Posted on 10/19/2011 5:22:56 PM PDT by smoothsailing
October 19, 2011
Well, this much is clear: Rick Perry's campaign takes its cues from this blog, which just a few days ago asked in a headline, "Time for Perry to Bring up Mitt's lawn care?" Apparently, it was time. The question that came to my mind as that remarkable fracas last night was occurring was: could this turn into Mitt Romney's driver's license moment? Hillary Clinton was sailing along on an aura of inevitability in the fall of 2007, acing the debates much as Romney has done, when she found herself ganged up in a Philadelphia debate over her ambiguous stance over whether or not illegal immigrants in New York state should be allowed drivers' licenses.
It was a damaging moment because it brought to the fore all at once the less appealing side of her political persona, the trimming and calculating Hillary. There was a sudden similar risk in Perry's attack on Mitt's lawn workers (and what is it, anyway, with immigration as the issue that sparks revelatory moments in both parties' debates?) -- it reacquainted viewers very clearly with the Romney that he had managed to submerge so far in the campaign, the supremely wealthy suburban Boston pol who finds it unnervingly easy to talk away past positions or actions in blatant denial of the historical record. It will be up to viewers to decide what they make of this Mitt -- appealing to Anderson Cooper to restore order, his face red, his voice raised to a full shout -- in the constant replaying that the back and forth is sure to get in the coming days. Me, I thought the Times' Alessandra Stanley nailed it: "Romney looked a little like a country club tennis player dealing with a nonmember guest who gauchely calls a ball in that was obviously out."
Still, for this to turn into an equivalent of Hillary's driver's license moment will require that there is another candidate who is able to capitalize on this opening the way that Barack Obama was able to do then, as he deftly zeroed in on the triangulating Hillary in the Jefferson-Jackson speech in Des Moines that revived his campaign. This is the chance for Rick Perry's team to prove they're as good as everyone in Texas says they are.
VIDEO-Romney & Perry Take the Gloves Off
last night he lied multiply.
_______________________________________
Even Teddy Kennedy caught that in Romney back in 1994
He said Romney was “mutiple choice”
I guess thats the same thing...
last night he lied multiply.
_______________________________________
Even Teddy Kennedy caught that in Romney back in 1994
He said Romney was “multiple choice”
I guess thats the same thing...
I missed it? Please. It was completely intentional and f’ed Perry’s rhythm up terribly. Romney just did an excellent job of making Perry look like a fumbler. I’m not supporting Romney, far from it, but he made Perry look like the amateur candidate that he is.
It doesn’t hurt that most Texas voters have become yellow dog Pubbies, so that if Perry is at the top of the ticket for the GOP he has a lock on the office. He’s terrible at debating and lousy off the cuff because he hasn’t had to compete. Worse, he’s knuckled under and governed far less conservatively than he would have if Texas conservatives had demanded performance. He’s only been talking and walking as an arch conservative lately. The Dream Act stuff is more representative of his historic political bent.
Romney...pfeh. Why even talk about him as a candidate? Even more worthless than Perry.
That plus the Romney care issue is more than enough to disqualify him. What has he said about abortion then and now? Gay marriage? Gun control? Job creation? And he defended social security in a way that was insincere.
30% or more of the voters can’t even name a single candidate.... and you expect them to remember that Romney hired illegal aliens years ago which was brought up in the 2008 primary debates?
<It’s absurd to claim that he should have known the citizenship of the people his contractor had hired.
Maybe, maybe not. I have one service that cares for the lawn and a another that does the mowing and snow removal. I told both companies that everyone who came on my property had to be legally able to work in the US. You can put your foot down about illegal labor if you want to.
I understand that Romney wouldn’t know who the contractor hired, but I think that these days, some assumptions can be made (i.e. that there are a lot of Hispanic lawn workers who may be illegal) and that one can take affirmative actions to hire Americans if that’s what one really wants to do.
I don’t completely blame him for not knowing who the contractor hired, but I am disappointed that he said it was an issue because he’s running for office, not because he didn’t want to hire an illegal.
That’s why Romney kept talking, interrupting, raising his voice, and begging Cooper to save him. He knew what might be next. Perry can go at him again on Nov. 9th. Last night was a start. Perry proved one thing - Romney is thin skinned and easily agitated.
How sick is this? There are lots of legitimate reasons to reject Romney and the nation focuses on THIS?
Out here on the west coast, a lot of landscaping workers are asian immigrants. But, I see your point. It's hard to get local kids to do any work. I've hired some, but they're lazy and tire easily - and want good money. The asians and Mexicans work hard and fast. One crew I hired to take out a large tree and lay concrete amazed me. One guy hacked away at a tree and stump for hours with a dull axe without stopping. He didn't speak english, but I managed to stop him and I took the axe and sharpened it on my grinder to a fine edge. Didn't seem to matter to him, but I made the job easier for him.
Short memories.....
Look what illegals did to Meg Whitman campaign in her governer race against Jerry Moonbeam Brown.
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”
I had my choice of at least 25 different people to cut my grass and NONE of them were mexicans.
“try getting someone to do your lawn who isn’t Mexican.”
Real easy, mow it yourself — Been mowing my own lawn for the last 41 years!
I’m not a fan of Mitt and I damn sure don’t like illegal mexicans but this is stupid. To expect someone to know this info from every subcontractor is silly.
Wasn’t there a Jack Benny skit where he was talking to a Mexican guy that kept saying See. His name was Ci. His wife’s name was Sue.
I cannot stand Romney.
But you guys (and Perry’s laughable try at attacking Romney for something Perry should stay about as far away as possible - Illegal immigrants!) trying to make this an issue is just absurd.
It really shows how desperate you and your candidate are.
There is plenty of material to sink Romney with. I honestly don’t know anyone who even considers voting for Romney. It wasn’t a winner for Perry. He blew it with that attack. The hypocracy was just stunning.
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