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trailmonkee

(2,681 posts)
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 10:40 PM Sep 2012

Did Romney Actually Say He'd Take Advantage of Hostages or Dead Americans?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-soltz/did-romney-actually-say-h_b_1895437.html

Jon Soltz.
Co-Founder of VoteVets.org, Iraq War Veteran

Watch the now infamous Romney tapes, starting at the 4 minute mark. A questioner asks him about foreign policy and they start to talk about the hostage crisis in 1980. Then Romney drops this nugget:

"And yet, in that election, in the Jimmy Carter election, the fact that we had hostages in Iran, I mean, that was all we talked about. And we had the two helicopters crash in the desert, I mean, that was the focus, and so him [Reagan] solving that made all the difference in the world. I'm afraid today that if you simply got Iran to agree to stand down on nuclear weapons, they'd go, "Now hold on. It's really a-" I mean, if something of that nature presents itself I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity."


I'm sorry, what? If there's an international crisis where Americans die and/or hostages are taken, you'll "work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity?"

I might not believe that's what Mitt Romney meant by this statement, if it wasn't exactly what he did down the road, when he immediately tried to politically capitalize on the attacks on our diplomatic outposts, before we even knew who had died.

I know many people have been dismayed over Governor Romney's comments about the mythical 47 percent who don't pay taxes and mooch off the government, but, to me, this is so much worse.
35 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Did Romney Actually Say He'd Take Advantage of Hostages or Dead Americans? (Original Post) trailmonkee Sep 2012 OP
That explains his response to the Libyan embassy crisis. He must have thought he hit paydirt. nt msanthrope Sep 2012 #1
explains this.... trailmonkee Sep 2012 #4
"I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity... KurtNYC Sep 2012 #31
I think that's exactly right. nolabear Sep 2012 #7
He didn't have to say it, his actions did that for him. Kalidurga Sep 2012 #2
That shows some serious mental problems. Yeah Bush was a jerk and a creep but diabeticman Sep 2012 #3
why have I read twice today that W has a heart? Do not forget he had hundreds of thousands of people robinlynne Sep 2012 #6
Yes, two wars + ignoring the warnings about 9/11 you are right about that and I'm not diabeticman Sep 2012 #9
time heals all wounds? But let's not forget.... trailmonkee Sep 2012 #11
Oh, jeez. You owe me a keyboard! Indpndnt Sep 2012 #18
sorry trailmonkee Sep 2012 #20
:D lexw Sep 2012 #28
Milk -through-the-nose worthy photo... LVdem Sep 2012 #23
Yes, and ProSense Sep 2012 #5
Romney makes Bush look like Bill Clinton aletier_v Sep 2012 #8
Oh, that's exactly what he meant supernova Sep 2012 #10
Opportunistic mittwitt knows how to take advantage of those opportunities well costing thousands lonestarnot Sep 2012 #12
He's such a gigantic train wreck Aerows Sep 2012 #13
yep Tigress DEM Sep 2012 #14
Get Out the Vote Aerows Sep 2012 #16
it's insane, isn't it? it's like failure at warp speed. trailmonkee Sep 2012 #15
Am I reading that right? Sounds like he would manufacture something... progressivebydesign Sep 2012 #17
OMG, he sounds like a fictional psychopath trying to take over the world named Stark. freshwest Sep 2012 #19
you could be right.... or maybe he's just an asshole? trailmonkee Sep 2012 #22
He is a parody of a human being, a hollow shell of a man. Sheesh. freshwest Sep 2012 #25
Jesus! I've seen this before... lexw Sep 2012 #29
Of course! The smirking pictures told the entire story ecstatic Sep 2012 #21
Yes, kind of like the whole bain strategy, applied to politics bhikkhu Sep 2012 #24
I think the quote up in the OP and the one below are two of the worse ones he's said ... Tx4obama Sep 2012 #26
never any mention of human consequence... trailmonkee Sep 2012 #30
One of the patterns in his life is to take advantage of other people's misfortune. JDPriestly Sep 2012 #27
Wow. He looks at helicopter crashes and hostages as "opportunity" Lucy Goosey Sep 2012 #32
Yes. He said it. AND... that sort of puts his whole "jump" into the Libya/Cairo protests drlit Sep 2012 #33
Reading thru the full transcript now and saw that rainbow4321 Sep 2012 #34
Ed Show just covered this in detail trailmonkee Sep 2012 #35

KurtNYC

(14,549 posts)
31. "I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity...
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 03:14 PM
Sep 2012

and then I will smirk with self satisfaction.

Kalidurga

(14,177 posts)
2. He didn't have to say it, his actions did that for him.
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 10:43 PM
Sep 2012

Yes, this is worse. Even worse, he is beating the war drum with Iran. I believe he wants to use nukes you know to solve the problem once and for all. But, on the other hand he wouldn't care if 47% of Americans starved to death.

diabeticman

(3,121 posts)
3. That shows some serious mental problems. Yeah Bush was a jerk and a creep but
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 10:46 PM
Sep 2012

at least Bush had something of a heart in his screwed up way. Yeah, he didn't know how to mourn or treat people 95% of the time but every once in a while you did find a hint of humanity in his eyes

MITT Is just more depraved and down right frightening the more I hear from this one speech.

robinlynne

(15,481 posts)
6. why have I read twice today that W has a heart? Do not forget he had hundreds of thousands of people
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 10:59 PM
Sep 2012

killed and his family and friends profited from the war(s) he created.

diabeticman

(3,121 posts)
9. Yes, two wars + ignoring the warnings about 9/11 you are right about that and I'm not
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 11:12 PM
Sep 2012

saying he used the heart properly but you got a sense that in some strange twisted way he cared EVEN if it was just for his own family.

trailmonkee

(2,681 posts)
11. time heals all wounds? But let's not forget....
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 11:14 PM
Sep 2012

the guy eats kittens:



and he is responsible for the deaths of 10's of thousand of people (and at least that many kittens)

supernova

(39,345 posts)
10. Oh, that's exactly what he meant
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 11:13 PM
Sep 2012

He hopes for, longs for, an international crisis wherein people (Americans for sure in the mix) will be in mortal peril so that he can turn it into a marketing opportunity for his campaign.

He is an evil clusterfuck of a human being. I don't want him anywhere near the White House or the Capitol.

 

lonestarnot

(77,097 posts)
12. Opportunistic mittwitt knows how to take advantage of those opportunities well costing thousands
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 11:16 PM
Sep 2012

their jobs. So yes, he meant exactly what he said.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
13. He's such a gigantic train wreck
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 11:16 PM
Sep 2012

That even my ultra-conservative family is now saying he's a failure.

It's like the gift that keeps on giving. I'm laughing in their faces at this point, and they respond with nothing but sorrow. I'd feel sorry for them, but his message is so toxic for most people in the country that they are delighted his robotic self will lose.

Now let's get out the vote for the Senate and the House, and every other local race.

Tigress DEM

(7,887 posts)
14. yep
Tue Sep 18, 2012, 11:23 PM
Sep 2012

and double on this thought...

Now let's get out the vote for the Senate and the House, and every other local race.


VOTE and get 1 new voter to vote as well
 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
16. Get Out the Vote
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:02 AM
Sep 2012

2012

We can vote and take our country in a different direction at Local levels, at State levels and at National levels.

Get OUT and VOTE!

I'm a liberal living in Mississippi, and I'm still going to try to change our direction. I do not give up.

progressivebydesign

(19,458 posts)
17. Am I reading that right? Sounds like he would manufacture something...
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:08 AM
Sep 2012

..or hope that something goes terribly wrong, rather than just using diplomacy to get Iran to back off the nuclear stuff.

And even worse, I'm noticing that he's FRAMING that in the context of an ELECTION, and this is before the Libya incident. Could it be that someone is manufacturing some of that stuff over there, with IRAN.... with Adelson and Israel, so that Romney will get his "opportunity" and it will be "all that people are talking about" in the election??

Seriously... think about it. I firmly believed at the time that the entire Iran/Contra thing was manufactured to benefit Reagan, courtesy of Poppy Bush (who was identified as being at the hotel where the deals were made.) Do we have another crisis being manufactured for Romney to profit from this election???

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
19. OMG, he sounds like a fictional psychopath trying to take over the world named Stark.
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:18 AM
Sep 2012
'I will work to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity' is almost identical to his favorite line. He was part of plan to create genetic Supermen and wipe out most of mankind to rule forever. Very slick, smiling Ayn Rand type in a business suit.

Romney's already played Gordon Gecko in a scene straight out of the film Wall Street in real life. The OFA video 'Stage' is exactly the same thing, he just had to do it and I'm sure Mitt acted like Michael Douglas did, dismissing the shocked and brokenhearted workers as he took off in a plane.

This is like living in a movie.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
25. He is a parody of a human being, a hollow shell of a man. Sheesh.
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 01:00 AM
Sep 2012

If we create our world out of the dreams of the masses, we need to wake up from this nightmare.

lexw

(804 posts)
29. Jesus! I've seen this before...
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 01:41 AM
Sep 2012

...but he almost looks like Michael Scott, with that dumb look in his eye.
What's with the Brill Cream hair? Has he always been that out of touch?
I'm scared.

ecstatic

(32,701 posts)
21. Of course! The smirking pictures told the entire story
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:30 AM
Sep 2012

We really don't even need the tapes to confirm what he was thinking after his Libya pressers.

bhikkhu

(10,715 posts)
24. Yes, kind of like the whole bain strategy, applied to politics
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 12:52 AM
Sep 2012

What matters is who walks away with the winnings, and all the rest is just collateral damage, easily forgotten.

Tx4obama

(36,974 posts)
26. I think the quote up in the OP and the one below are two of the worse ones he's said ...
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 01:09 AM
Sep 2012





-snip-

Romney: If I were Iran, if I were Iran—a crazed fanatic, I'd say let's get a little fissile material to Hezbollah, have them carry it to Chicago or some other place, and then if anything goes wrong, or America starts acting up, we'll just say, "Guess what? Unless you stand down, why, we're going to let off a dirty bomb." I mean this is where we have—where America could be held up and blackmailed by Iran, by the mullahs, by crazy people. So we really don't have any option but to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon.


Romney didn't appear to understand that a dirty bomb—an explosive device that spreads radioactive substances—does not require fissile material from a nuclear weapons program. Such a bomb can be produced with, say, radioactive medical waste. If Iran's nuclear program poses a threat, it is not because this project will yield a dirty bomb.

-snip-

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/romney-secret-video-israeli-palestinian-middle-east-peace




I betcha he is NOT looking forward to the foreign policy debates


JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
27. One of the patterns in his life is to take advantage of other people's misfortune.
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 01:30 AM
Sep 2012

He was heartless in his business dealings -- "buying" companies that had lots of assets (not with his money, but in great part with the money of the company he was "buying," placing the companies in debt to fund his company's and his management fees and bonuses, firing the companies' employees to save costs and then, finally taking the companies into bankruptcy and, allegedly, filing a creditor's claim against the bankrupt company (his own bankrupt company) in a court. Disgusting even if he didn't ALWAYS do that to every company he "bought."

Then the burning of the embassy and the killing of the ambassador. Remember the story about how Romney cut the hair of a gay classmate? How he treated his daughter-in-law? He is something of a sadist. After Bush and Cheney, we really don't need another sadist in the White House.

Lucy Goosey

(2,940 posts)
32. Wow. He looks at helicopter crashes and hostages as "opportunity"
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 03:21 PM
Sep 2012

Note to Mitt: most people would call that 'tragedy', asshole.

It really sheds new light on the smirk - he probably believed that weird-mormon-god had sent him an 'opportunity' in the form of dead American diplomats.

"Opportunity." Just wow.

This needs to be an Obama ad, IMO.

drlit

(41 posts)
33. Yes. He said it. AND... that sort of puts his whole "jump" into the Libya/Cairo protests
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 04:24 PM
Sep 2012

into bright light.

He was just waiting for a moment where he could use an "emergency" to do a "gotcha" on the President.
Everyone saw that in his face, walking away... smirk... gotcha.
He planned it.

So.... Americans in harm's way.... Americans dead.... gotcha for Mitt.

I just shivered.
ICK!
He's disgusting. He almost makes Cheney seem human. ALMOST.

rainbow4321

(9,974 posts)
34. Reading thru the full transcript now and saw that
Wed Sep 19, 2012, 04:28 PM
Sep 2012

He asked the audience member if they could "duplicate that scenario"??? As in "please make something like that happen now so it will help me get into office"?

That is how I took the whole exchange..that he is hoping for some international disaster/tragedy and people will turn to HIM and vote him in.

OMG, the whole transcript is horrifying. I know the 47% part of it is making the headlines but the whole damn thing needs to be brought to light...


L.

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