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There is so much wrong with Romney’s response that I hardly know where to start.

Josie said:
Okay, so Obama is a druggie who pushes girls around.
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Here's Obama's own account of the incident...

"For the rest of the afternoon, I was haunted by the look on Coretta’s face just before she had started to run: her disappointment, and the accusation. I wanted to explain to her somehow that it had been nothing personal; I’d just never had a girlfriend before and saw no particular need to have one now. But I didn’t even know if that was true. Iknew only that it was too late for explanations, that somehow I’d been tested and found wanting; and whenever I snuck a glance at Coretta’s desk, I would see her with her head bent over her work, appearing as if nothing had happened, pulled into herself and asking no favors."



Contrast that with Romney "I don't recall" and dismissing it as a "prank" or "hijinks". Then add in the severity of the offense.

As Blow said, "Americans want a president who doesn’t target the weak, but valiantly seeks to protect them."
 
leftofabbie said:
Behavioralists who study these things say character is largely established by age 3-5.
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There you go! Just interview all of the candidates' Kindergarten teachers, and we'll know which ones have good character, and which ones don't. I can see it now, Kindergarten teachers, mostly retired by now of course, sitting in a panel discussing who had to have a time out and for what.

Perhaps we need to archive videos of kids on the playground, just in case one of them runs for office when he grows up.
 
Fletch said:
Great, then there should be ample evidence and dozens of exmples of Romney engaging in nasty, violent behavioer in his adult life. Got any?
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There's sure plenty of nasty. We'll have to see if anything violent surfaces.
 
leftofabbie - who is abbie?
 
Dittohead not! said:
Why does anyone care about an incident that may or may not have happened over forty years ago when Romney was a teen?

Anyone here who didn't do something stupid when he/she was a teen? Anyone, anyone????

and we do understand that, if no real dirt can be dug up on any candidate from any party, it will simply be invented, then any dirt, real or imagined, the size of a mole hill will soon become a mountain, don't we?
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WEll, there's doing something stupid and then there's committing an assault with a gang of like minded cretins. I can honestly say I never did that as a teen.
 
Your Star said:
Participating in one high school prank does not make one a bully 40 years later.
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Why is this a 'prank' and not an assault? The problem today is that far too many people consider bullying and assaults as nothing more than pranks. They aren't pranks. The screaming, crying victim should have been the first indication of that.
 
Wiggen said:
Why is this a 'prank' and not an assault? The problem today is that far too many people consider bullying and assaults as nothing more than pranks. They aren't pranks. The screaming, crying victim should have been the first indication of that.
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It's stupid kids having fun, and no one got hurt, let's not pretend it's assault, and let's not pretend you would give a crap if this wasn't Romney.
 
Your Star said:
It's stupid kids having fun, and no one got hurt, let's not pretend it's assault, and let's not pretend you would give a crap if this wasn't Romney.
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How do you know this man lauber was never hurt?
 
Dittohead not! said:
There you go! Just interview all of the candidates' Kindergarten teachers, and we'll know which ones have good character, and which ones don't. I can see it now, Kindergarten teachers, mostly retired by now of course, sitting in a panel discussing who had to have a time out and for what.

Perhaps we need to archive videos of kids on the playground, just in case one of them runs for office when he grows up.
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Except, of course, Willard wasn't a 3 year old or a 5 year old. He was a teenage prep school bully. And assholes in high school generally turn out to be assholes as adults.
 
Your Star said:
It's stupid kids having fun, and no one got hurt, let's not pretend it's assault, and let's not pretend you would give a crap if this wasn't Romney.
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I find your passionate defense of Romeny quite interesting. You have no idea whether this kid was hurt or not. Clearly the screaming and the crying, recalled vividly by everybody involved in the attack except for Willard, would suggest otherwise. But maybe you were there? I'm just going by the first hand accounts.

And by any definition of the term, this was an assault.

'Stupid kids having fun'? Does it sound to you like Lauber was having fun?
 
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99percenter said:
How do you know this man lauber was never hurt?
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I don't recall hearing he was hurt, only that he had his hair cut. I also recall hearing that he is more pissed about this story coming out and being used as political fodder than Romney is. So I find any concern about his feelings by anyone using this to bash Romney more than a little disingenuous.
 
Wiggen said:
I find your passionate defense of Romeny quite interesting. You have no idea whether this kid was hurt or not. Clearly the screaming and the crying, recalled vividly by everybody involved in the attack except for Willard, would suggest otherwise. But maybe you were there? I'm just going by the first hand accounts.

And by any definition of the term, this was an assault.

'Stupid kids having fun'? Does it sound to you like Lauber was having fun?
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It was an assault. Romney's buddies that helped him said that lauber was "terrified." To say that this isnt a legitimate issue that americans shouldnt consider is idiotic. Romney needs to man up and admit what he did was wrong and issue a real apology to lauber. Nothing less will be satisfactory.
 
Your Star said:
I don't recall hearing he was hurt, only that he had his hair cut. I also recall hearing that he is more pissed about this story coming out and being used as political fodder than Romney is. So I find any concern about his feelings by anyone using this to bash Romney more than a little disingenuous.
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How is this man pissed? He died in 2004. He was hurt physically and mentally. He pinned this person down. What I am seeing is a viscous attack. Something like this would have to result in an expulsion. I guess if you have a rich daddy everything is okay.
 
Wiggen said:
Except, of course, Willard wasn't a 3 year old or a 5 year old. He was a teenage prep school bully. And assholes in high school generally turn out to be assholes as adults.
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I don't know about that.

When I was 18-19 years old, I was in Vietnam. I became what I consider an alcoholic. I drank...and got drunk...every chance I got. On the plane back to the States, drinking was not allowed. It was a looong flight and when we stopped to refuel in Hawaii, a bunch of us got off the plane to have a drink in the airport. A problem arose when I found out that the drinking age in Hawaii was 20...I was only 19. I was pissed. I wanted a drink. I was ready to fight someone for a drink. My buddies dragged me back to the plane and someone bought me a bottle of booze and I drank it on the plane.

At age 20 I was back in Vietnam, but I had been introduced to the wonders of pot. To hell with booze...I became a stoner...for the next six years.

One day I did some soul searching and decided to give it all up. I'm 60 now and I haven't drank, smoked or taken drugs for over 30 years. Hell, I don't even like to take asprin.

So, tell me...since I was a dumbassed asshole when I was young, does that make me dumbassed and an asshole now...at age 60?

I don't think so.

I would extend the same consideration to Romney.
 
Your Star said:
It's stupid kids having fun, and no one got hurt, let's not pretend it's assault, and let's not pretend you would give a crap if this wasn't Romney.
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I suspect that you'd have a different view if it was 17-year-old Your Star being gang tackled, held down, and having her hair cut off against her will.

I don't think this high school incident says a lot about the man that Romney is today, but I think it's nonsense to suggest that it means nothing at all.
 
Your Star said:
I don't recall hearing he was hurt, only that he had his hair cut. I also recall hearing that he is more pissed about this story coming out and being used as political fodder than Romney is. So I find any concern about his feelings by anyone using this to bash Romney more than a little disingenuous.
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You might try reading the story. John Lauber died in 2004 so I very much doubt that he is 'pissed' about this story coming out.
 
99percenter said:
How is this man pissed? He died in 2004. He was hurt physically and mentally. He pinned this person down. What I am seeing is a viscous attack. Something like this would have to result in an expulsion. I guess if you have a rich daddy everything is okay.
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I meant his family, my mistake. My point though is still valid. All this story is, is nothing more than cheap political fodder that has no real meaning or substance. It has nothing to do with Romney's candidacy or his views on the issues. It's nothing but crap that the news stations will bring up to get ratings because this country is too dumb to have a mature discussion about the real issues. There are plenty of reasons to attack Romney and why he would be a bad president. This is not one, this is a distraction and makes the people who are against Romney look like children and yes it hurts our cause, not his. So please, for the sake of another term for Obama lets stop talking about this drivel.
 
Your Star said:
I meant his family, my mistake. My point though is still valid. All this story is, is nothing more than cheap political fodder that has no real meaning or substance. It has nothing to do with Romney's candidacy or his views on the issues. It's nothing but crap that the news stations will bring up to get ratings because this country is too dumb to have a mature discussion about the real issues. There are plenty of reasons to attack Romney and why he would be a bad president. This is not one, this is a distraction and makes the people who are against Romney look like children and yes it hurts our cause, not his. So please, for the sake of another term for Obama lets stop talking about this drivel.
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Would you say the same thing if instead of bullying, 17-year-old Romney was caught mutilating animals?
 
Mycroft said:
I don't know about that.

When I was 18-19 years old, I was in Vietnam. I became what I consider an alcoholic. I drank...and got drunk...every chance I got. On the plane back to the States, drinking was not allowed. It was a looong flight and when we stopped to refuel in Hawaii, a bunch of us got off the plane to have a drink in the airport. A problem arose when I found out that the drinking age in Hawaii was 20...I was only 19. I was pissed. I wanted a drink. I was ready to fight someone for a drink. My buddies dragged me back to the plane and someone bought me a bottle of booze and I drank it on the plane.

At age 20 I was back in Vietnam, but I had been introduced to the wonders of pot. To hell with booze...I became a stoner...for the next six years.

One day I did some soul searching and decided to give it all up. I'm 60 now and I haven't drank, smoked or taken drugs for over 30 years. Hell, I don't even like to take asprin.

So, tell me...since I was a dumbassed asshole when I was young, does that make me dumbassed and an asshole now...at age 60?

I don't think so.

I would extend the same consideration to Romney.
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Of course you would. Maybe if Romney was an alcoholic or a druggie like you, there might be some hope. But apparently he was just a bully.
 
AdamT said:
I suspect that you'd have a different view if it was 17-year-old Your Star being gang tackled, held down, and having her hair cut off against her will.

I don't think this high school incident says a lot about the man that Romney is today, but I think it's nonsense to suggest that it means nothing at all.
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Probably up there with Obama smoking dope when he was younger.

What the country really needs to know is who was potty trained sooner!
 
Your Star said:
I meant his family, my mistake. My point though is still valid. All this story is, is nothing more than cheap political fodder that has no real meaning or substance. It has nothing to do with Romney's candidacy or his views on the issues. It's nothing but crap that the news stations will bring up to get ratings because this country is too dumb to have a mature discussion about the real issues. There are plenty of reasons to attack Romney and why he would be a bad president. This is not one, this is a distraction and makes the people who are against Romney look like children and yes it hurts our cause, not his. So please, for the sake of another term for Obama lets stop talking about this drivel.
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So bullying is just good clean fun to you? Pranks?

No wonder it's an epidemic at the junior high and high school level.

His reaction to this speaks just as much to his character as the actual event itself.
 
washunut said:
Probably up there with Obama smoking dope when he was younger.

What the country really needs to know is who was potty trained sooner!
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You assume that Romney IS potty trained! ;)
 
AdamT said:
Would you say the same thing if instead of bullying, 17-year-old Romney was caught mutilating animals?
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There's evil intent behind that. I doubt there was any more intent behind this then "OMG this is going to be so funny!". Like I said, this is just crap to distract us from the real issues of the day, let's not contribute to the downgrading of American intelligence by taking this seriously shall we?
 
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