McCain to Romney critics: 'Lighten up!'

The Hill ^ | March 9, 2012 | Josh Fatzick

[bkopto]

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Friday defended GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney from critics who mocked him for calling himself an "unofficial Southerner" at a campaign stop the previous day.

"Now they’re attacking Romney for joking about learning to say “y’all”? According to the left, no one can have a sense of humor - lighten up!"

In Mississippi, Romney told the crowd that his bodyguard, a Mississippi native, was turning him into an "unofficial Southerner." "I'm learning to say 'y'all' and I like grits, and strange things are happening to me!" the former Massachusetts governor added.

Critics were quick to jump on Romney's comments as just a poor attempt to connect to Southern voters, something observers have said he has struggled to do so far in his campaign.

MSNBC morning show host Joe Scarborough, who was born in Georgia, suggested Friday morning that Romney's Southern impression wasn't fooling any true Southerner.

[Dr. Sivana]

Romney ISN’T a Southern nor will he be one, ever. Even those who have been adopted as southerners at least like the culture when they live down there, and aclimate to the area.

When my job moved from northern Illinois to Charlotte, NC, one of the reasons I declined to move with it was because I didn't think that this CT born and raised Yankee would be able to truly assimilate to the southern mode. I am a Yankee; I didn't want to become a damn Yankee.

That said, even though I am not a southerner, and don't believe I could or even want to become one in my soul, I respect the essence of southern culture. There's a lot of things that the south got right that the north has gotten very wrong. I also regret that the states as a whole did not recognize the right to secession. A mechanism should have been formalized in the Constitution, a great document, but not a perfect one.

Mitt Romney has assimilated the worst of Yankee ways all too well.

[stephenjohnbanker]

McCain and Soros prove that “only the good die young”

[Old Sarge]

Bishop Willard is about as "southern" as THIS guy was a hunter:

"Whar kin ah git me a huntin' lisence?"

[wolfcreek]

FU McQueeg!

[libertarian27]

McCain to Romney critics: 'Lighten up!'

He wants everyone to be Republican-lite....
Ummm, yeah - like, NO

[OrangeHoof]

Romney reminds me of Hillary campaigning in 2008, passing herself off as black in front of black audiences and Jewish in front of Jewish audiences. I’d respect a candidate more for just being authentic rather than trying to con people into believing he/she was “one of us”.

[unixfox]

Like Newt said...

Why would you want to nominate the person that lost to the person who lost to Obama.

[Never on my watch]

You idiot McCain! You didn’t just get out of the way for Romney 4 years ago and you want our guys to surrender to him - just retire... you are so drunk with power you won’t let go of your seat for fresh blood in congress.

[OrangeHoof]

Gonna tell y'all a story 'bout a man named Mitt
A (cough) poor mountaineer, barely kept his mansions lit
And then one day he was shootin' at some food
When up through the polls came a gurgling Newt...

[mombonn]

I truly loathe maclame. Had he been elected, I’d be as unhappy as I am with the current resident of the WH.

[GladesGuru]

A “Southerner” who is the author of socialized medicine in Taxachussetts?

Sho ‘nuff!

[Servant of the Cross]

McCain tells voters: We have nothing to fear with Barack ObamaWillard Romney in the White House

Hey McQueeg. We know how your advice worked out the last time. Shove it; we ain't buying.

[gidget7]

Says the man who did just that, and LOST!

[Servant of the Cross]

Ugh! That jerk just does not ever go away.

[susannah59]

I found Romney’s remarks closer to offensive than funny, and they surely don’t help convince me that he has any “core convictions” if he isn’t even sure who he is and where he’s from!

[blueunicorn6]

“Lighten up!” - more racism.

[Joe Boucher]

Severe Romney critic here to McLame,
Get Bent old fool.

[meadsjn]

Did McCain also say: "You have nothing to fear from a Romney presidency."?

The reptilian bastage is every bit the communist that Obama is.