# Mitt Romney, shove that wiretap up your tighty righty arse **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916 "2005-09-16T03:12:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/1 "2005-09-16T03:12:29Z")
Mitt Romney wants to be President. So bad he’ll lick every ultraconservative boot he can clutch. Gay marriage? Abortion? Never mind he took office promising not to rock the local boat on those issues, whatever his personal opinion might be. Now he’s agin 'em, and afire to ban 'em. Only too eager to trot himself out in front of the arch-conservative, fundamentalist-religious wing of the GOP and toss them whatever red-meat rhetoric he thinks will get them to support him. He’s more red-white-and-blue than the flag he’s flapping at the big bulls of the party. Gotta preserve our American way of life, liberty, and FREEDOM[sup]TM[/sup] no matter what the cost. Even if it means [wiretapping mosques.](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/15/wiretap_mosques_romney_suggests/) > [@](#): > > Governor Mitt Romney raised the prospect of wiretapping mosques and conducting surveillance of foreign students in Massachusetts, as he issued a broad call yesterday for the federal government to devote far more money and attention to domestic intelligence gathering. > > In remarks that caused alarm among civil libertarians and advocates for immigrants rights, Romney said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation that the United States needs to radically rethink how it guards itself against terrorism. > > ''How many individuals are coming to our state and going to those institutions who have come from terrorist-sponsored states?" he said, referring to foreign students who attend universities in Massachusetts. ''Do we know where they are? Are we tracking them?" > > ''How about people who are in settings – mosques, for instance – that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror," Romney continued. ''Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following what’s going on?" I guess freedom, civil liberties, all that good stuff only applies if you’re the right sort of person. Furriner? Muslim? Not so much. Is this what it’s come to, that the way to the top in the Republican Party is rabid xenophobia? When the fuck will the crypto-fascists lose their grip on the GOP? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/2 "2005-09-16T03:17:54Z")
I think he is out of the running for Pres, anyway. The Religious Right may eat up his rhetoric, but they have been fulminating against Mormons for too long to embrace him, now. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/3 "2005-09-16T03:23:17Z")
I hpe you’re right, Tom. Seems to me there’s more than a whiff of desperation in the frenzy with which he’s been seeking their approval lately. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/4 "2005-09-16T10:26:54Z")
He’s been doing his best to show the tighties that he really is as antigay and antiabortion as the rest of 'em whenever he’s down South, and that shit does get back to MA (and doesn’t work in the South either). His campaign so far has been based on his whining about MA liberalism and his inability to get anything done there. He still hasn’t officially announced he isn’t running for reelection, but he’s already burned his bridges before even crossing them. To run for President, though, he needs some significant accomplishments to point to, and he ain’t got any. Back to Bain & Co. in just over a year, Mittster. ---
**Author:** ![Lilairen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lilairen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilairen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/5 "2005-09-16T18:24:40Z")
So looking forward to voting against the man, and only getting more so by the news story. (I only just noticed your location, ETF. I wave in your vaguely local direction.) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/6 "2005-09-16T18:33:58Z")
I don’t think you’ll get the chance. There’s no way he can run for governor again even if he wanted to keep the job (all signs are he doesn’t, which would make him the 4th consecutive Republican governor of MA to quit), and his chances of getting the Presidential nomination look pretty dubious from here. - Another North Shore guy, but without the accent ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/7 "2005-09-16T18:47:22Z")
Not a lot to add here other than another vote against Romney by another North Shore Doper. Just out of curiosity, why does Massachusetts tend to vote Democratic for President, and Republican for Governor? (Ed King doesn’t count, he was more Republican than his Republican opponent). ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/8 "2005-09-16T19:02:31Z")
> [@Plynck](#): > > Just out of curiosity, why does Massachusetts tend to vote Democratic for President, and Republican for Governor? (Ed King doesn’t count, he was more Republican than his Republican opponent). Just a guess here, but in the last election it was a good-looking slick talker vs a frumpy soccer mom. Romney may be a jerk but he’s smooth and comes off as sincere. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/9 "2005-09-16T19:09:10Z")
I think the main division in MA isn’t by party, but by insider vs. outsider. Every election seems to include someone saying “I’m not part of the Beacon Hill gang, I’m going to go in there and clean up” vs. someone saying “I know how to make government work for _you_”. The local mass media is also generally aligned inside/outside - the Globe can be relied upon to support the insider, the Herald the outsider. Party isn’t a factor, except to the extent that we like to split tickets (“to keep 'em both honest”) as much as any other Americans. Thumbnail summary of recent GOP governors: Frank Sargent - elected as a liberal environmentalist, largely as backlash to the leveling of the West End by the insiders, promised to eliminate the freeway projects inside 128 and did so. Bill Weld - elected after John Silber, who had looked like a shoo-in, blew up at Natalie Jacobson in an interview. Silber ran on a conservative shake-things-up platform, but rapidly looked like too big a prick to give the job to, while Weld was an affable mod-lib. So what about party labels, he was more in tune with what we wanted, and played the inside game (including reelection) until he got bored. He’s been named by The Great Namer as a candidate for Governor of New York next year. Paul Cellucci - inherited the job when Weld quit, completely unimpressive, but part of the insiders. Had a struggle to win the election against Scott Harshbarger, who was unable to get funding or mass-media support (even from the Herald; he wasn’t a bombthrower). Jane Swift - inherited the job when Cellucci in turn quit, looked too arrogant, got nudged out of the primaries by a sweet bit of backstabbing by Christy Mihos. She tried unsuccessfully to fire him from the Turnpike Authority, in turn he financed and publicized a poll showing that Mitt Romney would be a much stronger candidate in the next election. Romney - elected as an honest, efficient business manager outsider straight from fixing the SLC Olympics, narrow win over insider Shannon O’Brien who wasn’t able to shake a cloud of suspicion over her performance as Treasurer. Looks like the end of the line here, though, unless Mihos decides to challenge LtG Healey, which might be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/10 "2005-09-16T20:02:20Z")
> [@Plynck](#): > > Not a lot to add here other than another vote against Romney by another North Shore Doper. > > Just out of curiosity, why does Massachusetts tend to vote Democratic for President, and Republican for Governor? (Ed King doesn’t count, he was more Republican than his Republican opponent). Two words: Michael Dukakis ---
**Author:** ![Lilairen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lilairen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilairen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/11 "2005-09-16T20:15:21Z")
_wistfully_ Perhaps he’ll endorse someone can I can vote against them? > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > I think the main division in MA isn’t by party, but by insider vs. outsider. Every election seems to include someone saying “I’m not part of the Beacon Hill gang, I’m going to go in there and clean up” vs. someone saying “I know how to make government work for _you_”. The local mass media is also generally aligned inside/outside - the Globe can be relied upon to support the insider, the Herald the outsider. Party isn’t a factor, except to the extent that we like to split tickets (“to keep 'em both honest”) as much as any other Americans. My mother once said something to the effect of, “You know your family has made it in Massachusetts politics when you’ve had a relative indicted over it.” ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/12 "2005-09-16T20:22:32Z")
Hey, as long as he isn’t wiretapping his political opponents in order to figure out how better to gerrymander the state. [http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD\_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779648289](http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779648289) ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/13 "2005-09-16T20:27:33Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Two words: Michael Dukakis :dubious: Dukakis was twice elected governor and won the state in the presidential election. Doesn’t seem to me that he was wildly unpopular, nor do I remember that from my three years living in Pittsfield in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/14 "2005-09-17T02:31:28Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > … John Silber, who had looked like a shoo-in, blew up at Natalie Jacobson in an interview. Silber ran on a conservative shake-things-up platform, but rapidly looked like too big a prick to give the job to … Just popping by to say that John Silber is the walking undead who will one day take over the Back Bay with his legions of rat-familiars and winged monkeys. - Orual, alumnae of Boston University (aka Silber’s [former] petty fiefdom). ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/15 "2005-09-17T04:31:09Z")
> [@Orual](#): > > Just popping by to say that John Silber is the walking undead who will one day take over the Back Bay with his legions of rat-familiars and winged monkeys. > > - Orual, alumnae of Boston University (aka Silber’s [former] petty fiefdom). Heh. Maybe we’ll all get lucky and, before he can, he’ll discover that he’s ripe and it’s time to go. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/16 "2005-09-17T09:22:45Z")
To return to the OP… …assuming the law is followed, I have no problem at all wiretapping mosques. And if we have evidence rising to the level of probable cause that the fruits of a crime will be discovered if we wiretap a mosque, _and we don’t_, I’d say that is a breach of duty for whoever is making the decision. Right? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/17 "2005-09-17T09:41:10Z")
Just to requote from the OP > [@](#): > > ''How many individuals are coming to our state and going to those institutions who have come from terrorist-sponsored states?" he said, referring to foreign students who attend universities in Massachusetts. ''Do we know where they are? Are we tracking them?" > > ''How about people who are in settings – mosques, for instance – that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror," Romney continued. ''Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following what’s going on?" Sounds like he wants to plant those wiretaps purely on the basis of religion or race. Wiretapping just because you think that there is a possibility of the groundwork of a crime that might be commited at some point in the future isn’t a very nice thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/18 "2005-09-17T12:34:51Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And if we have evidence rising to the level of probable cause that the fruits of a crime will be discovered if we wiretap a mosque, _and we don’t_, I’d say that is a breach of duty for whoever is making the decision. > > Right? Perhaps, but it sounds to me like Mr. Romney is advocating wiretapping mosques just because they are mosques, and tracking students from “terrorist” states just because of their nationality. Granted, I’m not a lawyer, but that doesn’t sound like probable cause to me. Mitt’s probably just cranky because the Legislature voted down the [anti-gay marriage amendment](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/14/lawmakers_convene_constitutional_convention_on_same_sex_marriage/). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/19 "2005-09-18T01:59:48Z")
Why do so many US politicians have such stupid names? What the hell kind of name is Mitt? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916/20 "2005-09-18T02:13:26Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Why do so many US politicians have such stupid names? > > What the hell kind of name is Mitt? [It’s actually his middle name.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitt_Romney) His first name is Willard. Can you blame him for going by “Mitt”? 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitt-romney-shove-that-wiretap-up-your-tighty-righty-arse/321916.md?page=2)