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

[k5thbeatle]

That this is even a story is incredible. Of course not surprising since Obama just comes out that he’s pro gay marriage (what a surprise…not). I just shake my head at what counts as relevant these days.

 

[k5thbeatle]

I hope we can discuss the economy and future of the country at some point. I won’t hold my breath.

That’s the point of this…distract so that topic gets pushed back!

 

[_Abyssinia]

Again, I think you are getting yourself into quite a lather over the incident.

Because those on the left do not have anything substantial to attack Mitt Romney with, so they are left with character demonizing.

 

[scipio337]

100% of the population didn’t lead a gang to assault and humiliate gay peers, though. Bullies, people with issues, and those who feel entitled and superior did that kind of thing and still do. Romney was very remarkable in taking that action.

Did 100% of the population commit felony possession of cocaine?

 

[Birdpreacher]

The point is that high school kids sometimes make poor choices and do things they shouldn’t. If Obama’s criminal drug use in high school can be overlooked, and it has, why are we looking at Romney’s incidents? Do they matter today? Or, do incidents only matter if one is a Republican?

hmmm fair point.

I would only argue this. Obama’s past drug use would be an issue if drug legalization was a major issue but its not. Obama has enforced our nation’s drug laws despite his history. A history he has been quite frank about and explained. Now does this erase all doubt? No. Some people may reasonably believe that Obama’s criminal past manifests itself in his blatant disrespect for the rule of law as he brings us closer to his Socialist EMpire.

Romney on the other hand did not detail his attack on a kid in any book. Rather he stated that he did not remember such an incident when initially pressed on it. Now take in mind that he is against gay marriage. Wouldn’t it be relevant to a gay person that Romeny may have bullied a gay kid in high school. Wouldn’t a voter want to know how there candidate treated people when he was 17-18 (practically an adult), the candidates upbringing and values?

AS for the “but it was years ago” argument. I hear you, it was a long time ago and sometimes people do change. Having said that would you allow for a man with a childhood history of torturing small animals to babysit your kids? Probably not. People have been judged on what they did at 17 (especially for what they did at 18) for centuries (go ask any single mom who got pregnant at 17) ARe these always fair judgments: no, but they are something all humans do.

 

[Jerry_Miah]

Nowhere in the Washington post article are they described as a ‘gang’ or an ‘assault.’

Saying ‘atta girl’ does not necessarily note they were mocking student because he was homosexual. High school boys say similar like that all the time in a pranky way and it has nothing to do with sexuality.

The article says Romney led a group of people who tackled the boy, pinned him down on the ground and cut off his hair as he wept and screamed for help. That’s not a glee club, that’s a gang; tackling and pinning someone on the ground to humiliate them is assault at the very least.

Romney prevented another gay student from speaking in class by continually shouting “atta girl” at him. You can’t spin that as anything but taunting and gay bullying.

 

[He_Man]

There is not enough evidence to go either way if you ask me. This could have been motivated by the boy’s presumed sexuality or just his hair. An article written years after the fact will not tell us what was the motivating factor for Mitt and it is unlikely that Mitt will ever say he did it because the guy was gay now, since its an election year. We really can’t tell why it was done.

Now say it was just because the kid had long hair.
Why in the hell about this kid’s hair would bother Mitt enough to think that it was ok to use physical force against this kid’s will. Mitt was a senior in high school. If he was 18 when it happened he would’ve been viewed in the laws eyes as an adult.

5 students came out and said it happened

The fact that you care about whether Mitt punded some kid in high school is beyond sad. Luckily, even with my low opinion of many voters in the US, I doubt even they will care about such a pointless topic.

When Mittens clobbers a dude with a mullet during the 2012 campaign, get back to us with real news.

 

[Havard]

Please reread:

So Romney taunted presumed gay students as well as leading a gang to assault and humiliate at least one of them.

I give credit to Romney for his partial apology, and for his awakening memory of the incidents. But he really needs to address how his past as a bully might affect his current policies against gay rights.

You appear to be confused.

The “presumed homosexuality” comment was about Lauder, and you quote a section about Hummel.

My point remains, nowhere does the Post source their claim that Lauder was a “presumed homosexual”.

Nor do they even bother to make that claim about Hummel. They readily admit that Hummel was closeted, and that comments like “atta girl” were ordinary for the time (as they still are today, along with a host of other sophomoric insults.)

 

[Birdpreacher]

Did 100% of the population commit felony possession of cocaine?

Atleast Obama told us about the drug use…in his book! I doubt that Mitt would ever be forthcoming about this incident he couldnt seem to “remember” about earlier today.

 

[He_Man]

hmmm fair point.

I would only argue this. Obama’s past drug use would be an issue if drug legalization was a major issue but its not. Obama has enforced our nation’s drug laws despite his history. A history he has been quite frank about and explained. Now does this erase all doubt? No. Some people may reasonably believe that Obama’s criminal past manifests itself in his blatant disrespect for the rule of law as he brings us closer to his Socialist EMpire.

Romney on the other hand did not detail his attack on a kid in any book. Rather he stated that he did not remember such an incident when initially pressed on it. Now take in mind that he is against gay marriage. Wouldn’t it be relevant to a gay person that Romeny may have bullied a gay kid in high school. Wouldn’t a voter want to know how there candidate treated people when he was 17-18 (practically an adult), the candidates upbringing and values?

AS for the “but it was years ago” argument. I hear you, it was a long time ago and sometimes people do change. Having said that would you allow for a man with a childhood history of torturing small animals to babysit your kids? Probably not. People have been judged on what they did at 17 (especially for what they did at 18) for centuries (go ask any single mom who got pregnant at 17) ARe these always fair judgments: no, but they are something all humans do.

Romney also failed to mention his bed-wetting issues that lasted until he was age twelve. Wanna know why?

BECAUSE NO ONE CARES.

 

[ellipsis2]

The article says Romney led a group of people who tackled the boy, pinned him down on the ground and cut off his hair as he wept and screamed for help. That’s not a glee club, that’s a gang; tackling and pinning someone on the ground to humiliate them is assault at the very least.

Romney prevented another gay student from speaking in class by continually shouting “atta girl” at him. You can’t spin that as anything but taunting and gay bullying.

It certainly does not seem like his position on gays has “evolved” at all.

 

[Birdpreacher]

The fact that you care about whether Mitt punded some kid in high school is beyond sad. Luckily, even with my low opinion of many voters in the US, I doubt even they will care about such a pointless topic.

When Mittens clobbers a dude with a mullet during the 2012 campaign, get back to us with real news.

He was senior, if he does this at 18 in today’s world its an assault. Whether someone was a bully in highschool won’t effect my vote. THat is only because I could care less about an individual’s character. I want a competent man for the job. If you care about morals or character in your candidate, I fail to see how this is not relevant.

 

[scipio337]

…AS for the “but it was years ago” argument. I hear you, it was a long time ago and sometimes people do change. Having said that would you allow for a man with a childhood history of torturing small animals to babysit your kids? Probably not. People have been judged on what they did at 17 (especially for what they did at 18) for centuries (go ask any single mom who got pregnant at 17) ARe these always fair judgments: no, but they are something all humans do.

That depends. Is the person who tortured animals at 17 a 65 year old presidential candidate with no criminal record, or Jeffrey Dahmer?

 

[Birdpreacher]

Romney also failed to mention his bed-wetting issues that lasted until he was age twelve. Wanna know why?

BECAUSE NO ONE CARES.

Probably because no one was sobbing when Mitt wet the bed.(but then who can be sure) Look some people care about whether Mitt jumped a kid in highschool. Google John Lauber and see what happens.

 

[scipio337]

It certainly does not seem like his position on gays has “evolved” at all.

Because he holds the same views on gay marriage Messia…ahem, President Barack Obama did, 24 hours ago?



By that stick, Dick Cheney had a better position on gays (supporting gay marriage in 2009) than Obama did until…well,

yesterday.

 

[He_Man]

He was senior, if he does this at 18 in today’s world its an assault. Whether someone was a bully in highschool won’t effect my vote. THat is only because I could care less about an individual’s character. I want a competent man for the job. If you care about morals or character in your candidate, I fail to see how this is not relevant.

Then why convince others of a belief you acknowledge you don’t hold? I don’t care what Obama did in High School either. I care about recent, relevant details and associations as an adult.

If Mittens was 18 in 2012, you’d have a point.

 

[He_Man]

Probably because no one was sobbing when Mitt wet the bed.(but then who can be sure) Look some people care about whether Mitt jumped a kid in highschool. Google John Lauber and see what happens.

Those people are few, silly, and irrelevant. If you think this will impact the election, you’re kidding youself. Move on to more important things, for the sake of common sense.

 

[_Abyssinia]

The article says Romney led a group of people who tackled the boy, pinned him down on the ground and cut off his hair as he wept and screamed for help. That’s not a glee club, that’s a gang; tackling and pinning someone on the ground to humiliate them is assault at the very least.

Romney prevented another gay student from speaking in class by continually shouting “atta girl” at him. You can’t spin that as anything but taunting and gay bullying.

Romney:

Back in high school, I did some dumb things, and if anybody was hurt by that or offended, obviously I apologize for that. I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school and some might have gone too far – and for that, I apologize.

When responding that he had called a student ‘girl’ Romney said:

*As this person indicated, he was closeted. I had no idea that he was gay and can’t speak to that even today. But as to the teasing or the taunts that go on in high school, that’s a long time ago. For me, that’s about 48 years ago. Again, if there’s anything I said that is offensive to someone, I certainly am sorry for that - very deeply sorry for that.

…

I’m a very different person than I was in high school, of course, but I’m glad that I leaned as much as I did during those high school years. I’m quite a different guy now. I’m married, have five sons, five daughters-in-law, and now 18 grandchildren.

…

There’s going to be some that want to talk about high school.  Well, if you really think that’s important, be my guest. *

politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/10/romney-apologizes-for-high-school-pranks

He has apologized, this happened nearly 50 years ago.

 

[Jerry_Miah]

Romney also failed to mention his bed-wetting issues that lasted until he was age twelve. Wanna know why?

BECAUSE NO ONE CARES.

You wish. People do care. Romney is the candidate of the anti-gay-rights party, so it matters that way.

It is also a character issue, and this forum is full of people concerned about the morals of the candidates.

He shouldn’t etch-a-sketch his bullying past, he should be up front about it, the way Obama wrote a whole book about his youthful indiscretions (which did not involve beating up on the weak and vulnerable.)

 

[He_Man]

You wish. People do care. Romney is the candidate of the anti-gay-rights party, so it matters that way.

It is also a character issue, and this forum is full of people concerned about the morals of the candidates.

He shouldn’t etch-a-sketch his bullying past, he should be up front about it, the way Obama wrote a whole book about his youthful indiscretions (which did not involve beating up on the weak and vulnerable.)

If it helps you sleep at night to believe people care, go ahead. Check back when the polls come out and reveal that you, Birdpreacher, and the kid with the mullet who got stuffed in a locker are the only ones who care.

Check that - BP already said she doesn’t care. She’s just posting to kill time, apparently.