"Young and stupid" -- it worked for George W.

[grasswire]

When George's irresponsible youth was under examination in 2000 -- the pranks at Yale, the DUI, the arrests, the booze and all of it, he simply said: When I was young and stupid, I was young and stupid.

And, according to WaPo, that immunized him from continuing attack.

Romney figures it will work for him, too.

[Turbineguy]

1. Somehow "young and stupid" works better for Bush

After all, now he's no longer young.

[cindyperry2010]

4. still stupid though

[lastlib]

9. ...who went on to become President and stupid.

[mucifer]

2. I'm sure it will. I think many republicans look up to bullies.

Rmoney isn't trying to get my vote.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

3. And Henry Hyde raised the bar to age 41.

[HereSince1628]

5. Unfortunately for Romney, he's a Mormon High Priest,

the standard by which he's to be measured isn't Amish rumspringa.

Mormons believe that the age at which one reaches accountability before God is EIGHT years.

[SoutherDem]

6. Didn't know that.

We hear how a 13 or 14 year old will commit a crime and the Republicans want them charged as an adult, but apparently if you are a rich son of the governor it is acceptable and youthful pranks.

[HereSince1628]

7. Yes, apparently IOKIYARich, at the same time that behavior conflicted with LDS standards

In High School Romney was the right age to be a Priest in the LDS Aaronic Priesthood, and because shortly after HS he was a missionary, he would have been 'promoted' to 'elder' within the LDS Melchizedek Priesthood. That would have required him to have been considered to have upheld the standards of the lower priesthood...

The Aaronic Priesthood manual suggest that he would have conformed to the purposes of that priesthood which are outlined as

• Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live its
teachings.

• Serve faithfully in priesthood callings, and fulfill the
responsibilities of priesthood offices.

• Give meaningful service.

• Prepare and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek
Priesthood and temple ordinances.

• Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission.

• Obtain as much education as possible.

• Prepare to become a worthy husband and father

• Give proper respect to women, girls, and children.


From that an LDS member would probably consider bullying attacks to be not considered worthy living. I suppose there is some room for argument on whether his fellow HS student was a 'child' but I doubt if any mormon would consider leading a bullying attack on a classmate as giving proper respect.

It puts Romney in something of a bad place with respect to respecting his own religion.

To end this scandal Romney must admit to the people of the United States that as a HS student he did terrible things. Things that would have made him unworthy of receiving the Melchizidek priesthood and his temple endowment.

To make the scandal go away in the eyes of members of the LDS church he needs to say that he recognized his failings and sought forgiveness prior to accepting the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Such a thing might have happened. I can't say it didn't.

BUT

Romney claims to have forgotten all of it. If he had meaningfully, humbly, with recognition of his offenses asked forgiveness, then how could he ever forget?

If he didn't ask for forgiveness his entire adult life within the church (a church which he has asserted is the ONE and ONLY TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST) as an elder and later a high priest (who served as a Bishop) would have been founded on a cracked foundation.

[Cosmocat]

8. He is a republican

he could have done this a day ago and it would be OK for some reason now ...

[Orangepeel]

10. "I was young and stupid, then I met Laura, quit drinking and found God"

It was bullshit, of course, but still sounded better than (giggle) don't remember...and I didn't think he was gay anyway... And I'm sorry if anybody was offended by anything I said (giggle)


Edited because I forgot about brackets not showing up

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. Romney is old and still stupid!