Romney values vs. Obama values

By on August 10, 2012 in Mitt Romney

It’s not about jealousy or class warfare, it’s about values

Mitt Romney was hobnobbing at the home of Papa John’s owner and pizza tycoon John Schnatter recently when he made this comment:

What a place this is, my goodness. Who would have imagined pizza could build this, you know that? This is really something. Don’t you love this country? What a home this is, what grounds these are, the pool, the golf course. You know if a Democrat were here, he’d look around and say, ‘No one should live like this.’ Republicans come here and say, ‘Everyone should live like this…’

Romney is engaging in a timeworn activity Republicans love so much: mischaracterizing their political opponents’ position.

What Romney and other conservatives don’t realize is that this isn’t a matter of jealousy or of “the rest of us” not wanting anyone to live like that. It’s about what we value versus what Romney and his conservative and/or wealthy friends value. It’s also about whether or not the wealthy should be given more tax breaks and benefits so that they can consume like a ravenous beast and accumulate more and more “stuff” like pools and golf courses while the rest of us pay for it with tax increases and reduced benefits.

Don’t be fooled by this. This isn’t jealousy. It’s not class warfare. It’s not that we don’t think they should be able to do what they want with their massive piles of money or to choose the lifestyle they wish to live. It’s that we want a level playing field where the rest of us have a chance to earn a decent living so we can pursue OUR lives according to OUR values.

I, for one, agree with President Obama when he says:

Acts of sacrifice and decency without regard to what’s in it for you create ripple effects. Ones that lift up families and communities, that spread opportunity and boost our economy.

We all make choices about what we value and we live our lives accordingly. Mitt Romney’s comments at the Schnatter mansion tell you everything you need to know about his.


  • Nefercat

    I am so tired of “success” being defined as having lots and lots and lots of money and owning lots and lots and lots of things. We must take back the definition of success to be be the life led by so many people as described by the President, and ask why the *Republicans* want so desperately to punish people for being successful.

    And isn’t the Papa John’s owner the one that whined recently about having to provide health care to his employees and how the cost (pennies) per pizza would be shoved onto consumers so that no shareholders would have to bear the terrible burden of the cost of decency?

    • http://eclectablog.com Eclectablog

      Yup. That’s the guy. Real caring American he is…

  • Norbrook

    I’ve lived in areas with high concentrations of wealthy people, and I’ve never noticed that those of us who aren’t in their category were jealous of them. What we are is angry about their attitudes. The idea that they’re “special” simply because they’re wealthy, that they somehow were “better, smarter, harder working” than than anyone else. Yes, they may well be smart and hard working, but there’s a healthy dose of luck – either in being at the right place at the right time, or being born to the right parents – involved. They also seem to not grasp the concept that they live in a society, which gives them benefits that they should help pay for.

    • http://eclectablog.com Eclectablog

      Top comment.

  • K3HY

    We really don’t need another Republican president who will end up resigning in disgrace the same way Richard Nixon did.

    Romney agrees with Everything and Nothing.

    —

    Abortion:
    “abortion should be safe and legal”
    “I will preserve and protect a woman’s right to choose”
    FLIP-FLOP
    ”I am pro-life”

    —

    Health care law with personal mandates:
    “If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a model for the nation. I Like mandates”
    FLIP-FLOP
    “I will repeal Obamacare.”

    —

    Minimum wage:
    “I think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation.”
    FLIP-FLOP
    “There’s no question raising the minimum wage excessively causes a loss of jobs.”

    —

    Campaign finance limits:
    “I would like to have campaign spending limits.”
    FLIP-FLOP
    “The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations.”

    —

    Auto industry bailout:
    “I’m going to take burdens off the back of the auto industry.”
    FLIP-FLOP
    ”Let Detroit go bankrupt. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.”

    —

    The bank bailout:
    “The TARP program… was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures.”
    FLIP-FLOP
    “When government is… bailing out banks… we have every good reason to be alarmed.”

    —

    Gingrich on Romney: Why nominate the ‘guy who lost to the guy who lost to Obama?’

  • Chris

    ” You know if a Democrat were here, he’d look around and say, ‘No one should live like this.’”

    It’s just disgusting how mischaracterized Democrats’ beliefs are. It happens on both sides, but I haven’t met someone who believes that people should just have to give money away because they have more than others. It’s simply about paying a fair share, and Republicans like Romney will continue to try and justify reasons as to why they shouldn’t.

    When Obama made his “you didn’t build that” comment, you could see exactly what I’m talking about in the response from both sides. I for one knew exactly what he meant, because it’s the reality of life. Republicans tried to spin his comment into exactly what Romney is saying above, the idea that Democrats just want people who are more fortunate to give what they have back to spread the wealth. Maybe there are some who believe in that through a form of socialism or dare I say communism, but to generalize all Democrats in that manner is just misguided.

    Both sides will always continue to think differently, but the continuous bigotry in politics is just depressing.

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