R-E-S-P-E-C-T, this is what it means to Romney
The Mitt Romney International Tour of Shame and Embarrassment™ is beginning to take its toll on his campaign staff as it enters the third leg in Poland. Earlier today, his traveling press secretary Rick Gorka told reporters to “kiss my ass, show some respect” as they tried for the skabillionth time to get Romney to answer questions.
The traveling press secretary for Mitt Romney lost his cool and cursed at reporters who attempted to ask questions of the Republican presidential candidate in a public plaza near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw Tuesday.After Romney paid his respects to Poland’s war dead and shook hands with a small gathering of the nation’s military veterans, the GOP contender walked approximately 100 yards away from the memorial as he chatted with Warsaw’s mayor.
As Romney made his way to his vehicle, reporters attempted to shout questions to the candidate. The former Massachusetts governor, who has answered only three questions from his traveling press corps during a week-long overseas trip, ignored the queries.
What happened next is a thing of beauty hilarity:
DUDE CNN REPORTER: Governor Romney, are you concerned about some of the mishaps of your trip?LADY NYT REPORTER: Governor Romney! Governor Romney! Do you have a statement for the Palestinians?
DUDE WASHINGTON POST REPORTER: What about your gaffes?
LADY REPORTER: Governor Romney, do you feel your gaffes have overshadowed your foreign trip?
ROMNEY AIDE RICK GORKA: This is a Holy site for the Polish people, show some respect.
DUDE CNN REPORTER: Governor Romney, just a few questions sir, you haven’t taken but three questions on this trip from the press!
RICK GORKA: Show some respect, Jim.
LADY REPORTER: We haven’t had another chance to ask him questions.
RICK GORKA: Kiss my ass, this is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.
He then told another reporter to “shove it”.
Now THAT is respect!
My wife and I have been predicting for a while now that Romney is going to lose it, much like John McCain did during the 2008 campaign. There aren’t many people that can go through the rigors of a presidential campaign, particularly when you’ve been running for literally years and have changed positions on a daily or even hourly basis, without losing their minds. What we didn’t predict is that his staff would lose their shit first as is clearly happening.
At the end of the day, the Romney campaign has brought this upon themselves. By completely ignoring the press, refusing to answer questions and continuing to be evasive about his tax returns and his offshore tax shelters, Romney is all but begging them to get aggressive. To turn around and say “have some respect” after treating them as no more than a nuisance, he’s all but ensuring that he’s going to continue to be badgered in this way.
This trip was supposed to prove a lot of things about Mitt Romney and is turning out to prove just the opposite of what he intended:
- He wanted to prove he’s a statesman. He’s proven that he is decidedly NOT a statesman.
- He wanted to show his diplomatic skills. He’s proven that he is decidedly NOT a diplomat.
- He wanted to show his broad knowledge of foreign affairs. He has proven that he has only a tenuous grasp of foreign affairs.
- And, finally, this last incident shows yet again that he has terrible judgment in his choice of advisors and aides.
Mitt Romney: Not fit for prime time. Not ready for the world stage. Completely not ready to be the President of the United States of America.
Period.
UPDATE: Lest you think I’m being too harsh on Mitt Romney, it’s worth noting how overseas media is reporting about it. For example, the British newspaper The Guardian is not holding back in its description of Romney’s International Tour of Shame and Embarrassment™. The subtitle of an article today reads “Mitt Romney and his staff lash out at US media coverage of his inept, error-strewn overseas trip“.
Mitt Romney’s much heralded overseas voyage – designed to showcase him as a global leader and statesman – has ended in farce, with both Romney and his campaign lashing out at the US media for its focus on the Republican presidential candidate’s various woes and missteps.
They also take issue with Gorka’s description of the area near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where questions were shouted to Romney as being a “holy site”:
Today’s lecture on the history of Poland comes from Professor Rick Gorka, who delivered impromptu remarks on the national symbolism of Warsaw’s Pilsudski Square.“This is a holy site for the Polish people,” Gorka told the assembled media. But is it? Yes, there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. But after leaving the tomb, the area where Mitt Romney was walking is bordered by a Sofitel and the popular establishment Club Platinum, which promises “Happy Time 2 for 1 – order once drink twice!” For pilgrims, presumably.
[INSERT “HOLY SPIRITS” JOKE HERE]
