In Iowa
Gov. Romney went to Iowa today, resuming his traveling schedule after focusing almost exclusively on the Big Dig for almost 3 weeks. As expected, he had to respond to questions about him leaving the state:
“I’ve indicated there that I’ll be there any time I’m needed,” Romney said at the outset of a day of Republican politics in the lead-off caucus state. “I’m not an engineer, so I can’t do the drawings. I can’t screw in the new bolts. But whenever it’s time to make a decision or make an inspection, I’ll be there.”
He also addressed the question of whether taking over the Big Dig was the smart thing to do:
“The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can,” he told a crowd of about 100 supporters who gathered for indoor picnic at the Gateway Hotel on a sweltering day in Ames.
“I’ll get the blame for anything that goes wrong,” he said. “But I’m sure tired of people who are nothing but talk. I’m willing to take action.”
Boy I hope that he’s responding to outside critics and not relaying fears from his inner circle. Taking over the Big Dig was a no brainer both from a policy and political point-of-view. It’s something that just had to be done. For a politician to allow himself to be paralyzed by political fears in case something goes wrong would be self-destructive.
If all goes well, Gov. Romney will soon be subject to unimaginable scrutiny. When he’s president he won’t have an option to punt. If something goes wrong blame will inevitably (and often unfairly) fall to him.
Thank goodness his first instinct is to face the problem head-on.
~~~Thomas
July 30th, 2006 at 2:56 pm
I am very disappointed that Governor Romney uses racial slurs like “tar baby” even after Tony Snow recently got in trouble for using it. It shows a real insensitivy to the black community.
July 30th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
What? How is “tar baby” a racial slur? I have never heard that in my entire life. I also think it’s clearly obvious that is no where near what Governor Romney meant.
July 30th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
Ann Marie,
You should track the RN Jackson and find that they are commenting from Little Rock, Arkansas. I was able to track comments at my site and this same person posted on the “tar baby” issue UNDER THREE DIFFERENT NAMES. I view this as inherently dishonest and reveals what kind of person will be attacking Romney.
I responded at my blog the following:
I was at the event when he made the comment. I think the response of rn and paul s is a typical reactionary repsonse to Republican leaders in painting them as racists. Biden sure got a pass from the liberal media on his Indians and gas station comment which actually WAS a racist statement (he was speaking of a racial stereotype, Romney wasn’t even addressing the topic of race).
Here, Romney used this common colloquialism, “tar baby”, to appropriately describe what a “sticky situation” the big dig is. Look up “tar baby” in the dictionary and you’ll get this:
***************
tar baby
n.
A situation or problem from which it is virtually impossible to disentangle oneself.
[After “Bre'r Rabbit and the Tar Baby,” an Uncle Remus story by Joel Chandler Harris.]
http://www.answers.com/topic/tar-baby
***************
Sounds like Romney used the term correctly and there was absolutely no reference to race in the comment. It’s people like rn and paul s that are the reason that racism is propogated . . . continually “race baiting” and beating the drum to keep it a issue instead of letting us all get over the distant past and move ahead.
July 31st, 2006 at 8:34 am
Well, Governor Romney has apologized for the comment.
I say we move on from this point on.
Ann Marie
July 31st, 2006 at 12:55 pm
I was in Iowa as well, and recognized the possible dual meanings of the term. However I was much more impressed that Mitt recognized the potential political mess that the Big Dig represented, and took in on anyway. I would strongly support any person who recognizes a problem, and responds by putting him/or herself on the line to see it through, good or bad. I think he is this type of standup leader.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:22 pm
Gov. Mitt Romney is much too smart to commit political suicide by making a racial comment. It appalls me to see someone, that represents a lot of nice people, twist a comment around to make himself appear to be a champion of the people. I have never consider myself to be prejiduce, but I may naturally become so, if continue to be subjected to phony do-gooders like Larry Jones.
July 31st, 2006 at 1:35 pm
I can understand why Mitt Romney apologized. The fact that he did has not caused me to lose any respect for him. He’s still on my short list of Republican Presidential nominees.
However, as long as prominent people like Mitt Romney and Trent Lott continue to apologize for unintended offenses, psychological extortionists like Larry Jones and Jesse Jackson will continue to play the “apology” card as a political weapon. It renders the “apology” meaningless in absolute terms. At least when Mel Gibson apologized this weekend, he apologized only for his conduct and behavior, and not for his ideology.
August 1st, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Trent Lott? Please, let’s not act like he’s an innocent. I believe Mitt Romney when he says that he didn’t know “tar baby” can be a racial slur, but I wouldn’t for a second trust Lott’s apologies on anything involving race. There is absolutely no evidence that Mitt Romney is a racist but that is not the case for Lott.