Mitt Romney in 2007, running against John McCain in the Republican primaries said, “I believe that at this time, to change Washington, it would be helpful to have somebody who comes with more private sector skill, experience outside Washington. I don’t think you change Washington from the inside. I think you change it from the outside.” (NBC)
Romney now? “We face a Washington that’s broken, that can’t get the job done. The president today threw in the white flag of surrender again. He said he can’t change Washington from inside, he can only change it from outside. Well, we’re going to give him that chance in November. He’s going outside!”
The reason for the flip-flop? Obama said that he’s learned that Washington can’t be changed from the inside.
According to the LA Times, “Romney deemed Obama’s sentiment ‘amazing,’ and pledged that if he is elected president, he would accomplish more by working with both parties.”
Either he’s got memory loss, or he thinks journalists are idiots when it comes to research. Maybe it’s because his own campaign consists of absolutely terrible journalists. This kind of flip-flopping is exactly what causes the ‘spineless politician’ stereotype that is, unfortunately, so often true. There is one difference in this case, however; instead of Romney changing positions simply to please his constituents, he’s changing positions simply to oppose Obama. This is precisely the type of obstructionist attitude that is putting the brakes on forward progress in this country. As a progressive, forward progress is something I feel we desperately need; innovation, better education, and better social programs are all part of this. I guess the conservative “traditional values” stance means that we shouldn’t change at all, and this childish refusal to compromise on anything is just the latest symptom of the right-wing disease.
It’s also obvious that Mitt Romney didn’t understand what Obama meant; he even admitted that he didn’t actually, personally, listen to the remarks, but that he had only seen reports.
Here’s the full Obama quote, from Huffington Post:
“I’ve learned some lessons,” Obama said, reflecting on his first term as president. “Most important is you can’t change Washington from inside, only from the outside. That’s how some of our biggest accomplishments like health care got done–mobilizing the American people.”
What he obviously meant is that in order for real change to occur in the country’s policies as dictated by Washington, people must put pressure on the government. In order for change to be accomplished, our voices must be heard. It’s the mark of a good leader–he recognizes his job is to help us govern ourselves. After all, this is a democratic republic. He didn’t mean he’s failed. He simply meant he didn’t understand the true depth of difficulty there can be in attempting to work with Congress. How can he accomplish anything with congressional Republicans voting down every bill?
Romney’s projection is his accusation of poor leadership from President Barack Obama. He doesn’t understand that he has to care about all of us, even the 47%. He’s shown that if he’s elected this November, outside influences won’t matter to him. That’s a tad despotic, don’t you think?
The Huffington Post shows that they, too, understood what Romney never will:
Though interpreted by his opponents as a contradiction to his first presidential campaign built on “hope and change,” the language employed by Obama on Thursday is hardly new. The president has repeatedly made the case that public engagement is necessary in order to change Washington, dating back to his 2008 campaign.
During his speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Obama told the crowd in Denver that “the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.”
“Change happens because the American people demand it,” he said. “Because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.”
Here’s an excerpt from Obama’s recent Democratic National Convention speech, wherein he displays his deep caring for what is wanted and good for the people of America as a whole:
So you see, the election four years ago wasn’t about me. It was about you. My fellow citizens — you were the change.
If you turn away now – if you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn’t possible … well, change will not happen. If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void: lobbyists and special interests; the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election and those who are making it harder for you to vote; Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry, or control health care choices that women should make for themselves.
Only you can make sure that doesn’t happen. Only you have the power to move us forward.
Everything Mitt Romney does shows how out of touch he is with America. He is everything that’s wrong with our beautiful-yet-flawed nation; corporate greed, elitism, sexist, bigoted, and ignorant conservatism with no regard for facts, only the so-called “traditional values” the right wing uses as an excuse to try and strip rights from anyone who isn’t a well-to-do white male. For example: “When I was a boy…when I was a boy, I used to think that becoming rich and becoming famous would make me happy. Boy, was I right!”
An Obama spokesperson had the following to say regarding Romney’s comments:
Once again, Mitt Romney is trying to take the heat off himself by taking the President’s words wildly out of context. That’s twice in just 48 hours, which sets a new record in desperation. What the President said today is no different than what he has been saying for many years – that change comes from outside Washington, not inside. When Americans came together and stood up to special interests, we reformed health care, cut taxes for the middle class and put in new rules for Wall Street. And, that’s why we have elections. Mitt Romney apparently doesn’t believe that change comes from the American people. Maybe that’s because he has written off half the country in this election, and has repeatedly demonstrated that he’s incapable of standing up to the extreme right wing of the Republican Party—even if it’s in our national interest.
The fact that Romney is even a contender for the presidential seat this November is something we, as a country, should be deeply ashamed of. This man has no place in politics. He lies for no reason and believes his own lies; the definition of pathological lying. He shows sociopath tendencies. I feel a deep sadness when I think of the future of this country, should politicians such as this continue to gain access to public office.
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