I'm
well aware that politicians are supposed to lie, evade, and pander on a
regular basis. That's part of their job. I also know that when President Obama "evolved" over gay marriage, it was more likely his timing that had
evolved; he used to be in favor of it, then he waffled when he hit the
big time, and then he finally played his cards and told the truth about
his beliefs.

But with Mitt Romney, there don't seem to be any beliefs! He appears to spout whatever is convenient for him at the
moment, without an ordinate amount of backbone, realism, or sense of
responsibility as to what he has said before. He's the perfect candidate
for an era of drive-by news hits that are quickly consumed and
expectorated by an ADD-addled populace.
But I imagine that he's not
good enough to win, thanks to the very same contradictions and lack of
purpose. Even if the public promptly forgets the last instance of that
slipperiness, there's always another one coming to take the wind out of
his appeal. His views tend to re-volve.
A popular YouTube video
compiles some of Romney's biggest flip-flops through the years. By the
end of it, you wonder if he's an acute schizophrenic, a pathological
liar, or someone who's simply honing his views to please the
conservatives. Romney has said that he's dead set against letting
lobbyists run a campaign, but he has had at least three of them working
on his. He wants universal coverage, but when it's called Obamacare,
the ex-gov is against it—though wait, it turns out that he does like
some of it. He supported strong gun laws, then tried to distance himself
from that, no doubt to curry favor with weapon holders. He reversed on Social Security benefits and did somersaults on abortion. (In 1994, he was crazy for Roe v. Wade,
but more recently, he said he wants it overturned. At least he
acknowledged his turnaround and said his original opinion was wrong. Not
as wrong as the new one!)
Romney's also divided himself about bailouts, No Child Left Behind,
and whether gays should serve openly in the military. Mitt Romney
doesn't want government to step in and take care of all your problems.
He just wants it to step in and cause you problems by denying rights to gays, women, the needy, and the arts.
And
when he does slip and say what he means, he gets in serious trouble.
His instantly immortal remarks about 47 percent of America being
dependent losers—remarks he finally admitted were "just completely
wrong," like liking Roe v. Wade—showed a patronizing lack of
insight or compassion. (Is he aware that you actually pay for your
Social Security benefits with money taken out of your paychecks your
entire life? This is not any kind of handout, Mittens.) And how would
Mitt solve the foreclosure crisis? By limiting the tax write-off for
desperate people paying off their mortgages. Brilliant, no?
As if
any more evidence is needed that the guy is poised to lead us into an
age of sheer stupidity, his attempts to connect with everyday people
have backfired whenever he reminds them that he's a wealthy businessman
with enough cars to fill a parking lot. And this is a guy who believes
so strongly in America that he puts tons of money into overseas tax
havens and even invests in foreign currency, maybe in case he ends up
running for office in Norway or Australia.
As
for the lightning rod issue of our time—gays trying to get
hitched—here's some recent hot air Romney spouted: "We will defend
marriage, not try to redefine it. We need a president who understands
that we will not have a strong economy unless we have strong communities
and strong families." Does the man not get that LGBT communities and
families are strong, and besides, all those extra weddings help the economy?
Meanwhile, the running mate—Paul Ryan—is
Romney's perfect accomplice, a hollow bigot who always seems to be
ad-libbing, without having been distracted by fact-checking of any kind.
Ryan's convention speech was even more fictional than anything by Ayn Rand. He conveniently misrepresented topics like downgrading, a shuttered General Motors plant, and Medicare,
and also criticized Obama for not taking the suggestions of a debt
commission that filed an urgent report. But as you might remember from
all those quick-news hits during the convention, Ryan had rejected that
report, saying he "could not support the plan in its entirety"! He
should have been thrilled that Obama ignored it. Even an editorial on
the Fox News site noted, "Ryan's speech was an apparent attempt to set the world
record for the greatest number of blatant lies and misrepresentations
slipped into a single political speech."
I'll admit that Romney
wiped the floor with Obama at last week's debate. He came off slick,
confident, and contemptuously grinning, even demanding more time when
moderator Jim Lehrer tried to cut him off. (What's more, Romney nervily threatened to put
Lehrer out of a job—all while bragging about how he'll help employment!)
Yes, his views were still icky and evasive, but he kept putting Obama
on the defensive with his well-oiled bravado, and that does take some
kind of chutzpah cocktail that Obama seems to need right now.
But
don't be fooled. Mitt hasn't evolved. A vote for Romney/Ryan is like
asking two seals to perch on a glass table and stay there. If you
disagree, you probably want to strap Big Bird to a car and drive
cross-country.
Read more Michael Musto at La Dolce Musto