Romney Clarifies


In 2007, presidential candidate Barack Obama stated "If American workers are being denied their right to organize and collectively bargain when I’m in the White House, I’ll put on a put on a comfortable pair of shoes myself. I’ll walk on that picket line with you as president of the United States. The workers deserve to know that someone's standing with them.”     President Obama in early 2010 urged Congress (which agreed) to freeze the pay of federal civilian workers through 2013.     Recently, President Obama chose barely to lift a finger in support of the effort of the Wisconsin Democratic Party to recall Governor Scott Walker, who promises to continue his effort to destroy public sector unions.

Blogger Taylor Marsh identifies Barack Obama as someone who "only thinks about himself, handing out goodies to get your vote then selling out larger principles when he’s elected." She accuses the President of "bailing on labor in Wisconsin because you weren’t able to figure a way to be involved and spin a win or a loss was political cowardice of the first order for a Democrat, a party who owes labor a hell of a lot."

But while the description is accurate, Marsh's prescription is unjustified.  She has concluded that she won't cast a vote for president this year, in part because "it doesn’t much matter this year who’s elected."

Actually, it does.    At a Chamber of Commerce event in Nashua, New Hampshire on January 9, Mitt Romney stated (video, from CBS News, below)

It also means that if you don't like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say, you know, I'm going to go get someone else to provide that service to me.

After Republican candidate Jon Huntsman and Democrats promptly attacked the candidate for allegedly not caring about the unemployed, Romney explained to reporters

I believe in the setting as I described this morning where people are able to choose their own doctor, choose their own insurance company. If they don't like their insurance company or their provider, they can get rid of it...

And I bought it, having been assured that Romney was not referring to firing people directly, but rather ending a relationship with an individual or company, such as in landscaping, plumbing, or roofing, providing services to him.     The wool having been pulled over my eyes, it now has been lifted and my vision improved.     Criticizing President Obama for his remarks at a press conference on Friday, Romney maintained

he wants another stimulus, he wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more fireman, more policeman, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.

No talk there about insurance companies, bureaucrats, or even undifferentiated government bureaucrats.    No, the former governor put it on the line- he wants to fire the people who put out our fires, arrests thieves, rapists, and murderers, and teach our children.

President Obama is indifferent to the plight of government workers, a disproportionate number of whom are minority.   Given a chance, he would sell them out to obtain his Grand Bargain, or for a six pack of beer, cold or not.

But Mitt Romney, unless he finds it merely tactically wise to announce that he's targeting police officers, is not indifferent.   He is actively hostile.      And if the Heroes Of 9/11 are on his radar, a President Romney isn't stopping there.





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