Mitt Romney’s campaign calls gay teen bullying report ‘exaggerated’

[Jerry_Miah]

Hatred is impervious to facts.

You resort to personal attacks against me? That’s your contribution to the discussion?

Fact: Romney apologizes for and admits participating in “stupid things”, says he doesn’t remember this brutal bullying incident but does not deny it. He says “I will not argue with that”, which is what we might say when admitting something happened:

“I don’t recall the incident but I am seeing the reports and I will not argue with that,”

Fact: Several people have gone on record about this, people who were Romney’s friends at the time, and they all say politics has nothing to do with their testimony (one is a former Republican county chairman in Michigan.)

Fact: The witnesses all agreed on keys facts: Romney led the gang and the boy was assaulted, pinned to the ground, humiliated by having his hair cut off – and Romney did this personally – while the kid wept and cried for help. Romney led the cheering pack of bullies when they left.

One witness waited for Romney to be disciplined, which would be normal at such a strict school. Never happened.

According to witness who spoke to the victim in the mid-1990s, the victim was haunted by the incident for years.

Sorry, these facts won’t spin away.

 

[Jeanne_S]

So if this is fair game, does that mean Obama has to be held accountable this time around for his cocaine use and hanging out with terrorists?

Surely, the media wouldn’t look the other way, would they?

Touche’

 

[iamrefreshed]

It’s very convenient, that’s for sure. Romney leads a gang to assault and humiliate a gay student 47 years ago, and throws a gay adviser under the bus a couple weeks ago. Maybe he’s already forgotten about that, too.

Kinda like when Obama forgot 20 years worth of sermons?

Maybe I missed it in the last 20 or so pages Jerry but I’m wondering, have you addressed what I brought up?

Since you are all gung-ho on time.

 

[iamrefreshed]

Maybe I missed it in the last 20 or so pages Jerry but I’m wondering, have you addressed what I brought up?

Since you are all gung-ho on time.

I’m curious Jerry, how long are you willing to harp on Romney for his actions as a child but ignore Obamas for decades as an adult?

Just asking.

 

[Jerry_Miah]

I’m curious Jerry, how long are you willing to harp on Romney for his actions as a child but ignore Obamas for decades as an adult?

Just asking.

Sounds like you are unable or unwilling to address what Romney did and would like to change the subject.

Romney was not “a child” when he abused the gay teen, he was reportedly eighteen years old.

Tell me, after how many years do you think a person should get a pass on doing such a thing as this? He was the leader of the gang. As the gang tackled the kid and held him down on the floor, Romney used the scissors to cut the kid’s hair as the kid wept and screamed for help. The victim was affected for decades after this brutal assault at the hands of Romney, possibly traumatized for life. Exactly when does Romney’s act of cruelty become okay in your book?

 

[rlg94086]

Sounds like you are unable or unwilling to address what Romney did and would like to change the subject.

Romney was not “a child” when he abused the gay teen, he was reportedly eighteen years old.

Tell me, after how many years do you think a person should get a pass on doing such a thing as this? He was the leader of the gang. As the gang tackled the kid and held him down on the floor, Romney used the scissors to cut the kid’s hair as the kid wept and screamed for help. The victim was affected for decades after this brutal assault at the hands of Romney, possibly traumatized for life. Exactly when does Romney’s act of cruelty become okay in your book?

Ten years max. When people grow up, they change. I don’t know the exact nature of this event, but it was 47 years ago. I don’t expect someone to be held accountable for this sort of offense 47 years down the road.

 

[oldcelt]

content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/05/mitt-romney-bullied-gay-student-high-school-pranks/1#.T6xrDOhSTIU

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney apologized today for pranks he played in high school in response to a report that he bullied a boy who was believed to be gay.

"I did some dumb things and if anybody was hurt by that or offended … obviously I apologize," Romney said on Kilmeade & Friends, a radio show.

There isn’t much more that Mr. Romney can do at this late date. I want to say in closing, that I don’t think that this is any indicator of the man’s character, and I’m no supporter.

John

 

[Havard]

Sounds like you are unable or unwilling to address what Romney did and would like to change the subject.

Romney was not “a child” when he abused the gay teen, he was reportedly eighteen years old.

Tell me, after how many years do you think a person should get a pass on doing such a thing as this? He was the leader of the gang. As the gang tackled the kid and held him down on the floor, Romney used the scissors to cut the kid’s hair as the kid wept and screamed for help. The victim was affected for decades after this brutal assault at the hands of Romney, possibly traumatized for life. Exactly when does Romney’s act of cruelty become okay in your book?

Tell me, why do you take the Post’s rendering of the account as fact, especially after they admit to putting words in one of their source’s mouths? And you’ve still never commented on the fact that the rendering was the reporter’s, as they never quoted any of their “eyewitness” sources on it, despite it being the most harrowing event in the whole story.

 

[Jeanne_S]

Anti-gay rights? Give me a break.

Obama has supported gay marriage for 24 hours, and only because he was forced into a political corner by the gaffe-a-minute Veep.

 

[Havard]

Ten years max. When people grow up, they change. I don’t know the exact nature of this event, but it was 47 years ago. I don’t expect someone to be held accountable for this sort of offense 47 years down the road.

Seriously. I don’t hold Obama’s or Clinton’s potsmoking against them. Or even Obama’s trying cocaine. Kids do stupid things.

 

[Jerry_Miah]

Tell me, why do you take the Post’s rendering of the account as fact, especially after they admit to putting words in one of their source’s mouths? And you’ve still never commented on the fact that the rendering was the reporter’s, as they never quoted any of their “eyewitness” sources on it, despite it being the most harrowing event in the whole story.

Sorry, but attacking the messenger in trying to pretend this never happened is just not going to work. Another Romney friend has come forward and it sounds even worse:

abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/former-romney-classmate-describes-bullying-supreme-a-pack-of-dogs-who-targeted-differentboy/

Former Romney Classmate Describes ‘Bullying Supreme’ – A ‘Pack of Dogs’ Who Targeted ‘Different’ Boy

A high school classmate of presidential candidate Mitt Romney told ABC News today that he considers a particular prank the two pulled at Michigan’s Cranbrook School to be “assault and battery” and that he witnessed Romney hold the scissors to cut the hair of a student who was being physically pinned to the ground by several others.

“It’s a haunting memory. I think it was for everybody that spoke up about it… because when you see somebody who is simply different taken down that way and is terrified and you see that look in their eye you never forget it. And that was what we all walked away with,” said Phillip Maxwell, who is now an attorney and still considers Romney an old friend.
…
Asked if Lauber was targeted because he was gay, as reported by the Post, Maxwell said, “We didn’t know that word in those days… but there were other words that were used. We weren’t ignorant, we just didn’t use the current names for things.

 

[SwizzleStick]

Sounds like you are unable or unwilling to address what Romney did and would like to change the subject.

Romney was not “a child” when he abused the gay teen, he was reportedly eighteen years old.

Tell me, after how many years do you think a person should get a pass on doing such a thing as this? He was the leader of the gang. As the gang tackled the kid and held him down on the floor, Romney used the scissors to cut the kid’s hair as the kid wept and screamed for help. The victim was affected for decades after this brutal assault at the hands of Romney, possibly traumatized for life. Exactly when does Romney’s act of cruelty become okay in your book?

I agree that Romney was not a child at the time, but it was a prank, so I guess he was still childish.

As for the rest of your post, . “Affected for decades,” “brutal assault,” and “possibly affected for life” are quite over the top.

 

[Havard]

Sorry, but attacking the messenger in trying to pretend this never happened is just not going to work. Another Romney friend has come forward and it sounds even worse:

abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/former-romney-classmate-describes-bullying-supreme-a-pack-of-dogs-who-targeted-differentboy/

Careful Jerry Miah, now you are twisting my words.

I have never said nothing happened, I said the account given by the Post was paraphrased by the reporter rather than directly quoted by one of the named sources at their disposal. Pray tell, if this was such a harrowing experience, what reporter in the world wouldn’t jump at including direct quotes over his own paraphrased hearsay? Given that we already know that the author put words in one source’s mouth, it becomes all the more questionable.

 

[Jerry_Miah]

I agree that Romney was not a child at the time, but it was a prank, so I guess he was still childish.

As for the rest of your post, . “Affected for decades,” “brutal assault,” and “possibly affected for life” are quite over the top.

Read the article. One witness spoke to the victim in the 1990s and the victim was still bothered by the attack decades later.

To be a young gay kid in a strict high school, attacked by a pack of seniors led by Romney, the son of one of the most powerful men in town (his father would give the commencement speech at the graduation), and then Romney doesn’t get disciplined at all – yeah, I can see how they would haunt someone for decades to come.

 

[SwizzleStick]

Read the article. One witness spoke to the victim in the 1990s and the victim was still bothered by the attack decades later. …

Just because it says that doesn’t mean it is so. The article fabricated another statement, so maybe the whole article is bogus.

…To be a young gay kid in a strict high school, attacked by a pack of seniors led by Romney, the son of one of the most powerful men in town (his father would give the commencement speech at the graduation), and then Romney doesn’t get disciplined at all – yeah, I can see how they would haunt someone for decades to come.

To be a homosexual living anywhere in America nearly 50 years ago was probably much more traumatic than a suggested forced hair trim because nearly 100% of the people saw homosexuality as deviancy and illness, so I can see how daily life would be equally “haunting” and difficult.

See, like you, I can offer conjecture too. But, we are both just guessing about what went on in his life and in his mind.

 

[JimG]

Just amazing! Romney, we were huffily told earlier by the left, “could have been charged as an adult”, but Lauber was “a child”??

The left never fails to meet one’s expectations.

Oh, (small digression here, but it ties in with an earlier post) I heard on a KC radio station the other day that the Democrat prosecutor is going to paste new charges on Bishop Finn of that diocese, notwithstanding that the police didn’t think he did anything wrong.

What’s that Cardinal George said again?

“I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.”

Folks, this is not “just another election”.

No, it isn’t. It will determine how fast and with what degree of ferocity anti-Catholic persecution becomes government policy.

 

[Jerry_Miah]

Just because it says that doesn’t mean it is so. The article fabricated another statement, so maybe the whole article is bogus.

To be a homosexual living anywhere in America nearly 50 years ago was probably much more traumatic than a suggested forced hair trim because nearly 100% of the people saw homosexuality as deviancy and illness, so I can see how daily life would be equally “haunting” and difficult.

See, like you, I can offer conjecture too. But, we are both just guessing about what went on in his life and in his mind.

Since you are ready to simply dismiss the whole article as “fabricated”, included the quoted words of witnesses who have gone on record, there’s not exactly a point in discussing it.

 

[gilliam]

From John Lauber’s family, the bullied victim in WaPo story: “We are aggrieved that John would be used to further a political agenda.”

twitter.com/#!/AshleyRParker/statuses/200782908145938434

 

[CMatt25]

“I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school and some may have gone too far. And for that I apologize,” Romney told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade during a hastily arranged radio interview. Romney said he didn’t remember the Lauber incident from long ago, but didn’t dispute that it happened. He stressed that he didn’t know either student was gay.

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h5hZOGaXunUrQtq0FY00bktlQzHA?docId=1476bb1a74254c5280a4fb9ad2c35ab8

He didn’t remember the incident but he remembered he didn’t know the student in the incident was gay.

 

[rlg94086]

He didn’t remember the incident but he remembered he didn’t know the student in the incident was gay.

It is possible to remember a person, but not remember an incident.