# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/41 "2012-07-04T03:16:30Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > 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. But that someone was of his own economic class. I have my doubts he would have gone to such extreme measures for a janitor or someone in the mailroom. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/42 "2012-07-04T03:47:19Z")
A little girl you personally know is in trouble and you spare no expense to find her. A few hundred people (many of whom have little girls of their own to feed) get put out of work because of a leveraged buyout that allowed you to suck all the assets out of a company and send it into bankruptcy and that’s just business. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/43 "2012-07-04T03:59:53Z")
Stupid. Just stupid. What, exactly, were these untrained amateurs supposed to accomplish? What information did they have that the professionals didn’t have already? Her shoe size? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/44 "2012-07-04T04:19:08Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Stupid. Just stupid. What, exactly, were these untrained amateurs supposed to accomplish? What information did they have that the professionals didn’t have already? Her shoe size? A publicity stunt gets the girl’s situation reported on the news. The news story causes a tip to be phoned into the police. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/45 "2012-07-04T04:44:35Z")
Well screw that! He’s got millions of bucks, he wants to get attention, he can flat out buy it and not put dozens of feckless office buffalo into junior G men fantasies. How could those people have the least fucking idea what they were about? Unless you mean he made it all up and never actually sent anybody, which would be a damn sight smarter. Sleazy, but smart. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/46 "2012-07-05T14:49:22Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > 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? Sending Hedge Fund Managers to talk to prostitutes about finding a little girl? Sounds like their typical Thursday night. > [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Was this the girl Glenn Beck kidnapped? You can’t prove that. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/47 "2012-07-05T15:14:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Is anyone stupid enough to think the girl experienced “withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose”? Are you stupid enough to believe there aren’t any? The reported symptoms of both excessive use and withdrawal from MDMA are well-documented. Also, the pills may contain other substances unknown to the user that could cause all kinds of symptoms. Google “suicide tuesday.” ---
**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:** [July 5, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/48 "2012-07-05T15:38:05Z")
If one starts with the (sound) premise that Romney totally lacks empathy, then what explains his behavior in this instance? I would suggest that he took the situation as a personal affront. Much the way rape used to be considered a crime against the property rights of a husband, not an assault against a woman. Can’t “steal” from 'ol Mittford. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/49 "2012-07-05T16:01:17Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > But that someone was of his own economic class. I have my doubts he would have gone to such extreme measures for a janitor or someone in the mailroom. I seriously doubt that a janitor or a mailroom clerk would have had any kind of access to Romney to let him know of the situation. You’d probably have to go up several levels before you even encountered someone who had access to someone who had access to the boss. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/50 "2012-07-05T20:17:33Z")
Nothing to add about Romney. Just wanted to protest the thread title: surely the proper euphemized spelling is ‘a$$hole’ (or maybe ‘@$$hole’). ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/51 "2012-07-05T21:05:39Z")
To me, the test of whether a person is a jerk or not is not what good works he does for his friends, colleagues or their families, but what good works he does for complete strangers. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/52 "2012-07-05T21:30:48Z")
I let them remain complete strangers. It saves time, and their expense in getting a restraining order. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/53 "2012-07-05T21:34:34Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Are you stupid enough to believe there aren’t any? > > The reported symptoms of both excessive use and withdrawal from MDMA are well-documented. Also, the pills may contain other substances unknown to the user that could cause all kinds of symptoms. > > Google “suicide tuesday.” Google “withdrawal” and “dose”. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/54 "2012-07-05T23:47:31Z")
> [@42fish](#): > > Nothing to add about Romney. Just wanted to protest the thread title: surely the proper euphemized spelling is ‘a$$hole’ (or maybe ‘@$$hole’). Noted. Thank you for your help. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/55 "2012-07-06T14:09:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Google “withdrawal” and “dose”. No. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/56 "2012-07-06T15:40:31Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Another one, you mean, than the one he (maybe) murdered? Well, he certainly hasn’t denied it. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/57 "2012-07-06T16:24:55Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Is anyone stupid enough to think the girl experienced “withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose”? Yeah, it’s usually _lack_ of a dose that causes withdrawal, I thought… To give them benefit of the doubt, they probably were talking about difficulties while on or coming down from the stuff, but picked the wrong word. Or they pretty much made it up, which is of course a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/58 "2012-07-10T16:59:04Z")
It’s sad that the political climate is so contentious that people can’t admit any worthwhile qualities in the “opposition”. I wouldn’t vote for Romney, and he may well be an asshole, but this seems like a pretty decent thing to have done. Did he handle it perfectly? Would he have done it for the janitor? Who knows. Probably not. Would YOU have done it for the janitor? Not just thought about it and meant well, but actually got off your ass, cracked open your checkbook and done something. I doubt I would have. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/59 "2012-07-10T17:04:34Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > No. I accept your concession. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turns-out-romney-isnt-an-a-hole-after-all-i-read-it-in-an-email/622708/60 "2012-07-10T19:08:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I accept your concession. I deny it. [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=2) [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=4)