I was a jackass in high school. I was a bully and I'm not proud of that. I can't change the past, but as President, I can help shape the future by supporting anti-bullying legislation. Attacking another human being, either verbally or physically, is never the right thing to do. I would like to formally apologize to John Lauber for any pain I caused him. I had no right to do that to you and I'm very sorry."


A statement like that would have been the Presidential thing to do! In a country where teens are killing themselves because they are bullied, he could have stood up, taken responsibility, educated people by talking about his own experiences and perhaps even made a difference. Instead, he chose the "if anyone was offended" non-apology and then blamed Obama! Soon he'll be blaming Lauber for getting his hair in the way of Romney's scissor!

[Skittles]

31. EXACTLY

but Mitt, like all too many repukes, never evolved - he's a bully AND a coward

[RZM]

33. But part of the whole perception game is not appearing weak or ceding the initative to the opponent

Doing so makes one look quite un-presidential. And what's more, few who feel strongly about this incident would have given him much credit for it. Going too far to appear apologetic comes with far more potential negatives than positives.

Were I advising Romney, I would have told him to say this:

'I did some pretty dumb things as an adolescent. But I also grew up and tried to use my mistakes to teach my own children right from wrong.' And then go into a spiel about how this campaign shouldn't be about the past but about the future of America, yadda yadda yadda.

I would have advised him to lay off blaming Obama for the WaPo story. Even if it's true, there's no way to prove it, so it will go down as an unsubstantiated allegation. That did make him look weak and whiney.

[SunSeeker]

34. I'm glad you're not Mitt's advisor!

His advisors are crap. I want it to stay that way!

[RZM]

39. LOL

Thanks, I guess

It's sad that I post this shit for free on DU while the hustlers who give the Mittster bad advice for a living get paid out the wazoo.

I've wondered before whether Democratic strategists are better at their jobs than Republican strategists. Perhaps not, but I'm not so sure. Maybe they appear better because they have some advantages (a friendlier, more populist message and, forgive the DU heresy, a more favorable media climate).

But I don't think anybody can argue that in 2008, the McCain campaign was severely outclassed by the Obama team. Even Charlie Kraut admitted that Obama's convention speech was the product of truly brilliant political minds.

I think something similar might happen this time around. The anti-establishment right tends to portray Republican strategists as hucksters and self-interested hacks who join losing campaigns in order to build personal profile so they can then get choice lobbying jobs raging against the Democratic machine they had no hope or genuine intention of defeating. Meg Whitman's candidacy was a prime example. A whole lot of people got paid off of that quixotic train wreck.

[BattyDem]

44. Any other year, I'd agree with you ... but not this year.

The entire country knows that in 2012, bullying comes with a body count. "Back in high school, I did some dumb things" just doesn't cut it in a world where kids are killing themselves over the same "dumb things" you did. To the GOP base, an apology is weakness, but to most people, offering a sincere apology and acknowledging the pain you caused shows strength of character. A "real" apology may anger the base now, but it's only May. By November, they'll be in all-out "Beat Obama" mode and it won't matter.

The problem for Mitt is that stuff like this keeps coming out. There's a recurring theme of cruelty with Mitt: the dog, the blind teacher, "I like being able to fire people" and now, the assault on the classmate. Maybe that's it. Maybe there won't be any more stories, but I doubt it. He's already being ridiculed for the non-apology and for claiming not to remember the incident. Taking responsibility for his actions would have shown integrity and probably would have diffused the impact of any other stories. He can spin his way out of one bullying incident, but if more come to light, looking "weak" will be the least of his problems.

[RZM]

45. I agree that the issue is much bigger now

As are LGBT issues. Put them together and you have a genuine 'zeitgeist' story, with the amusing part being that Mitt the bully is somehow a contemporarily relevant story even though the events in question occurred almost 50 years ago.

But 'bulliying' is now a bonifide buzzword. It's in the news a lot and there's even a new movie about it. Mike Huckabee has actually strongly promoted the movie on his Fox show. He even dedicated an episode to it that featured one of the bullied kids and the filmmaker as guests. He's gone so far to proclaim that that whatever it's rating, 'every American needs to see this movie.'

So I do agree that it taps into our current cultural climate. But I'm doubtful that this story has legs. In October, we're going to be taking about Bain, flip-flopping, and GM. We won't be talking much about what Mitt did in 1965, because people care a lot less about that than they do about what his plan is to put America back to work.

[BattyDem]

47. Talking about Bain, flip-flopping, and GM is fine by me.

Those aren't exactly points of strength for him either!

[RZM]

48. My point is that's what peope actually care about

Very few people are going to care about what Mitt did in 1965. They care about whether or not they will be able to get a job in a Romney administration. DU cares, but DU isn't the real world, nor is it swing voters.

[coalition_unwilling]

57. I don't want a bully as President. The prospect makes me sick to my stomach - n/t

[RZM]

58. I don't think anybody here wants Romney as president anyway

Bully or no, he doesn't cut it.

That's kind of my point. The bully think only matters to people who already dislike Romney.

[alp227]

49. thing is, would you accept that apology if he really said that?

Some here would claim that Romney wasn't being sincere.

[BattyDem]

52. If it seemed sincere I would give him the benefit of the doubt ...

but his actions would have to match his words. A sincere apology is pretty easy to recognize: the person acknowledges what he's done, accepts responsibility for it, and tries to make amends. Everyone deserves a chance to make things right, but saying "If anyone was hurt, I apologize" is very different than saying "I apologize for hurting you." The GOP seems to specialize in generalized apologies that don't actually acknowledge what was done or who it was done to.

[Botany]

42. So a 4 year old Barack Obama made a 18 year old Mitt Romney assault ....

.... another prep school student?

[alp227]

50. and a 4-year-old living in Hawaii too? wow

in fact i read the original washington post article and it detailed:

“I always enjoyed his pranks,” said Stu White, a popular friend of Romney’s who went on to a career as a public school teacher and said he has been “disturbed” by the Lauber incident since hearing about it several weeks ago, before being contacted by The Washington Post. “But I was not the brunt of any of his pranks.”

How could White have heard about the haircut incident weeks ago? Hmm.

[GeorgeGist]

53. Snort ...

[pepperbear]

59. As if! "Planting" the story, which implies it isn't true...you know, like birther rumors.

[lunatica]

60. The Obama campaign is dominating the message

LOL! And the Republicans are left gasping and on the defensive, desperate to catch up.

Rove must be belching up major bile right about now. And maybe, with a little bit of luck, Cheney is experiencing chest pains.

[truthisfreedom]

61. If this is Chicago-style politics

Then Rove's going to be sleepless for the next 6 months trying to strategize around it. It simply doesn't fit with his simplistic "attack strengths/appropriate accomplishments" high-school approach. It's far more sophisticated than anything they've ever scribbled into their back-room cigar-scented playbooks.

[Pab Sungenis]

63. Breaking news...

Romney claims that it was Obama who actually strapped the dog to the roof of his car against his will.

[amuse bouche]

64. Poor Myth Rmoney

is such a pathetic whiner. I hope there are a lot more stories about the putz over the next few months

[Chipper Chat]

68. Stop and think for a moment:

Suppose 3 days ago five of Obama's classmates reported that in college he organized a posse of black kids and he pinned a blond white kid down and cut his hair off? He would already be impeached by the House. Boner would be screaming for criminal charges -"to hell with the statute of limitations."

[mwb970]

69. Does Romney ever appear anywhere besides Fox "News"?

Everything this man does reveals one thing: his overwhelming cowardice. What an awful person.

[Arkana]

73. Ahahahaha what?

Yes, Mitt--Obama used his Magic Negro Powers to go back in time to the 1960s and make you commit assault on a defenseless gay kid.

You fucking moron.

[Liberalynn]

75. Mittens, mittens, mittens,

just when we think you can't sink any lower into the pit of darkness, you do.

[montanto]

77. Well, to be fair, Obama is a 32 dimensional chess player

and he could easily have pulled this off while still in pre-school.

[polichick]

79. Sociopaths always blame someone else...

imo these revelations are a HUGE wake up call - reminds me that Republicans overlooked GW's animal torture when that should have been a wake up call.

[randome]

81. Republicans will overlook this, too.

But Independents? That's a different story.

[polichick]

85. That's what I think too - independents and maybe suburban Republican moms.

[struggle4progress]

83. oh willard!

[randome]

84. That is disturbingly appropriate!

[sarcasmo]

88. Willard thinks he is the victim.