# Turns out Romney isn't an a@@hole after all! I read it in an email. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 22, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708 "2012-05-22T13:23:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/21 "2012-05-22T18:31:20Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’m confused. Was being an asshole ever being put forward as a reason to not allow him to be president? > > Send me an email when it turns out he’s not actually a Republican. Nixon was an asshole and competent. Wanna go through that again ever? ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/22 "2012-05-22T18:33:40Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Big fucking deal. So Romney helped out one person whose daughter disappeared. What does this have to do with how he’ll run the country? Oh, you forgot to read the guy’s epiphany: “Mitt Romney simply can’t help himself. He sees a problem, and his mind immediately sets to work solving it, sometimes consciously, and sometimes not-so-consciously. He doesn’t do it for self-aggrandizement, or for personal gain. He does it because that’s just how he’s wired.” :rolleyes:(groooan!) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/23 "2012-05-22T18:46:23Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Oh, you forgot to read the guy’s epiphany: > “Mitt Romney simply can’t help himself. He sees a problem, and his mind immediately sets to work solving it, sometimes consciously, and sometimes not-so-consciously. He doesn’t do it for self-aggrandizement, or for personal gain. He does it because that’s just how he’s wired.” > > :rolleyes:(groooan!) All true, no doubt – except that Romney seems to be wired differently from the rest of us in what he perceives as a “problem.” That’s why he likes to fire people. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/24 "2012-05-22T19:10:38Z")
Every time a child goes missing during a Romney presidency, he will stop the entire fucking country until that child is found. Nobody goes to work. Every stops what they are doing and they look for the kid. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/25 "2012-05-22T19:50:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > All right for a coporate CEO. But, remember, an elected official is not **supposed** to use the resources he controls to do any special favors for a friend. True, but I don’t think anyone, including the email, was suggesting he would. I wonder if Romney can recall _this_ event? ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/26 "2012-05-22T20:02:38Z")
> [@Reno Nevada](#): > > Having the staff of a hedge fund wander around New York City talking to prostitutes to find a lost girl? “Take this and go hang out with your friend for a few days and don’t tell your mom shit kid, me and the boys need an excuse to go on vacation.” That said, what he did was charitable. I can see why she’d resort to drugs and running off, given her dad worked with Mitt Romney and her surname was “Gay”. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/27 "2012-05-22T20:23:38Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > I got this little story in an email from a friend yesterday: > > . . . . Good for him. I’m also supposed to be impressed that he didn’t accept any salary while working as Governor of Massachusetts nor while working with the Olympics. Heck, he didn’t even accept a salary at Bain. What a great guy! He is so in touch with the working man that he doesn’t even have to earn a living. > > * * * Just about every human has both good and bad qualities. Mitt often shows he lacks empathy, but that doesn’t mean he totally lacks heart. It’s a good story for him. Romney wants to talk about Bain and his successes there. Fine, but if I were in his camp I’d push to highlight the organizational skills he showed during his winter Olympics stint. As I recall there were bribery charges being bandied about before Mitt came on board. In the end, the games came off well. Give him credit. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/28 "2012-05-22T20:36:53Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#): > > Romney wants to talk about Bain and his successes there. Fine, but if I were in his camp I’d push to highlight the organizational skills he showed during his winter Olympics stint. As I recall there were bribery charges being bandied about before Mitt came on board. In the end, the games came off well. Give him credit. This is a much better approach for a number of reasons. People like the Olympics. People like anti-corruption stories. The Olympics employs people rather than firing them. And managing a bureaucratic nightmare like the Olympics is probably closer to executive-branch work than running a PE firm. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/29 "2012-05-22T20:41:01Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Is anyone stupid enough to think the girl experienced “withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose”? Well, yes, when the media has told the public for years that MDMA is a seriously dangerous drug, then it isn’t difficult to imagine “withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose”. I believe it is well established that overuse of MDMA can lead to lowered serotonin levels. Withdrawal can occur, but it does not have the same physical trauma associated with withdrawal from opiates or cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/30 "2012-05-22T20:54:18Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > A > > Also, that story is all kinds of crazy. Having the staff of a hedge fund wander around New York City talking to prostitutes to find a lost girl? \ Ya, I was talking to a prostitute… to find a lost kid! Ya, that’s the ticket! I was looking for a lost little kid, so I had to talk to a prostitute! Lots of prostitutes! Ya that’s it… And the purchase of cocaine was a sting! Ya, a sting! That’s the ticket! \ ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/31 "2012-05-22T23:40:21Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I believe it is well established that overuse of MDMA can lead to lowered serotonin levels. Withdrawal can occur, but it does not have the same physical trauma associated with withdrawal from opiates or cocaine. Even if it did, there would be no “withdrawal symptoms” from a single dose. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/32 "2012-05-23T00:24:57Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > This should help with the Gay vote. I see what you did there. The police will be there shortly. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/33 "2012-05-23T02:20:50Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Even if it did, there would be no “withdrawal symptoms” from a single dose. But, the crash is such a **bummer!** ☹ ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/34 "2012-05-23T07:19:56Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Well, yes, when the media has told the public for years that MDMA is a seriously dangerous drug, then it isn’t difficult to imagine “withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose”. > > I believe it is well established that overuse of MDMA can lead to lowered serotonin levels. Withdrawal can occur, but it does not have the same physical trauma associated with withdrawal from opiates or cocaine. What physical trauma is associated with withdrawal from cocaine? I thought stimulant withdrawal was mainly a “massive depression”-style crash, rather than the physical symptoms associated with depressant withdrawal. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/35 "2012-05-24T01:43:13Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Was this the girl Glenn Beck kidnapped? Another one, you mean, than the one he (maybe) murdered? > [@Zebra](#): > > Every time a child goes missing during a Romney presidency, he will stop the entire fucking country until that child is found. Nobody goes to work. Every stops what they are doing and they look for the kid. I’m weirdly OK with that. Well, not Glenn Beck. He’d spend the time kidnapping someone else, or so I hear. ---
**Author:** ![onecut39](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a183cd/32.png) [@onecut39](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onecut39)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/36 "2012-07-04T02:14:45Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > I got this little story in an email from a friend yesterday: > > So, I’m supposed to be impressed because Romney helped out a friend who is just like him. I mean, suppose that it was the janitor’s kid who turned up missing. Would Mittens have shut down the company and mobilized all his resources to help find her? Maybe. But, maybe not. I think most people would drop everything and help find their friend’s missing kid, if they could. Romney’s resources are just a bit greater than most people’s. However, I don’t see how he did anything extraordinary here. > I have taken some heat on Facebook for a rather lengthy criticism of Romney’s bullying a kid in high school and his rather tepid recent “apology”. I suppose this email was supposed to show me that Romney is not really a jerk and is quite willing to help a fellow rich guy in need. Good for him. I’m also supposed to be impressed that he didn’t accept any salary while working as Governor of Massachusetts nor while working with the Olympics. Heck, he didn’t even accept a salary at Bain. What a great guy! He is so in touch with the working man that he doesn’t even have to earn a living. > > * * * He didn’t need a SALARY at Bain. He would have had to pay taxes on that. [http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/19/391813/romney-bain-retirement-taxes/?mobile=nc](http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/19/391813/romney-bain-retirement-taxes/?mobile=nc) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/37 "2012-07-04T02:26:39Z")
This tells me that Romney would appoint a lot of “Heck of a job” type of people to positions that they’re not qualified to hold. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/38 "2012-07-04T02:32:25Z")
[This story](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/03/17/mitt-romney-melissa-gay_n_1355317.html) says he sure down the office, \* asked for volunteers \*, and took them to New York. I don’t know if a call for volunteers or a call for “volunteers” went out, but it sounds like he didn’t draft his entire staff against their will. Hopefully those who couldn’t come still got paid. Also it says he hired a private detective _agency_, not agent. To me, this is a story about someone who went above and beyond for a friend. I find it remarkable that he threw so much into finding this girl, and I think it’s exceptional, even among people with his means. I don’t think it has the slightest bearing on his ability as a potential President, and I still find him distasteful because he’s a Republican and therefore stands for pretty much everything I oppose (and vice versa). But credit where credit is due - this goes well beyond showing up with a casserole and a vague promise of “anything I can do”. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/39 "2012-07-04T02:48:22Z")
It is good that he did that for his coworkers daughter, because he seems to have gone pretty far to help someone out. However it doesn’t change the fact that he is wants to make it harder for me and millions of other people to get health care. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/40 "2012-07-04T03:12:30Z")
I’d for one would like to see the NY Times or someone do a real investigative piece instead of trusting and interwebs email… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708.md?page=3)