Mitt Criticizes Pockets of Prosperity from Bank Accounts of Looting
One of Mitt’s advisors–hiding his own identity, but not his affiliation with the campaign of a man who has a car elevator–just said this:
The adviser, granted anonymity to criticize a press corps the campaign still relies on every day, went on to blame a “green room, green zone kind of divide,” saying the national press, most of whom live in New York or DC, “pockets of prosperity,” are isolated from the realities of the harsh economy — and therefore, unable to grasp Romney’s message.
Instead, they are preoccupied by concerns akin to war reporters relaxing in the green zone: “Too much chlorine in the pool, the parties are going on too late, why can’t we get the right flavors of Haagen Dazs? Most people aren’t living in that world.” [my emphasis]
It is a fair criticism. Most of the reporters following Romney around have DC or NY as their base. So they either live in a world that has benefited from 11 years of massive government stimulus or has been bailed out for the last 4 years. And that hurts their coverage of economic matters. Moreover, because most live in a town for which the primary industry is politics, they cover it as politics, the horse race.
Now, Mitt doesn’t happen to have a house in NY or DC. Rather, his sense of place–his view of the economy–comes from his bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, purchased with profits made from looting the drivers of prosperity and hiding them behind a veil of cowardice. That’s the place from which Mitt views the economy.
And so it’s not surprising his advisors don’t understand that, after seeing Mitt boast of creating $9/hour jobs even while admitting those jobs don’t provide a living wage, voters have begun to change their mind about whether Mitt is better for the economy than Obama. It’s not just that reporters are reporting on Mitt’s gaffes and lies. It’s also that the people who do live in the real economy are none too impressed by a guy whose advice for people working in precisely the kind of job Mitt has created is “to pray.”
That is, as distanced from the real economy as campaign reporters may be, Mitt and his team are even further divorced from the real world. So they don’t even realize that two different sets of people are turning away from their campaign: the reporters, based on campaign fuck-ups, and real people, based on a solid sense of what could turn around their lived economic struggles.
We should remember as well that Mittins is a servant of the even smaller pockets of uber prosperity that are kin to no particular party or Country for that matter. Not emphasized by the MSM in yesterdays GDP info dump was that the top 1% increased their wealth by 4.9% while the 99% lost income and wealth. Defeating an incompetent Mitt wont change much IMHO.
Mitt’s world:
Cora to Isobel: “Downton is not just a house, we employ a lot of people.” And “They have off on Christmas and New Years, the only time we have to fend for ourselves.” (Mary Crawley) “Not at Haxby when I live there!” (Richard to Mary in response)
Taking us back to the good old days of bowing and scraping.
It’s also that the people who do live in the real economy are none too impressed by a guy whose advice for people working in precisely the kind of job Mitt has created is “to pray.”
Sometimes I wonder whether it’s just a big ol’ evangelical Mormon campaign–if you switch teams, you can supplement your 9 bucks an hour with tithed poverty pantries. And, of course, we know from South Park (“Do the Handicapped go to Hell” and “Probably”) that the answer is indeed Mormon.
I have been forced to deal with people like Willard many times during my slave wage life. They show up, shake a few hands, then proceed to hollow out the assets of the company I’ve spent time helping to build.
The four times it happened to companies I’ve worked for, the same platitudes are struck by the company executives about hard work, dedication, and loyalty while the rat bastards are making plans where they’re going to invest the money from their golden parachute buyouts (i.e. bribes). And it was all legit. As the working stiffs took the hose.
Yeah, Willard is correct about the MSM being out of touch. But he fails to recognize his own problem among those of us who see him for what he is. Another frat boy born on third base. And that he’s a dick.
@jayackroyd
Thanks for opening that door. I did not know about the LDS “Food Pantry” system. I did not know that LDS members can shop there, at low prices, for Church-subsidized food.
I also didn’t know that the Prophet requires a store of one year of food supplies for each member. Serious question – would the Romney family keep their one year supply of dried beans and powdered milk at the White House.
Seriously, does he even know about how non-Mormons live?
And whose advice for the college age children of these folks is to start a business by borrowing money from their ($9/hr.) parents to do so.
@avelna: Not his problem if you picked the wrong parents.
@jayackroyd
Thanks for opening that door. I did not know about the LDS “Food Pantry” system. I did not know that LDS members can shop there, at low prices, for Church-subsidized food.
I also didn’t know that the Prophet requires a store of one year of food supplies for each member. Serious question – would the Romney family keep their one year supply of dried beans and powdered milk at the White House.
Is there a George HW Bush style culture gap here (think checkout scanner) between the haves and the have nots?
@Citizen92: Hey Citizen92, not sure how after all these years you got caught up in the moderation borg, but apologize for that.
To any and all other regulars, we have for a while had digital filters help us with modding of comments as there are no longer full time active mods like there were for many of the earlier years at FDL. Every now and then, one of you – even people that have been around since TNH – may get caught up. Please know, it is inadvertent and gets remedied as quickly as possible.
@Citizen92: The Mormons actually own one of the biggest cattle ranches in the country–in the FL panhandle. A big chunk of the meet goes to the church welfare program.
@emptywheel:
i thought that ranch was down around kissimmee, fla.
@bmaz:
the mods are gone!
the mods are gone!
oh boy, can we have fun now.
(your “proper speech” bots have been first amendment certified haven’t they?)
@emptywheel:
but which parts of the steer are reserved for charity?
@OrionATL:
meet deseret ranch system 300,000 acres (~450 square miles) where you can rope dogies and wrestle alligators all in the same day:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=15602133
@BSbafflesbrains:
new romney theme song:
Nickel Creek
“Git Along Little Dogies” Lyrics
As I was walking one morning for pleasure
I spied a cowpuncher riding along
His hat was throwed back and his spurs were a-jingling
And as he approached he was singing this song
Whoopee ti yi yo, git along little dogies
It’s your misfortune and none of my own
Whoopie ti yi yo, git along little dogies
if you don’t have the dough to buy your own home
Early in november we round up the dogies
Mark ’em and brand ’em and bob off their tails
Round up the horses, load up the chuck wagon
Then throw the little dogies out on the long trail
Whoopee ti yi yo, git along little dogies
It’s your misfortune and none of my own
Whoopie ti yi yo, git along little dogies
if you can’t get a job start a business on loans
@jayackroyd (@jayackroyd):
Sometimes I think that “angels,” “demons,” and such are just electromagnetic residues thrown off from our mental activities, which by some presently ill-understood relativistic process can transit time and be heard elsewhere.
By the hard-of-hearing in some cases, or those who for whatever reason do not stick around for more complete interpretations.
So that somewhere, somehow it becomes fixed that special panties are a Mormon necessity.
I recommend deep introspection before dismissing this idea, or assuming that it applies only to others.
@OrionATL: I’ll cede to you then. FL. Somewhere.
My high school best fried–who, herself, used to compete on roping calves–had a brother who cowboyed at the ranch for a chunk of time. I never understood why a now fundamentally western religion would have their ranch in FL.
@emptywheel:
cheap land maybe? palmetto, cabbage palm, swampland, marshland, mosquitoes.
they started acquiring it in the 40’s.
my brother was principal at a high school many of the ranch kids attended. they were never problem kids. if one happened to fall a bit out of line, mom and dad wanted to hear about it.
@Citizen92:
Not even all Mormons do that – it requires a fair amount of money to buy all that food, and space to store it.
(I’ve been told that you should avoid peanut-butter powder – even the Boy Scouts don’t want it.)
Through your link here, I just read your piece on Mitt’s $9 jobs. It is a work of art. You are so good at pulling together little pieces of the puzzle to illuminate the whole. Thanks for your great work.
Marie