So what does it take for Mitt Romney to finally agree to spend a couple of minutes answering questions from the media (other than Fox News)? Apparently all it takes is an avalanche of bad press about his self-contradictory explanations about his tenure at Bain Capital.
Romney has had only a handful of interviews with non-Fox reporters in this election cycle. He evaded appearances on the Sunday news programs for an unprecedented 20 months. But yesterday, in order to respond to allegations concerning his management of Bain Capital while it was engaging in business that sent American jobs overseas, Romney held a sort of speed-dating event with five news networks. And the whole blitz amounted to nothing more than an “apology tour,” except that it was Romney insisting that he be the recipient of the regrets. The whining spanned the media spectrum:
FOX: “He really needs to reign in his team and finally take responsibility for what they’re saying.”
CNN: “It’s something which I think the president should take responsibility for and stop.”
ABC: “He sure as heck ought to say that he’s sorry for the kinds of attacks that are coming from his team.”
CBS: “He ought to apologize for what he’s doing.”
NBC: “The president’s campaign has been I think outrageous I think in making the charges they have.”
Poor fella. Sort of makes you want to pat him on the head and tell him everything will be alright. Except that, unless he shows some integrity and comes clean about his past, this isn’t going away. And for his part, President Obama is not wavering from his insistence that Romney level with the American people.
Romney’s transparent evasions do nothing to instill confidence in him as a leader. And his continued refusal to release more than a year or two of tax returns doesn’t help either. His arrogance, and an attitude that implies that he’s not subject to the scrutiny that commoners must bear, make thngs even worse. Yesterday he said…
“We’re putting out what is required, plus more that’s not required. Those are the two years people are going to have, and that’s all that’s necessary for people to understand something about my finances.”
Translation: So take or leave it, you squawking peasants. I’m not telling you any more than I feel like. There’s nothing you can do about it. And you’ll see nothing at all from the years that I am making the centerpiece of my candidacy. So shut up and let me get back to my dancing horses and car elevators.
Isn’t it republicans in general and teabagger-republicans in particualar whose constant refrain was ‘if you have nothig to hide then there is nothing to worry about’. During the height of the warrantless wire tapping controversy it was all the talking heads on Fox that had no problem with the government(as long as it was the Bush administration) listeninng in on their conversations. I remember Steve Doocy and ‘friends’ in particular going on and on about if you have nothing to hide why would you mind of the government(again the Bush administration) was listening to your conversations if it was in the name of counter-terrorism. Never mind that these dumb asses would not consider people have conversations about things that aren’t illegal but would rather they not be broadcast and used against them by the likes of a Bush-Cheney administration. Well Romney is running for POTUS and all anyone is asking him is to do the same as all other candidates, since his father did in 1968, is to release twelve years of tax returns, hell how aboutjust half of that and do six. Hey if you have nothing to hide why wouldn’t you? And again Mitt as you said not long ago ‘what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander’.
Mark: I’m not a big fan of the word “whining,” having been accused of it many times when I felt my complaints were legitimate. But in this case I find it absolutely justified.