I like firing people

Posted on January 10th, 2012 by ecthompson md

Mitt Romney has the same problem that he has always had. He is rich and he loves being rich. He loves doing things that rich people do. There is nothing wrong with being rich. As a matter of fact, we would all love to have enough money to do what we want to do when we what to do it. It is the smugness in which Romney flaunts his money that is the problem.

Tags: Elections // 8 Comments »

  • Jeff

    I’ve always though he was out of touch with Americans and was a shameless shape shifter.  But its interesting how even the right react negatively to him when what Romney has done in business is exactly what the Republican party stands for.  It’s all about profits, I’ve got mine screw you mentality.  Perhaps they don’t like it so in their face as with this candidate.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    I’m to have more on this later. I think that his brand of business is not a play well across the country.

    I appreciate your comments.

  • Bubba

    Just wondering, Doc; did you listen to the whole comment?  He likes being able to fire people who don’t perform as they should.  Would you retain your gardener if he ruined your lawn?  How about your car saleman; would you go back to him if he sold you a lemon?

    The entire quote:

    “I want people to be able to own insurance if they wish to,
    and to buy it for themselves and perhaps keep it for the rest of their
    life, and to choose among different policies offered from companies
    across the nation. I want individuals to have their own insurance. That
    means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy.

    “It also means if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them. I
    like being able to fire people who provide services to me. If someone
    doesn’t give me the good service I need, I’m going to go get somebody
    else to provide that service to me.”

    The fact is, these are things that you and I do EVERY DAY.  If you go to a restaurant that has bad food and crappy service, would you go there again?

    The cherry picking in this particular matter is horrendous, and I expect better from and educated dude, Doc.

    Full disclosure A: Romney has pulled this exact stunt with the Obama campaign, and maybe this is karma biting him in the arse.

    Full disclosure B: I am a conservative, and I also like firing people who don’t provide goods and services to me that don’t meet my quality standards.  I also don’t like Mitt Romney, and probably won’t vote for him in the Michigan primary, although if you asked why, I probably couldn’t articulate it.  He just rubs me the wrong way.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    Yes. I listen to the whole quote and the whole speech. Thanks for askin’. I understood what he meant. I still think that no one should b happy about firing anyone. U and I have had to fire folks for poor service. I have never liked the task. Whether it was ny real estate agent in St Louis or a car dealership here in Asheville. I don’t like it.
    Thanks for your comment.

    Errington C. Thompson, MD
    Trauma/Critical Care
    Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE Phone

    —–Original message—–

  • Bubba

    Again Doc, thats not what he was saying at all. He doesn’t like firing people, but he likes the fact that he can.

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    whether you like it or not, politics is about nuance and presentation.  Mitt showed neither in this speech.

  • Bubba

    I’m nonplussed with your statement, Doc.  I’ve started and erased three responses. 

    So, you don’t like the fact that he plays into a stereotype of a rich person, even though the stereotyping behavior is exhibited by everyone, regardless of the size of their bank account or income statement?

    You’ve gone to great lengths above to show you can say the same thing in a roundabout way.  That’s good, I suppose, that you can rephrase it so you don’t say the word, “fired”, but didn’t Shakespeare cover this in “Romeo and Juliet” 500 years ago? 

    And, while I’m on a roll, what difference does the semantics of your argument make?  If the end result is the same, why don’t you just call it what it is, rather than skirting the issue? 

  • http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/about/ EC Thompson, MD

    Bubba –  Politics is all about creating a perception. Are you a leader? Do you have nerves of steel? Are you compassionate? Michael Dukakis had the perception of being wishy-washy. He had the perception of being weak. When he appeared in a tank with a ridiculous helmet on he played into that perception. When asked what would he do if his own wife or daughter were being raped, he gave a stupid and nuanced answer which played into the limp wristed stereotype. If you want to win an election you need to paint the voters a picture and get the voters to buy that perception. Mitt Romney is trying to paint himself as a businessman who was extremely successful but also compassionate. The answer that I wrote shows him to be decisive and still compassionate. The answer that he gave calls and the question his compassion for the average American worker. If Mitt Romney truly wants to win the White House he has to erase the perception that he’s a cold, heartless businessman who’s more interested in making money than he has in building the American economy and putting Americans back to work. It is that simple. You can argue about which answer is correct in which answer is right in the fact that both answers seem to be similar. That’s not the issue. The issue is how does one answer play with the American people versus the other.

    Thanks for your comments.

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