What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship?
By CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Mitt Romney's latest unforced error has a lot of Republicans worried that his, and by extension, their, chances of winning this election are slipping away.
As Politico puts it, "If political campaigns have nine lives, nervous Republicans feel Romney has used up at least eight."
The latest gaffe comes courtesy of Romney's comments to a group of wealthy Republican donors in May when he said the 47% of Americans who support President Obama no matter what depend on the government for handouts and "believe they are victims."
The leaked video could damage Romney's support among some Republican voters like seniors or members of the military, not to mention Independents.
Which is why some Republicans, including Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, are distancing themselves from Romney's remarks.
All this comes after Romney's bungled and highly political response to the Middle East riots last week.
In her Wall Street Journal column, former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan says the Romney campaign is incompetent:
"It's not big, it's not brave, it's not thoughtfully tackling great issues. It's always been too small for the moment ... an intervention is in order. 'Mitt: this isn't working.'"
Noonan writes that Romney, who's not good at news conferences, should stick to speeches and they "have to be big."
She says he should surround himself with a posse of top Republicans every day: people like Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels, Marco Rubio and Chris Christie to show he's not in this alone.
Here’s my question to you: What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
What Romney has to do is switch parties to independent and get out from under the republican brand. The old white men republican brand has long outlived it's usefulness. If Romney stays with it he is sure to lose. People are running from republicans not to them.
He could start by releasing his taxes, though I'm guessing whatever he is hiding in there might just sink it.
Time to jump in the lifeboats with the rest of the Republicans. What a poor choice the republicans made at their convention. Ron Paul where are you?
He just needs to keep talking, it will keep "righting" itself with President Obama at the helm.
Get an Italian cruise ship captain! The metaphor is really freaky the way things are turning out.
Stay focus on Obama's Economic Record: It's all about the incumbent, not the challenger.
Hi Jack, Romney cannot see that his slap to the face of Americans is not the wording of his fanatical elitist beliefs; it’s his beliefs! An elegantly reworded slap is no better; it’s a second slap! It is as ridiculous as saying if a “legitimate rape” takes place in a penthouse it would be an “elegant legitimate rape.” Romney cannot right the GOP ship because it’s fanatical elitist and religious baggage is sinking it.
Your questions assumes that his ship is in some trouble, but that is the same message being delivered by most of the press who tend to favor the President. If our press was unbiased, it is quite possible that President Obama never would have received the Democratic nomination, let alone heard about the fiasco that the so-called Health Reform Act actually is, how reform of Wall Street is being blocked by the White House and a dozen other inconsistencies between what our President says and what he has done. I think that the only ship that needs righting at this time is our press, they've failed our nation.
The SS Romney sailed and sank long ago for most intelligent voters. If not, then surely it hit the briney depths yesterday. This is not a bell that can't be unrung - it's an alarm sounding loud and clear, and broadcasting this man's true feelings about those he would govern. The only ones who could vote for such an evil man would be those who are evil themselves..
How about starting with showing us your tax returns and then show us your projected taxes under your proposed tax reform. Will Mittens save as much as the $2Billion dollars he wants to give Sheldon Adelson who is a major contributor to Mutt Romney
Romney bought this boat, which makes him the Captain, so the only honorable thing he can do is hang on until the end and go down with it. They should have a mercy rule in politics. The Republican Establishment wants so badly for Obama to win another term, they have stayed out of this election from the beginning. The Republican Estalishment knows, as well as every living American with an IQ above Rocky The Squirells, that sometime between now and 2014 the Government is going to have to declare bankruptcy. The Republican bosses want no way, no how, to have their flag hanging over the White House when that happens. The Democrats could have nominated Dennis Kucinich, with Anthony Weiner as VP, and the Republicans still would have conceeded the Election. Meanwhile the Federal
Reserve, dumbfoundingly, is still buying Mortgage Backed Securities. How did we get into this mess? Doug, Pepperell, MA.
I am not sure he ever can. .He comes across in his own words as being willing to toss away representing almost half of America.That 40 some percent of americans do not pay taxes.Well we used to pay taxes but attempts to bust unions have gotten our jobs shipped overseas.
I think by all accounts he is alienating as many groups of potential voters as often as he opens his mouth.I just don't think there is enough money out there to float his boat .
You can't right a ship that has already sunk.
His shipping is taking on water. Maybe it is time for the GOP to forget about replacing Akin in Missouri and replace Mitt?
Acknowledge Proper Trade Policy.Were Getting Waxed and wall st is draining what china doesnt take.Obama and democrats Give away the negotiating position for fear china wont loan us money .In fact , here in seattle,our libraries and schools close cuz senator murrays husbands company,S.S.A.Marine, lobbied the port of seattle on behalf of china shipping to not to have to charge CHina SHipping anything for im;porting containers t.The result,Our property taxes get raided to cover the bond payments for infrastructure flags of convenience and dutch rule of law use. Romney doesnt even make an attempt to solve our trade policy treasons with any semblance of competing.He could win state of washington,but, thinks its already over here cuz democrats try to buy votes with welfare.
Romney needs to figure out who those of us making up the 99% are – what we believe, what we want, how we see ourselves as Americans, where we stand on various issues, where we want this country to go. He doesn't seem to understand that the economy is only one part of who we are as a people, and he doesn't seem to understand that it isn't all about him.
Become somebody else. He can't change who he is. On that "47% Video", he sounded authentic. So, you like that Country Club cliche, or you don't.
Carol in Northampton, Ma
He has to turn against the inherent corruption within the democrats and the right wing.SHOrt of tthat he is just another status quo hoe of want..he always pulls his punches,sugar coating the niceties of complaint while acting like its bettor on the investment side where we get sold out by international investors controlling our mortgages ,our corporate buildings, our apartments..Thesse things are treasonous trade deals but the 2 party monopoly doesnt think he should complain
He can't! He basically said If you are a student, stay at home mom, senior with little income, the working poor, many working middle class with college and mortgage deductions, that allow them to pay no income taxes, even some millionaires fall into this category, you are of NO Value to Romney and you EXPECT the government to take care of you, according to him. This is because he judges your worth by the amount of income tax you pay....it doesn't matter if you pay social security taxes, medicare taxes, property taxes, local taxes, state taxes, sales taxes etc...It doesn't even matter if you've ever taken one dime of government money or not. Who would want a president like this?
Get a new ship...one without any leaky holes in it, lol!!
Try keeping his lips together and let someone else do the talking instead.
Mitt doesn,t have to do anything – he is toast already. Complaining about the freeloaders, when in fact he himself is one,
he is hiding his money in Switzerland and Cayman Islands so he doesn,t have to pay tax. He and Ryan are
cruel, no compassion in the Americans struggling in this recession.
For a start he needs to produce his tax returns. If they show that he is part of the 47% of Americans he has no time for because they are lazy Americans who live off the government then it's a sinking ship Jack! My gutt tells me this is why we have not seen them.
I'm sorry, we do not have time for an exorcism and re-education! This man is so out of touch, he adds a new definition to out of touch! He doesn't realize that there are millions of low paying jobs out there, and they need to be done! When you're only able to find low paying jobs, then benefits like Tax Deductions for Child Care and Home Mortgage help to sustain life! If you still do not make the minimum wage for income tax and have a child, the tax credit helps you to care for the child. Children are important, the Religious Right should know that when Jesus was all about the children!!!!
These people are not Victims, they are for the most part, hard working Americans trying to make a living while sustaining our economy, they are not going to disappear!!!!
Yet, Romney thinks tax Credits and breaks for Major Corporations and Wealthy Americans is going to trickle down and fix the economy. He does not understand what middle income is, what poor is, but he will get a good look at them because they are the majority and will vote for Obama!
The impossible......stop being Mitt Romney. He simply does not possess the abilty, the empathy, or the compassion to connect with the majority of citizens. He'll never admit the ship is sinking, even when it's sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
Simple, think before he speaks....
He needs to come up with some policies that are beneficial to 99% of the American people, including the 47% of the population he calls losers and moochers and that he doesn't care about. You know, moochers like senior citizens on Social Security, and US soldiers, who all get checks signed by Uncle Sam.
If he only cares about 1% of the population, then I hope he only gets 1% of the votes.
Nothing. The below deck pumps are working to evacuate the effluent. The Romney supporters are hanging with him, despite being explicitly disenfranchised, drinking his bilge water like nothing has happened.
S.O.S. Jack! The boat is sinking. A prudent captain would either steer back to port or start passsing out the life preservers and floatation devices. If he was prudent enough to pack a few in the first place.
Too late. His ship is on the rocks and the rats have already started leaving.
Jack, when its THE TITANIC, its every man for himself!
Get rid of the Liberal Press. Don't give them any interviews or press conferences.
Jack, I just crossed the Tar River down here in Greenville, NC. The water is still flowing and much more water will pass under the bridge before voting day. Mitt's ship ain't nowhere near sinking. Plenty of more water will flow around President Obama's boat as well. Mitt needs to stay the course and keep pounding away about President Obama's Oval Office record.
I do not think there is anything he can do at this point! As a middle class person he has NO IDEA what it takes to live pay check to pay check. And by the way he can quit complaining about pople not paying income tax when he is hiding his, we have no idea what or if he has paid any.
Mr. Romney needs to apologize to the many Americans he said he does not care about. These Americans include:
The 592,000 American children receiving SSI benefits from the Federal Government because, like Mr. Romney's
running mate Paul Ryan, their moms or dads died when they were young.
The 2.9 million retired American Veterans who, like John McCain served honorably for twenty or more years
and receive military pensions from the Federal Government.
The 36 million retired American workers who, like former President Reagan's wife Nancy, qualify for Social
Security from the Federal Government.
The 45 million Americans who, like Mr. Romney's running mate's mom Betty Ryan, qualify for Medicare
assistance from the Federal Government.
The 2.9 million disabled American Veterans who, like former Senator Bob Dole, were injured in the line of duty and
receive disability payments from the Federal Government.
Have a nice day.
Joe
What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship? He needs to let it sink all the way to the bottom (where it is currently heading) and let it rest on the ocean floor where it will level off.
What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship? He needs to let it sink all the way to the bottom (where it is currently heading) and let it rest on the ocean floor where it will level off.
Oshkosh, WI
Mr. Romney laid another rotten egg even worse than he did in England and other countries. I am one of the "47%" but pay taxes on SS and other income at a higher rate than he does. He is the biggest joke I've seen in many years of living and does not deserve nor is he qualified to be President. In my eyes, he can't right the ship but maybe he can get a hint from the Captain of that liner that sank and jump overboard, today.
I said this before in one of your previous posts. He needed, before the campaign got into full swing, to live in a third floor walk up in NYC, with Ann, without limos and jets, where they would have to feed themselves on the equivalent of what 2 people get on food stamps, for a month, to understand real people, not just the country club set he's only been exposed to all his life. Just have to ask, however did we get to a place where a man wants to be our president yet disdains half of us and doesn't want to pay his fair share of taxes? (Does that make him part of the mooching 47%?!)
The seas are rough out there for both canidates. The passengers rush from one side to the other and the ship rocks with them. If Mitt would stand mid deck and speak what he belives, instead of just being a talking head, he might find out that most of us want what will right the ship and put us on a steady course.
Romneys' ship is already right, although, it would sure help his cause if he would loose the role of "Attack Dog".
Those who vote for the health and well being of America will vote for Romney; those who vote for themselves will vote for Obama, but then there is the 'swing vote" that may decide who becomes President. Romney must be "likeable" to win those critical votes. People don't like a negative person, Obama is a positive person, although somewhat a dreamer.. an impractical administrator. Romney is exactly right about the 47% who will vote for Obama because of what they get.. or can get.. from the treasury of this Republic. Let us hope that the remaining 53% can like Romney enough to make him our "turn America around" President.
BudT in Jacksonville, FL
Wait unitl Obama starts to talk a lot and they can have a contest to see who can have ther foot in their mouth most often. Vice President Biden will help with that.
From The Commentaries on Irrelevancies in the Universe, wait till she settles on the bottom then kick like Hell and hope you can get to the surface.
I'm not sure he can at this point. The video put definition into what a lot of people felt were his feelings toward those not as fortunate as he is. This will no doubt return the call for release of his tax returns to see if he falls into this category. This is not a person a reasonably thinking American voter should ever consider voting for.
Let it go bankrupt.
He's on the right path, or shall I say, the right "shipping lane." I suppose you're referring to it's time for the Etch-a-Sketch moment," where he erases all of the horrible things he's uttered ,and replace them with more palatible stuff. The thing is, we won't let him forget. Video, anybody? Audio, anyone?
Jack I think it is too late, can you sayTitanic!!!!!
He went to Harvard?? I guess money and a famous dad will get you places. As far as righting the ship......Willard needs to stop talking, right now. And let someone else do his speaking and planing for him....just like he did at Bain. I can't believe for one second that he was the "brains" behind Bain. I don't think he has it at all.
He needs to step aside and let another Republican take over the ticket at this point. He cannot win if he has already dismissed half of the electorate.
the short answer–decline the nomination (like that's gonna happen–Mitt's ego won't permit that)
I doubt that Mitt Romney CAN right the ship, most of the influential Republicans that could have helped him are already in the life boats with us 47%' ers
He has to wait four years and try again. It's well known that voters have short term memory loss.
Jack, Mitt Romney should keep his mouth shut and and out source the job of speaking
to Bill Clinton! Jack form Nice, CA
All I will say is people need to watch out for hidden or hot mikes and cameras with telescopic lenses.
What ship? That ship has now sailed past the horizon.
IF he released the past 12 years of tax returns, that might actually stop the current discussion about the videos, but since he hasn't already, that's just replacing one boondoggle with another boondoggle.
Actually talking about the economy with no side trips to Egypt and Libya and other matters of foreign policy, and actually talking about specifics might help. But again, he hasn't so far, so I doubt that he HAS any.
Bryan Price, Jacksonville, Florida
Granit Romney isn’t the most elegant speaker but we’ve had 4 years of an elegant speaker and we see that’s done us no favors. Higher debt less jobs and a people divided. Lets see if the Media will give as much attention to Obama’s redistribution comment as they do to Romney’s I think not
Jump off and take Ryan with him.
From Mitt's recent goof-ups, I would recommend he not say anything for the
duration. But that wouldn't work, not with the presidential debate coming up.
Plus he has to have high visibility to stand a chance. I've actually wondered if he is trying to "throw" the election, but the fact is he wants to be president really bad. And Ann Romney wants it even more!
What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship ?
Answer : All he has to do is "stay the course" all that stuff is small potatoes by the time election day rolls around. people will end up forgetting about that stuff. It's too bad that when the debates start, Romney can't have Gingrich to take care of the debates for him. Gingrich would sweep the floor with Obama, but, unfortunately for Newt, he couldn't carry the sunshine state, because Romney unleashed a barrage of ads that had a cost of tens of millions, and held the Newter under water for weeks, before he came up for air, not to mention that Gingrich had so much baggage, he would have sunk an aircraft carrier. Obama will end up out witting, and out talking Romney in the Debates I'm afraid. "Stay the Course" – only problem is that it won't be like Reagan vs. Carter, where he was defeated by Reagan by a landslide. He will end up edging out Obama with just a handful of Votes, and hopefully the supreme court won't interfere, like the time when they gave the election to Bush, instead of Gore.
Vote Democrat – 2012 ( for the "working" middle class )
What he should have done from the beginning was take a clear stand on the issues and stick to it. Buck the conservative wing of his party on some of the social issues, and prove to the country both that he isn't an extremist and that he isn't afraid to stand up to the Tea Party. He should have challenged them from the start, and dared them to risk letting Obama win if they didn't like it. At this point, though, he's trapped by his own actions; any major change will just be seen as another flip-flop.
Are you kidding? Righting the Romney ship at this point is tantamount to raising the Titanic. This seriously flawed candidate and his inept staff has bungled every issue from day one. These clowns couldn't manage a one car funeral. I say let them all go down with the ship. America will be better off for it.
SHOW his TAX RETURNS.......for 10 years
Sinking launches lift yachts. A rich man bemoaning socialism is a liar. The money that accumulates HAS to come from somewhere. Just like the 'poor' getting something for nothing . . . because they're s o t e a m.
He so clearly can not understand the problems his buddies have created for the country and the majority of voters. The best thing he can do is get rid of Ryan, withdraw his own nomination and let Christie run. That will all but assure a Republican victory.
Drop out of the race Jack. As an independent, I am no longer undecided. I was really rooting for this guy. Now if Rick Santorum was the nominee.......Obama would have had a real problem. There was a sincerity and genuineness about the guy that showed. For me it is no longer about the economy as no matter who takes the reigns in November, the economy WILL PICK UP. My parents worked hard as labourers making about 20 thousand. There was nothing to tax. We were seven kids. Romney's words were an insult to the hardworking parents I had. They were no victims.
For starters Jack, he has to lay out an actual plan of what he would do. "I will create 12 million jobs doesn't cut it". Tell us how, what kinds of jobs (and in what counrty they would be created).
Give the same message to the pubic that he gives in "closed" fund raising events.
Explain why he keeps so much of his wealth in offshore accounts.
Mit Romney should get off the ship, He doesn't think before he talk He lucky he is rated 46%. Now he after the latins as a middle class who serves our country he will not get my vote .He shoud go where he came from,he can't run our country without brains
How do I spell Romney campaign? T I T A N I C (that wasn't supposed to sink either)
Produce his tax documents for a minimum of ten years and then jump!
The ship be sinking.
Romney = NONE and DONE !!
.
To "right the ship" Romney must lie repeatedly to members of the media who will not question or fact-check his statements. Thus one expects he will spend an inordinate amount of time interviewing on Fox News over the next month.
Jack- It is clear to everyone that Romney does not represent average American. One gaffe after another one just shows that how much is he out of touch with average American's struggles.
First, he has no backbone to stand up for his principle. Everything is for sale in his mind to get to the President's chair. Second, he likes to bet for $10,000, his wife drives couple of Cadillacs, He thinks poor students should borrow money to goto school and he thinks retired people who paid into social security are freeloaders : )
Why would anyone, other than 1%, want him to represent US with this type of mentality? People voting for him are not really voting for him, they are voting against Obama who is a principled decent man compared to Romney.
You know, its funny why the gaffe's of a candidate out way the actions of a President. The middle east is blowing up and the economy is creeping on and the press is worried about a dumb video, heaven help the people.
I don't want him to right his ship. I want him to sail away on it – don't care where as long as it isn't North America:)
There is nothing to do in order to right the ship. He has shown us the "Real Romney". It is what it is.........
I'm not exactly an Independent, but I'm not exactly a Democrat or Republican either. As far as I'm concerned, Romney showed his true self and true beliefs at that fund raising party. He seems like a guy who wants to be president, but only just because. He hasn't shown any real leadership, offered nothing on issues, and assumed that voters would simply fall for his "trust me" line, rather than require substance. As for the 47% remark, it's beyond contemptible and Romney has made it clear he could give a flying fig about anyone who he decides is a mooch.
Maybe he should get one of those cute little sailor's cap like the "real" Thurtson Howell III used to wear.
Gov. Romney would do well to decide what he really believes in and state his case for how he would put into place the lofty ideas he has without always
trying to denigrate his opponent. Voters know he doesn't like Obama. Let's hear what he truly believes and how he will go forward.
Romney is like a dumb wild animal that gets even more dumb when cornered... I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this last gaffe was just the tip of the iceberg. If Romney wants to right the ship, he better stop steering it right toward the iceberg of his own sloppy stupidity.
Let's all bash Romney. Well Jack I see your time off was well spent with the Obama re-indoctrination camp. Only point out things that makes Romney look bad and forget about or just brush over the Presidents gaffs.
Jack, Romney's ship has hit a dozen icebergs in the last month or so. The only question is how many Republicans will he take down with him when he sinks. I'm hoping a lot.
Let other people campaign for him.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - Nobody's really talking about this slice of the pie, but Mitt Romney's "47%" who pay no federal income tax include several thousand of the highest-income households in the country.
The Tax Policy Center estimates that 4,000 households with incomes over $1 million ended up with zero federal income tax liability in 2011. Another 14,000 made between $500,000 and $1 million. WHAT A HYPOCRITE!
"Ship" is being a little generous I'd go with "Flippy canoe, and Ryan too"
This country is no longer worth living in. Unless you are in the 1%. The rest of us are screwed if Romney wins. We the people (Corporations to Romney), in order to form a more perfect union, will ignore 47% of the population. Now why won't the American people buy that one? Hmmm...I wonder...the 1% who want more tax breaks, or the 99% out of a job with kids to feed. Yeah, they'll vote for Romney for that promised 12 million jobs. Oh, a job to Romney is making money without working. He meant 12 million more in his offshore Cayman Island account!
Admit and concede that he is not the right man.
In Romney's case, it's more like, how to right the "yacht."
Hire a look alike with a brain.
Coconut Creek, FL In Romney's case, it's more like how to right the "yacht.'
Take up residence in the countries where he produces the outsourced American jobs (after he produces his tax returns).
The beauty of lengthy campains is that eventually you find out who the candidate is and what he/she stands for – We've now seen enough of Romney to know . . . . there's nothing to do to 'right the ship' – You take him as he is and if he pretends to be something else now, you can add 'phoney' to his long list of attributes
Right the ship??? The iceberg has been hit, the Captain backed up the ship and hit it again!
Jack, the band is already playing "Nearer My God To Thee"!
Simple: DROP OUT!
The 47% isn't the worst part of the video. Joking that a person's race can better their chances of being elected. Having a foreign policy of sticking your head in the ground when it comes to middle east peace. Worried people will get tired of his wife. I'm part of that 47% that will NEVER vote for Gov. Romney, and I wrote a check in April of 2012 to the Government for my taxes. This video is just proof that when it comes to Pres. Obama's lead in the polls, Gov. Romney built that.
It really doesn't matter, the Republicans will most likely never win an election again; their Tea Party, Limbaugh, anti-minority, extremism has soured the majority of Americans. The huge Republican defeat that is coming this November may be a blessing in disguise as it will inevitably spawn a viable third party.
Floundering, This fella should have never been nominated in the first place what was the GOP thinking. I'm retired so I guess I'm just one of the moochers...
It will strengthen his base and probably made a bunch of peoples' (Adelson) day! However, it should help swing thoughtful independents away from him. I think insulting such a large swath of the electorate is quite damaging. Even if they don't necessarily think they are part of his written off group, people will think his patrician words and arrogant country club demeanor is quite a turn off. ...in SF
Nothing. Now that his true colors have shown, the voters whom he expressed contempt and disregard for have no reason to think he will do anything but ignore them.
In just 50 minutes Mitt Romney has sucessfully shown the american people the real hand of the GOP. The 47 percent of the people that he speaks of includes African Americans, Latinos, seniors, and military service members who daily place thier lives on the line for the safety of Americans, and others in the world. This statement by the candidate should be a wake up call to anyone who thinks that thier vote does not matter. President Obama said on Letterman that 47 percent of the vote was given to John McCain in the 2008 election. he went on to say that even though they didnt vote for him, he heard thier voice, and works to be the best president for them also. That is presidental, that is honorable. That is why President Obama will be there four more years. Give it up Mitt. You are not ready,
I don't think at this stage there is'nt much he can do to right his sinking ship. The only thing he can do is write a concession speech and may be prepare for 2016. By then he will be 69 but can amass more wealth from now to 2016 by sending jobs to China.
Just keep reminding people of the facts..... The facts are that more people are unemployed and dependant on the government since this incompetant president took office. The fact is that if Obama is reelected, we can expect more of the same – MORE UNEMPLOYEMENT, HIGHER DEFICIT AND MORE PEOPLE DEPENDANT ON GOVERNMENT.....Not a pretty picture!!!
Stick a fork in this man, he is done.
Pretty much impossible to right the ship. The only way he could have won the general election would have been by not bowing down to the ultra conservatives in the GOP which would have cost him the nomination. The GOP has been doomed from the start. Until the level headed middle take back their party they will continue to falter.
Concede. Here is a man who privately says he doesn't care about almost half the country. A man who I doubt lost any sleep when he closed up US businesses and gave those jobs to people in other countries. A man who hides his money offshore so he doesn't have to pay taxes – taxes that might go to keep a federal employee employed; contribute to the hiring of VA doctors who can help the troops coming home with PTSD; offset some of the costs of required medication for a retiree who cant afford it. He is un-American. Anyone else doing what he has done would be accused of Treason.
Since this is the REAL MItt Romney (and we've been waiting years to actually see him)- it is imossible to right the ship without complete lies and utter dishonesty- and people will see right through that. He's in BIG trouble!!
Try again in 2016 \~)
Jack, It's too late! The ship has flipped – just like Mitt does on every position he takes! btw – I love the Joker picture you've used for today's column!
Romney's campaign is taking on water faster than they can concoct ways of trying to bail it out. His campaign is sinking and the country will be better off for it.
PUT ME in your 47% of FREE-LOADERS ...
I am disabled from saving lives while serving in the US Coast Guard, I have worked as a civilian for Defense Contractors editing corporate proposals for Pentagon Contracts, I was raised in Michigan in the 60's and know ALL about the Romneys, I had my own consulting business, worked for GM, Ford and MANY major and medium-sized corporations as a business consultant.
We are trying to pick up the pieces from the Bush Admin 8 years of bankrupting this country via totally UNnessessary war-occupation of Iraq, causing THOUSANDS of needless deaths and wounded. I know all to well the greed of the Military-Industrial complex.. defense contractors will tell you they are patriotic...HA...they LOVE war and conflict it makes for the business bottom line that Mitt and his ilk so cherish..
He can right the ship just like he parted the Red Sea. DUH. OOOoops..sorry Mitt, that was Charlton Heston
Apology and Sorry are just to name a few terms Romney needs add to his vocabulary. They come handy when trying to convince the 47% that he has referred to a million times. His reaction to others' remarks about him should be at least as fast as his remarks about the administration. He needs to retire some of his mantras such as the 'failed to fix the economy' , 'repealing the Obamacare'. Hurry up ! Only seven weeks away !
It's too late Jack. The ship is sinking and there are not enough lifeboats left. Had this latest fiasco not happened perhaps he could have done something but when he feels 47% of us are parasites living off the government, he has not earned the right to even be considered for the office of POTUS. Case closed.
Not unless he mans the pumps right along with all those citizens whose contributions to America - raising families, working hard all their lives and retiring on Social Security, fighting in Republican-sponsored wars - "takers" like those folks - and, of course, he won't do that. Might get his hands calloused. Ooooh.
1) Demonstrate he's got a backbone and tell the Tea Partiers it is now "adult time" and they must stop their tantrums.
2) Admit publicly that governance requires compromise and bi-partisan co-operation.
3) Concede that all avenues of dealing with the deficit are on the table, including tax hikes.
4) Take a class in what benefits government brings to a society, and write an essay on why those benefits are required.
5) Spent one month living in a household of average Americans, with no extra money working as a greeter at Walmart.
6) Drop his current insurance coverage and then get new policies including for his wife's existing conditions on the average American income
That should fix things in time for the election.
That 47 percent will turn into the fastest 270 electoral votes for Peresident Obama that the nation has ever seen. Are you ready for 2016 Hillary?
I don't know, but I hope he doesn't find it. I don't think these are gaffes; this IS the real Mitt Romney. And as part of the 47% that support the President almost no matter what, please note that I DO pay income taxes and aside from six months of unemployment during the Reagan "recovery", I'm not dependent on the Feds and don't feel entitled to it. But I also believe that the American Dream is created through a partnership of business and government and that neither works well at all without the other. And for the record, I'm a 60-year old white guy who goes to church nearly every week and voted for every Republican Presidential candidate from Nixon to Bush 41 the first time.
The Republican Party is a coalition of logically inconsistent factions.
There is no way to honestly unite them.
In his mind, he is probably doing just great.....raising funds!!!
All the coaching will not solve the fact that this player is simply not good enough for the major league of politics,
Once a ship reaches a certain tipping point there is no righting it.
It is interesting the media focuses on distractions, that Romney made a gaff. He was right on, and Obama has mismanaged the middle east like no other president. Where is the media coverage on this. I guess if you tell a lie long enough, someone might believe it is true.
Instead of the 6 trillion Obama racked up in deficit spending in 4 years, to create a false American economy. Which by the way, is twice the rate of George Bush, and the economy is still on a crash course, and unemployment is so high. Good Job Obama, keep buying votes.
Mitt has to quit his campaign and let Paul Ryan run it. He is paying the price of an etch a sketch moment and not having a backbone. He needs to go back to running Bain as the Commander of Offshore and stop running for a Public Office.
It's not that the ship is keeled over, it's that it has way too many holes in it!
The best thing Romney could do would be to turn his campaign over to John Huntsman who could win and rehabilitate the disheveled GOP at the same time.
Mitt Romney doesn't have a clue what the average American's life is like, what people need or their desires. I'm not talking about have a number of homes in various state or have their person jet with a pilot standing by. He wants people to vote for him as he dines on foie gras and caviar while people home to afford cake. It a way, he's as much out of touch as Sarah Palin.
I'm not in the "entitled" 47%; my wife and I will pay over $30,000 in federal income taxes this year. However, my mother is retired, her Social Security income is non-taxable, and her investment earnings are insufficient to have her paying federal income taxes. Damn right she's entitled to her Social Security and Medicare benefits. She and my dad paid into both programs for half a century. They both worked hard and struggled to provide me with the kind of education that has enabled me to earn a pretty good income. I resent like hell having her demeaned as some sort of parasite. And I bet I'm not the only member of the "53% Club" to feel that way.
Jack sometimes you just have to turn the ship around, go home and dry dock it!!
nothing, the ship has already sunk
He has to win all three debates to get back in a position to where he can claim he is a credible candidate. Anything short of that, he will still be viewed a pawn of the rich who has no concern for the middle class, let alone the poor.
Our country has suffered from GREEDLOCK since George W was President. Forwarding a predatory capitalist money manipulator as a candidate – Mitt Romney- was a huge Republican mistake. The party had many potential folks to run on their behalf who did not reek of ill gotten riches. Mitt the high school bully does not have the skill necessary to reset and present himself as the statesman our country needs for these tough times.
Mitt is done. Focus on the House & Senate Seats
Romney has too many things against him. The biggest thing is the failure of GOP policy for the last 40 years. Trickle down is a proven failure.
First he should sail it to the Cayman Islands. When he gets there, he should scupper it.
Nothing, his ship has sunk.
quit the race would be a start.
Jack, he needs to quit. That'll right the ship...
Adam in Canada
You can't right a ship that is at the bottom of the ocean already. Remember the days of the GOP primaries? There was a parade of #1 picks...one after another....Michelle Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, remember Rick Perry?...one after another. I consider this to be the most pathetic line-up of presidential hopefuls in US history. The GOP was desparate to nominate Anyone but Mitt, even any of these buffoons. In the end, Romney is who they got stuck with anyway....now we are seeing the bald truth of why the GOP was willing to put up with the other nominees....and why they felt....Please! ANYONE BUT MITT!
Governor Romney probably cannot 'right the ship'. He is most likely a fairly good family man, good businessman, and an average politician. But he appears to have a problem in that he is so far out of touch with most Americans, he cannot do it. This is a man who was raised with the proverbial silver spoon and has never really understood what it is to struggle. It hurts him badly and, combined with his refusal to talk with specifics about his policies, he cannot right the ship. I'm one of those 'Independents' they are trying to sway. I don't plan to vote for either one of the Straussian candidates from their respective circus/party unless they start to specify their policy vision. I would suggest a platform: 1) shutting down the Fed; 2) completely restructuring the tax code; 3) campaign finance reform (revision to Constitution); and 4) Congressional term limits with 10 year ban on working for K-Street after leaving office (revision to Constitution). Americans are going to wake up to the corruption within these two Straussian circuses and their plutocracy.
What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship?
The answer to that is: ABANDON THE SHIP AND LET RICK SANTORUM TAKE OVER AS CAPTAIN. AN ARROGANT FOOL HAS NO PLACE IN AMERICAN POLITICS!!! JOE SCARBOROUGH IS RIGHT MITT ROMNEY IS RUNNING BECAUSE OS HIS AMBITION AND NOT CONVICTION.
To right this ship Mitt has to get deckhands from one of those countries he outsourced jobs to. but dont tell them in his eyes they will be a part of the 47 percent he does not give a damn about.
The only thing that I could see Mitt Romney doing to “right the ship” of his presidential campaign is to grow a soul and change political parties between now and election day. As an Ex-Conservative-Republican-Turned-Independent voter, I had high hopes for Romney in the beginning of the primaries. And then I heard him vacate every major conviction he had ever espoused and I realized the man is wholly untrustworthy. Add to his untrustworthiness a Republican party who eagerly disenfranchises all but grumpy old white, heterosexual, wealthy men and the religious Right, and I don't see myself voting for the GOP in any election for the foreseeable future.
–Bella, Moscow, Idaho
Jack, surely you realize that Mitt has no ship to right.
The "Ship" is America...and Obama has run us aground and is trying to sink us.
Sorry Mitt – like the Titanic, the deck chairs have all been arranged and the life boats all been lowered.
Dan
Boston, MA
Anything is possible Jack. We elected an unaccomplished Senator who had never had a real job. Who would have thought that could happen?
Romney needs to have his campaign go out and find a video about Obama redistributing wealth. And then spread it like it's breaking new all over FOX. He should go back at least 14 years if he has to! That will right the ship Jack!....... (Clint Eastwood to the chair): "..... What do you mean he's done that already?"
Jack,
In order to 'right the ship' Governor Romney must first dredge the sea in which it has sunk.
Chad
Fairfax VA
Withdraw from the race immediately. His ship has hit an iceberg and taken on too much water. He can grab the lifeboat or go down with the ship.
The Mitt-ster is having trouble connecting. He's a deal maker trying to close the deal. You have to trust the deal maker. The problem Mitt-ster is having is that he's flipped-flopped so much you cannot trust the deal, it's like a water balloon, when squeezed, it goes all over the place. A deal is solid, not something that is squishable.
Tallahassee
Romney will Flip the Ship
He insulted 47% and the Latinos, he should have apologized and moved on. His interpretation of the speech is worse than his speech. The ship is too sunk to straighten! The Republicans like Senator Heller is already off the ship.
Start over. Actually work and pay for his education and lifestyle, rather than having it handed to him by wealthy parents. Actually start a business and build it, rather than being installed in an executive position based on dad's connections. Actually use his money to start businesses and employ people rather than hiding it in foreign countries to avoid taxes. Maybe study something that requires intelligence, rather than business administration and law. Maybe actually create something of value, just once, rather than being an entitled leech. Were he to do all of these things, however, he probably wouldn't be a republican.
Jack–
This is ironic. You ask how Romney can right the ship. That's the problem. His ship is listing a bit too much (well, a lot really) to the right. To continue the nautical metaphor–he needs to list a bit more to the left and get himself in center. He's " listing" too much to the extreme of his party.
Jack NYC
Mitt Romney needs to repent. Whether you are for him or not, the man still comes off and across as arrogant and entitled. Personally I don't think he has ever read Dale Carnegie's "How To Win Friends & Influence People". He needs a good dose of humble ASAP or there is no righting this ship, Mr. Cafferty; it will sink.
Romney is none and done!
Jack, too late to right the ship. Time to make a MAYDAY call.
There is no debate. Mitt Romney is neither entirely trustworthy nor does he seem presidential. He has dismantled any notion he may have a clue about the intricacies of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he flagrantly talks about use of dirty bombs by terrorists, he freely dismisses half the american population as a group he does not care to think about or even try and govern, its just goes on and on. He does not have strong convictions on any substantial issue except relying on tax breaks fixing the economy. We are at historically low tax levels so clearly this isn't the solution....Either is he.
Pin the tail on the Donkey, Best chance to vote in a booth ,Best chance to find a Journalist ,and Best chance to right america .
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, The President is playing chess while the Romney campaign is playing checkers.
I think the to Mr. Rommney's campaign it that, he doesn't appear to have a vision or a committment to the 'policies" that he speaks of. I wasn't a big fan of President Bush, but you always knew where he stood and he was committed to and believed in what he was saying, (wether it was right or wrong). There is a percieved lack of empathy from Mr. Romney, one can infer from many of his statements that he equates personal wealth means you are a "good' person, a hard worker more honerable, etc and if you are poor it's because you haven't worked hard enough and/or you lazy. I know of active duty servicemembers who qualify for and recieve food stamps. A rational person doesn't resent others wealth, but what we do resent is the implication that money alone somehow makes one superior.
This doesn't look good...Mitt is in trouble....just wait for the debates!!!
Sorry. It's too late for Romney. All he is doing now is changing chairs on the Titanic.
Jack,
I'm not sure he can right the ship. Especially if he keeps blowing holes in it.
It is The Economy, Mr. President. Your Economy, Mr. President.
Robme never had a chance. He and his mrs are so very blue blood. They need to take their silver spoons and go back to those car elevators.
The way I see is that it's not the ship that needs to be righted. It's the Romney who really needs a heavy make over, from head to toe.
Right the ship? He's already too far to the right. Any more move to the right and he will disappear from the political landscape. He's a quitter like he intimated about his views about the Middle East regarding the Palestinians. It would't be too soon for him to quit his run for the presidency and let somebody else get a chance to run America! USA! USA USA! Romney doesn't deserve leadership of America.
May be tough since most of the "47%" live in Red States.
There is an underlying story here. Let's forget about the accuracy of Romney's statement. His point was that his message will fall on deaf ears because people who don't pay taxes wouldn't accept his message. Have you wondered what that message would have to be for those people to reject it?
Logically and necessarily, the message must be about raising taxes on the people who are "not paying" income tax. BUT, Romney insisted that he won't raise taxes on the middle class, or anyone for that matter. So, he is infact, contradicting himself (yet again!). So, either he is not accurate about the 47%, and lied to the people there, or he has lied to everyone else about raising taxes.
It is not the government's responsibility to redistribute wealth – that's the job of the banks and wall street. Problem is, they only want upward redistribution. The rich get richer at the expense of middle America
The real Mitt was just heard from. Your not hearing him right. He said that the 47% to 49% that will vote for Pres. Obama and not him are not taking responsibility for their lives along with claiming all are dependent on the govt. and that is the only reason they vote for someone. I suspect a huge amount of hard working Democrats would argue that. The other issue is 47% don't pay taxes and won't listen to him either so, even though they are retired seniors, millionaires, republicans and democrats he won't have to be responsible for governing them either. But keep in mind he won't split the country by class. He does not have what it takes to be President of us all. Bottom line is he keeps on taking on more water and is not likely to change.
Jack
Yes he can. He is not sugar coating everything which is a good thing. The article from Mother Jones, was incomplete and they pieced together segments with I believe 2 mnutes were missing. Did it not occur to pundits who have jumped all over Mitt Romney, that they should be sure of their facts before they tear into someone. This will come back and bite them in the heels.
I am always hearing from cnn msnbc etc we have not checked this so we can not confirm. In this case they didn't even bother
I am from Canada and have no bone in this issue, however, I am an avid follower of your political system and find this to be terribly inaccurate..
Have a great Day!
He can right the ship by jumping out of it pdq.
I'm an Independent. He called me "emotional". Enough said.
Walk the plank.
I don't think there is much Romney can do at this point. He's a bull in a china shop. I'm disgusted with both candidates anyway so I'm putting my money on Gary Johnson. Great track record, not a puppet like the other two, and has a lot of common sense.
Romeny's only chance to right the ship, is too embrace the gaffe's. It's obvious they are an extension of who he is and how he really feels. His only hope is to try to convince voters that he's right. I don't think he has a chance of doing it, but it's his only option.
Romney can't right this ship because the only way to do it is be honest with the American people and have genuinely superior ideas for solving their problems than his opposition does. Unfortunately those two things are contradictory because to be honest with the American people would require him to admit that Obama's policies aren't the problem. Republicans like him are the problem.
he need's to be quiet..this guy is trying to be a middle class citizen. but when he speaks, the real Mitt comes out..selfish.rude and can never be challenged ..he wants to be the president of the 1%..... elderly.. kids and veterans are not freeloaders or Victims!
Congratulations to the Conservatives who fought and paid for "Citizens United". They didn't think a Filthy Richer Clod would take their Primaries away before they got to buy the election.
Mitt Romney needs to buy a robot clone of himself and program it to say the right things so that he can win the election. Or, he could buy the company that manufactures the voter machines. Or, he could make sure nobody brings cell phones / recording devices to his speaking engagements. These are good political tools that should win voters over.
he is not good at news conferences...thats always a great quality for a man as president....maybe people don't realize the kind of backlash that can come from something the president just says....like it or not...people around the worls take it very seriously......Mitt has already offended allies and he isn't even president.....such a scary thing to look at that this man could become the leader of the free world
Now that Romney has pulled away the veil on his real beliefs, there isn't much he CAN do to right his badly listing ship. All has now been revealed to the voters and they do NOT like what they see! Lots of luck Mittens!!!
There's nothing he can do, he simply lacks the required skill set to be President of the United States. His inability to connect with most people is now easy to fathom – he doesn't like or respect half the population of the country. His main "credential" to be President, his vaunted business sense, is neither a good reason to elect a President nor a substitute for the real emotional & moral leadership needed for the job. This man lacks the charm, the spontaneity, the street sense, the soul & the wisdom to be President. He's toast.
At this late point in the game, I think Romney has cooked is own goose. What makes his last gaffe especially bad is that it was done at some private event, that only the very rich were able to attend. It really makes you wonder what this man says to the elite that run this country and everyone else. Even though Romney has tried to walk away from these comments, I think he has no where to go but down from here. The only people who will vote for Romney are those who were going to anyways. The only way Romney will come back is if Obama has a worse gaffe, but they seem like a well oiled ship so I wouldn't expect that.
Speak the truth and show his tax return!..........oops, then of course he would loose the White House.
Atlanta
What Peggy Noonan is saying invalidates Romney from the presidency! Do we want a President who can't handle a news conference? Do we want a President who keeps sticking his foot in his mouth! Do we want a President who has to surround himself with others in order to give himself gravitas! America – don't make a mistake and hire another George W. Bush!
When a real ship needs righted, there are two choices: pump the water out of the low side or counter flood the high side. Pumping out is the better choice but it only works if the source of the flooding can be controlled. The quicker and more often used approach, especially in wartime, is counter flooding.
In Mitt's case pumping out won't work – the water is coming in faster than he can pump it out and it is safe to assume that further damage will occur. To counter flood is a bold approach, as it both rights the ship and brings it closer to sinking. Romney needs to drop his "I'll tell you after I'm elected" approach, stop wasting time trying to sink Obama, and actually lay out details on job creation, tax plans, entitlement reform, military spending, and foreign policy. The debates are the perfect vehicle for this and his last chance before his campaign capsizes. The voters who are still in play are the ones who will listen to details, both sides have long ago locked up the majority of voters who settle for a slogan or decide based on attack ads.
Too late,he needs to go down with his ship,(the far right). Jim,Salt Lake City,Utah
Romney doesn't have to do anything other than state the facts about obama, it is the liberal media who is sinking him. Saying that 47% pay no tax is not a gaffe it is a fact. Saying that obama lovers would never vote for him is also not a gaffe it is the truth, they hate him. Obama spent 100 millon in ads saying romney only paid a 14% tax rate in 2011, but now the media is saying 47% including the rich pay 0 tax. Romney paid 14 times the tax rate of 47% of the population. The problem facing the country is the 100 trillion dollar federal debt when you include ss/medicare/medicaid not the so called romney gaffes. The question is when is the media going to say obama has a problem. Obama has been the president for almost 4yrs. and the poor have gotten poorer, the middle class has lost income, the debt has increased 5 trillion, 50% of new college grads can't find work, 23 million are unemployed or under employed, gas has gone up 2 dollars a gallon, the bank saving accounts only pay 0.1% thanks to bernanke who was appointed by obama, and food is up 20% but yet the media can't find any problem with obama. All you hear is the same nauseating broken record from the media about romney having problems and gaffes.
Jack,
What Peggy Noonan is saying about Romney basically invalidates him from the Presidency. Do we want a President who can't handle a news conference! Do we want a President who keeps sticking his foot in his mouth! Do we want a President who has to surround himself with other better politicans in order to give himself gravitas! America – don't make a mistake and hire another George W. Bush!
People dont like and dont want the truth Jack and Obamas response to the mid-east crisis was typically weak
The Romneys' disdain for the middle class and poor has now come across loud and clear. We are not old chewing gum stuck on their shoes trying to get a free ride. It's interesting that Mr. Romney talks about the 47% thinking of themselves as victims, when the reality is that Mr. Romney's excuse for not releasing his tax returns is that he doesn't want to be a "victim" of the press and Democrats. The working poor, seniors, retired vets, and many of the rest of us are not victims - we're too busy working and struggling to survive to play the victim card. So, for this Independent voter, Mr. Romney can't right the ship until he apologizes to the hardworking men, women, seniors, and veterans of this country for insulting our work ethic. Unfortunately, Mr. Romney, like many in the GOP, seems allergic to apologies. We teach our children that when they hurt or insult someone they need to apologize. It's hard sometimes. Plus, it takes courage and integrity to apologize, something that, sadly, the GOP has lost. For the record, it's not just Mr. Romney who's sinking the GOP's ship. The GOP has been punching holes in the hull since the 2008 election but many in the party seem too blinded by hate and partisanship to see the damage that they've done to themselves. Many voted for everything that got us into this mess and now they're lying about their own records. When the GOP ship sinks, it may be Mr. Romney at the helm but he won't be the reason why they sank - he just drifted off course. It will be all the GOP baggage on board along with those holes that finally did it. Money, power, and greed has destroyed the GOP.
Mitt Romney has to admit that there are 47% of people who need government help. He also has to admit this is not a negative under the current economic conditions. What he has to focus on to get back on track, is how he will help the 47% to achieve their dreams.
You have to be kidding right? In the 47% that pays no income tax are 4000 millionaires. Not only has he outed their dirty little secret....there also goes his donor base.
For Mitt to right the ship he first needs to get off of it.
Romney's campaign was doomed by three miscalculations.
1. Republicans assumed independent voters wouldn't punish them for blocking all progress and not assuming any blame for the recession. Americans don't like disloyalty to the people and didn't fall for the "It's all Obama's fault" B.S..
2. The second miscalculation also deals with the Republican assessment of the awareness of independent voters. They tried to run Romney as a conservative (he isn't) in the primary and a right-of-center candidate in the general. Americans don't like a flip-flopper. Romney's only position was "against everything" and he presented no vision. His failure to produce his tax returns raised too many questions – this 47% comment sealed the deal.
3. The third is their dependence on the ultra-right-wing. This group's baggage with women, minorities, labor unions, gay people, environmentalists, and anybody other than angry, white Christians drove the final nail in Ronmey's coffin. The GOP is largely dead in the America of the future.
I not sure he really wants to right the ship.
A lot of people call candidates from opposing parties out of touch all the time. The only true example I can recall is when GH Bush didn't know how much a loaf of bread or gallon of milk costs when he ran for his 2nd term – but Romney goes way beyond any of that.
I think he knows he can't fix our problems and now he knows it's down to him an Obama. Ever since it was apparent he was going to be the GOP nominee, it's been one mistake after another. For months, he keeps putting his foot in his mouth both here and abroad. How else can you explain it?
Mitt Romney truly cares about winning this election he needs to apologize to all Republicans in that 47%; especially to the folks who look up to him because of his social conservatism. Americans decide their president with their hearts; he is killing the heart of his campaign by not apologizing, and catering to hardcore right who will vote for him no matter what. But you can’t win an election with 30% of vote…ARITHMETIC! He will never win this election…by not apologizing, he is basically doing three things:-
(a) The hardcore republicans in that 47% who are insulted…who will go to the pole on Nov 6th and vote for him, but will feel like they have no other choice. They are good people who depends on welfare, Medicare, Medicaid, and social security, who is accepting these benefits because of dire needs – which means they are not exited about Romney presidency, they don’t feel it in their hearts, and will less likely to help the campaign,
(b) The independents who are mostly undecided will go to the poles and vote for Obama because they too feel like they don’t have much of a choice, so they will vote for Obama because they believe Romney will never understand their struggles by these statements and not apologizing,
(c) By not apologizing he is helping democratic (house and senate race) campaigns to point out to the American people that he is just an arrogant rich elitist who only care about winning election to help his rich friends, and give tax cut for the 1%.
Don't know if he can right the ship.Every time he speaks of the cuff he puts his foot in his mouth all the way to the hip.If (big if) Mitt the Twit suddenly became gaffe free everyone would know it's not him talking,but rather his handlers.When he speaks off the cuff that's the real Mitt.Why haven't we heard more from people that had him for governor-folks that were directly affected by him;not talking suits.When was the last time he had to decide between food or medication or a light bill.Hell when was the last time he shopped at Wal Mart?
This is the same ship which was not right against John McCain. "Righting" his ship, would assume at some point it was "right". Unfortunately for Willard, his ship has never sailed correctly.
Note to Peggy Noonan: On your advise to Mitt Romney about surrounding himself with a "posse of top republicans" and making speeches that "have to be big." You might as well advise him on how to install fire hydrants in hell. Its fitting advise because his campaign is going down in blazes.
What does Romney need to do to right the ship. Drop out of the race, for one.
Get a lifeboat!
Jack, I cannot help but remember the last scene of Hitchcock's thriller "Niagara". The cry goes out to "SCUTTLE IT!" as a small boat surges toward the deadly Niagara Falls, with 2 people on board. They manage to take on enough water to slow the boat down and the pretty girl manages to get out before that last pitch down the mighty falls. What I am trying to figure out is, who will get out of the Romney boat if they manage to slow it down.
Jack, what should Romney do? Let's see, Romney should know this much: "You don't criticize poor people while they are in the room serving you food and drinks." If he fails to understand that he should do what he sent Paul Ryan to ask Todd Akin. Since he won't do that, WE THE VOTERS will have to do it for him.
He can't do anything to correct who he really is. That's his problem. American's are finally seeing the real Mitt Romney through his various cracks and we don't like what we see.
Jack,
I don't think Mitt Romney is worried about righting the ship. He'd rather board his private yacht to the Cayman Islands to stash more loot he made raiding companies, outsourcing jobs and not paying taxes. He is making George W. look smart.
Get out and swim, otherwise Ryan will also drown!
I'm afraid the GOP ship just took a huge hit across the bow in the middle of some very stormy seas and is now quickly taking on water out there. His campaign needs to shift to limping it back to the harbor with a clear message of facts and policy details and support of his party and tax returns rather than trying to fix it all on the trail with gaffes which also seem to be swinging into the sides of this sinking ship. Those tax returns are the 9th life in this campaign...better for him to release them than someone else and try to keep paddling.
The US electorate has a sixth sense about people running for office. We are not a dumb as we are frequently treated This is especially true of swing voters. Swing voters are not bound to a party; yet, we care enough to vote and to carefully consider who we trust and their values. Obama is not perfect! But, Romney routinely demonstrates his only value is his self interest. The voters, particularly swing voters have figured this out. Romney's failure as a candidate is not about how he is running his campaign, it is about his lack of being ready for prime time and his values. This problem can't be covered up with attack ads and surrounding him with more trust worthy Republicans.
How can you right a sinking ship? Mr. Romney is so out of touch of the daily strugles that the poor and middle class of our country faces everyday that in his mind he cannot comprehend the nature of it or accept its existence. His only reality is the balance sheet of his wealthy friends and the bottom line of their bank account without regards of the quality of life of the poor and middle class citizens of this great country. Mr. Romney your ship is getting to the bottom... is sinking!
Henry – New Jersey
Get a labotomy? Sorry, he is who he is and there is no amount of money that can change that. Let him stick with the business world and leave the country and world's affairs to a more mature and steady candidate, Obama.
He can steady the ship but since it is headed in the wrong direction, it won't do any good."For the people, by the people of the people". This means we help one another.
Instead of “righting the ship”, I think a more appropriate question would be what’s the difference between the Romney campaign and the Titanic.
Answer: The Titanic had a band.
Uhh, Hey Cafferty, I have not met one Conservative that was put off by Romney telling the truth about the majority of Obama's supporters.
In order to right the ship he should go to work in the wonderful factory in China that he so glowingly spoke about, but only if he can get over the barbed wire fence that is keeping out all the other workers who would give up their lives to work there. I can just imagine the factory owner telling hiim this and this vapid piece of crap actualy believing it.
He also needs to apologize to our brave veterans who are disabled and included in the 47% of victims that he speaks of.
Jack if he would have moved more towards the center and taken a more moderate conservative approach he would have snagged a fair portion of the of the President's votes. Instead he aligned with the hardline conservative gas bags that have led the man down a path which he cannot turn back. He's changed his position so many times in order to win a portion of the electorate that he will be viewed not genuine and shifty. Furthermore his leadership character is now being questioned. Why would or how could you let yourself get down this path? He's presenting himself as another puppet President like we had for 8 years. However this time the people see it and are smarter, madder and fed up with the political BS.
Mr. Romney is in a quandry where he cannot turn his troubled campaign around. Romney has critized President Obama's program on fixing the economy, but he has no viable alternative solution. The tax cut program has been tried years ago and has not worked. In fact, that program has put the economy and country into a ditch. Obama has taken the country and economy out of that ditch and has saved the American auto industry from bankrupcy and extinction. If we followed Romney's advise on the auto industry, there would be no American auto industry today. Romney has shown that he is really out of touch with most Americans and does not care about them or their problems. Running a business is not comparable to running the country and fixing an ailing economy by putting people back to work. Romney has put people out of work. After all, he like to fire people. He got rich at the expense of rendering people unemployed.
Romney has to take the high road and be more of a statesman rather than approach the electorate with "he said it... he did it..." sound bites that seem petty and cheap. The President has 4 years of tangible decisions behind him (whether good or bad is debatable); Romney has to match up by bringing some tangible plans for the future to the table. Unless he brings some positivity to the campaign, the electorate will go to the polling booth with a bad taste in their mouth.
Call in air strikes on the ship, while he is at the helm.
Romney is up in the latest Rasmussen poll. He is tied in Virginia, Florida and Ohio. According to Rasmussen he is up in New Hampshire, Colorado and North Carolina. If he rights the ship this will be a landslide.
What does he have to do to right the ship?
How about come clean to the American people and disclose his tax returns. Just an idea.
Why does it never occur to Republicans that Romney is just a genuinely bad person?
Really? Are you expecting that ANY OR ALL of the 47% are about to be stricken by MASS AMNESIA? You really think that Mitt can "right the ship?" Like we're gonna believe him NOW!!! Yea right! NOT A SNOWBALL'S CHANCE IN..........
What does he have to do to right the ship?
How about come clean and disclose his tax returns.
Just an idea.
Mitt Romney is ballast. Throw him overboard and the ship will right itself.
Terry in SC
Jack, it's as if Romney decided the country is so fouled up it can no longer be fixed, so he no longer wants the job. Once an egg is broken and scrambled, there's no putting it back together. Too bad, for the yolk's on us.
Jim
Rome, GA
Just steer the ship to iceberg ang hit many times till all the ocean water let in.
Just get out of the race, Mitt. The ship would be right immediately! Oh, and the GOP may as well just forfeit the election to President Obama.
Obama/Biden 2012
Romney was "spot on" in my opinion. Handouts, giveaways...redistritubtion...equals the Democratic Party. My handout to them is to vote Republican for the first time in a long time.
It doesn't matter, Jack. Romney and Obama are two sides of the same coin. A big government Republican is no better than big government Democrat. We need REAL change in this country, and the two party system isn't going to get us there. Both are beholden to corporation and special interest group lobbyists. In this case, taking the "red pill" or the "blue pill" gets us the same darn thing—more lies. GARY JOHNSON 2012!!!!
It's not possible. He is who he is. He's unlikable and he doesn't like most Americans, and we now know it. He doesn't care enough about our young men and women in Afghanistan to even mention them at the Republican Convention. He doesn't have the class or the restraint to keep himself from saying untrue and inappropriate comments when our people are being attacked and killed on foreign soil. He has proven himself to be a fool many times over. That ship ain't rightin itself. It is what it is. An ugly ship full of holes.
Jack,
Right the ship?? He left the dry dock wth a hole in the side. Just rearranging the chairs on the deck. Stick a fork in him, he's done!
Jack, the ship was taking on water when it left the harbor (Repubican Convention). The only thing left to do is abandon ship. Captain Mitt can't save his own ship of fools.
Are there some people who play the system? Of course, and there always will be. Most people just need a hand up and take advantage of the safety net that society has put in place. Should efforts be made to ferret out those who can actually work and be a productive part of society but choose to let others do for them? Absolutely! But to paint everyone with the same brush is just not well thought out.
Right the ship? I suggest he start looking for a life ring before he's in over his head. Of course, he was figuratively in over his head from the start.
Hmmm, let me count the ways. 1. publish his former tax returns. 2. Move back into that basement apartment. 3. Tell the truth about Bain's outsourcing agenda. and finally . . . wear a pair of flip flops during his travels.
Mr. Cafferty...why doesn't anyone, anywhere talk about his grand-daddy who escaped to Mexico because he was hounded out of the US for his Morman polygymous beliefs? Rommney just said that he would be better off being a Latino, what was that? Look up his grandfather and why his dad, George was in Mexico as a child. If we are such a liberal, elite media, why is this not getting attention? Just saying...
Right the ship? I think he just scuttled his ship leaving Republican "Freeloaders" confused about who to vote for. His only chance is to say what he really believes and specifically what he plans for the country instead of constantly altering his message to fit the situation or the audience.
Jack,
I frankly see little if any chance Romney can get back on track with enough time left to overcome President Obama's lead. At this point the debates are his only real remaining chance to seize the initiative, and given how easily he's shown himself to be flustered (especially compared to Obama's legendary ability to keep cool and collected), that strikes me as exceedingly unlikely to occur. Similarly, at this point he has only one plausible pathway to electoral victory, winning Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. If he loses even one, he's toast and Obama's leading him in all three.
Finally, with as little time left as there is in the campaign, I have a hard time seeing how he can shake his personal unlikeability problem, even if he can go one week without either sneering at dead American diplomats or reveal his callous disdain for anyone who doesn't own a minimum of three homes. It's pretty telling that his flailing attempt to cover for his deeply insulting "47% of Americans can get stuffed for all I care" remarks is to dredge up a pretty benign comment by Obama and try to desperately red-bait with it. Not only is it a million miles from any sort of actual socialism, Obama said it fourteen years ago; you know, back when Romney was campaigning for universal health care.
Perhaps the DNC could counter Governor Romney recent web ad with "Romney Revealed." Perhaps like 41, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth.
Coalition ruin the nation-3 or4 ot 5 party. Ex: India.
In all honesty, all Mitt Romney needs to do is. 1). Hold a press conference and apologize to the American Public, clearly stating that he was wrong to make that statement. 2) Dip himself in whale blood and jump off the ship.
Jack, I'm afraid there is nothing Romney can do. His pandering to the crazy Republican base has doomed him from the start. Any changes to his positions will only further brand him as a flip flopper. He has no soul and no game.
Jump over the side!
I disagree that this was a gaffe. A gaffe is an unintentional act or remark. Mr. Romney didn't unintentionally write off 47% of the American people as freeloaders, it was the point of his argument. An argument he has repeated in his press conference and his OP-Ed in the USA Today. His argument is flawed, definitely, but it is an argument he meant to make.
As for writing the ship, he would need to apologize, something he has vowed not to do and the far right would string him up if he did. He needs to make sure people think they weren't in the 47% he insulted, and forget everyone they know who is.
He can't. Too many blatant lies from Ryan/Romney in the age of computers and people being able to do their own research instead of following those lies has put an end to Ryan/romney.
First of all, Romney's statement was not a gaffe. It was a rare glimpse of candor in an otherwise make believe campaign. Second, he doesn't have to do anything. His base, who he needs most desparately, was energized by Mitt actually saying something with conviction.
Jack, for Romney to right this dingy, he has to look himself in the mirror and be honest with himself, something he probably has never done since at least 1994.
It's better to help the starving than to continue to subsidize the Oil companies.
"Right the Ship"? I need a job so If he pays me I'll hold that sucker ontop of my head till I turn blue!
He should steer his ship to the left more and if we are all lucky that the world is still flat he will go over the edge and never be heard from again.
To keep the naval metaphor, Rmoney needs to be keelhauled, then made to walk the plank. The ship will right itself when sharks are feasting on the putrid remains of his treasonous corpse.
Withdraw from the race immediately. His ship has hit an iceberg and has taken on too much water. Grab the Lifeboat or go down with the ship.
Will the real Mitt please stand up! Stop being all things to all people and let the chips fall where they may. When voters can't be sure what a candidate's real point of view is – it's a problem. Sign me a worried Republican from Sioux City IA.
If Romney were speaking on behalf of the Republic he would have said: My party has constituents that abuse this country too, the highest levels of welfare reside in red states. Many of my business partners find anyway possible to not pay taxes and this is a problem that is shared across both parties. We need a plan to increase revenues and get people back to work like restricting business in other country's. It's time for America to stop aid and subsidies and focus on the most important of our interests...Our people.
Then the donors would have gotten up and left without donating a dime.
Romney thinks if you didnt pay federal taxes you are a no good lazy bum.
He might be able to right the ship, but it's stuck on the ocean floor forever.
If he can't walk in the little guy's shoes, he shouldn't be President. rel, Fort Lauderdale
Has this man, who likes to hide what he really feels and does behind closed doors, made a political calculation about his tax returns?
Could it be a very simple equation to him?
Releasing his tax returns = very damaging.
Not releasing them = less damaging.
Is this the same man who derides the poor, elderly, and combat veterans for not paying enough taxes? And who he believes refuses to take responsibility for there lives?
Where DOES this man come from?
What does he have to do to right the ship?
Could it be that he needs to live in a homeless shelter for a while?
He simply said: Let them eat cake.
At this point he needs to buy a new yacht...and see if that one floats. Mr. 13%'s certainly got the disposable income for it.
He could start by giving some real specifics about what loop holes he will close. Saying “Well, the specifics are these which is those principles I described are the heart of my policy” doesn't count. Of course if he actually says what loop holes he will close he will cease to be a viable candidate because the only loop holes he can close are almost universally popular.
I can't even believe the Republicans picked Romney to represent them. This man born into wealth and his wife who is
into endeavors that only the wealthy can afford, like entering a horse in the Olympics, has no clue what iit s like for the majority of us to live. His ludicrous remarks when in Israel also shows that he is simply not the man we need to handle foreign policy in these troubled times. In my opinion he would be a poor choice to handle the domestic or foreign affairs of the United States. Erie, PA
To right the ship Romney would have to show that he is genuine. Americans largely have the perception that Mitt Romney is the typical politician who is only in it for himself and will say or do anything to win the election. I may not support him, but I still think he is a better man that his campaigning makes him seem. Going back to his roots as the moderate Republican who who he used to be (the same one who came up with the idea of Obamacare) will help him win this election.
As CEO of his campaign, he has done a terrible job. I believe this is a window into what his presidency would look like. After the multitude of stumbles (corporations are people, not caring about the really poor, insulting England during the Olympics while in England, the $10K bet, etc.), the flip-flopping on every major issue and mismanagement by his staff, what can he do now to show that he is competent? I don't think anything – but he had better do extremely well in the debates and hope for a major blunder by Obama.
Mitt Romney's ship has been lost for many years as he's attempted to navigate life without ful participation from either of his parents. Like George W. Bush, he was farmed out to nursemaids, private school masters and later, college professors who could not give him the proper life navigation tools. Instead, he sought the guidance of gangs within his classmates, often becoming a bully on account of his insecurity. As an adult, like George W., he's still looking for a "father image" in the fog, without a beacon to guide him..
Whether the Republicans like it or not they are hitched to Romney's ship for the duration. It would be unprecedented for him to step aside. The captain was not qualified nor the ship loaded improperly. It's not possible to right it under way. Romney seems unable to run a credible campaign so why should we trust him to run the country?
Stop worring about righting the boat and start counting the life vests
Jack – Are you kidding me? The ship is heading in the right direction, the real question is how do you get a few key states to educate them on the disasterly path Obama is about to take this country too. The Romney camp is working against a great campaign of lies, and disception from the Obama camp. What makes is worse, the media (ie: CNN) are so bias for Obama, that no on is getting the larger picture. Go see OBAMA 2016 – Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and Wisconsin wake up.
He could start by apologizing to the 47 percent, Latinos, the Palestinians, the English, the Russians and everyone else he's offended. Oh, wait. This is The "No Apology" Tour. I guess being Mitt means never having to say you're sorry.
The ship is sunk, he needs to start paddling his canoe up the preverbal creek.
Romney is done. If President Obama called 47% called 'victimns' and moochers, we would be in impeachment hearing now, but we judge Romney under another scale. What a Joke. Romney only wants to show off to his wealthy buddies he for CEO of America, he doesn't care for America.
Charles from California
And yet, in spite of all of the children's ravings, Obama (remember him? The President?) has lost his convention bounce and the polls are even yet again. Jack, really. Do you think seniors and the military will vote for the president? I think not.
But I live in a double-wide and listen to faux news, right kids?
Noonan was right, but "No Apology" Romney won't heed her advice... and the last time I looked, Jack, you can't right a sinking ship.
To right the ship he needs to jump off the ship and let Obama captain the ship.
I grew up in the Midwest, and I have a hard time understanding how citizens of smaller states are against SOME redistribution of wealth. The redistributing of some money from larger states to smaller states has been very beneficial for my home state and has been necessary for important programs.
The ship already sank.... He should forfeit this election and save us all time and money.
I think he should change his campaign slogan to "Here Comes Romney Boo Boo".
Right the ship.....are you kidding...he's on the Titanic!!!! Already hit the iceberg!!!
I say let it SINK!!!!
What does Romney have to do to right the ship? Vote for President Obama
Jump overboard
What does Romney need to do to "right the ship"? Simple......VOTE FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA!!
Actually Jack, I am just fine with Romney sticking both feet and his expensive shoes in his mouth.....everytime he does I hear "CHA CHING" and count another vote for Obama, who btw will be a President to ALL Americans!
He could join together with Rubio, Graham, McCain and Canter on one side of the ship and Christie on the other. That should even the keel.
Romney needs a big big crane - kind of like what it will take to "right" the sinking cruise ship off the Italian coast. Unfortunately, there is no such crane in the Republican party!
A president needs to be trusted. First I would start with releasing my tax returns and next distant himself with extreme party elements. Presidential elections are won by moderates (whatever the other party may call them).
He needs to give up the ship. For the first time I agree with Peggy Noonan..."this isn't working." Certainly the GOP has another more competent Captain out there. Perhaps not. Romney is incompetent at best. And by the way, why hasn't he created any jobs nationally in the past 3.5 years.
What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship? He could come a little more to the left for starters.
This is going to be a rough week for Mitt Romney...last week was a rough week for Mitt Romney. What is the difference between your ordinary gaft that the media sensationalizes and these new candid videos just released by "Mother Jones? His responses on a range of issues that advances the narrative that "Romney is an out-of-touch Oligarchist, who just doesn't care about the average guy."
I think the only hope for candidate Mitt Romney now is to get a brain transplant. Wait, make that a heart transplant. Wait again - make that both!
Mitt and his party are promulgating and arguing against their own manufactured political mythology. They are in the business of courting votes based on political nonsense. Examples include: The President is a socialist, a foreign national, a Muslim. In addition, their cavalcade includes allegories like we live in an American welfare state,death panels, lazy poor, war on Christmas, class warfare. Trying to garner votes from the citizens who believe in these easily identified figments is a politically self nullifying endeavor.
Romney should go back to what he was successful at and look to overseas sources to fill the replacement jobs on his newly appointed campaign staff.
Sorry, but it's too, too late; the ship's sunk.
Chop off all his toes so they won't stuck in his mouth again, or go back to school and learn how to be a more caring person for the well being of the nation.
Susan – Laguna HIlls
Perhaps he needs to wait ANOTHER 4 years and try it again. That would be, let's see, 10 years of trying to be the president. Perhaps he needs a little more seasoning. Oh, what's that?...you can't take the stripes off a zebra? Never mind then....
Step down, and let Ryan run at the top of the ticket. Mitt R-Money is toast.
how can you right a ship if its sinking. do what the captain does and go down with it.
Nothing. He just has to hold on and pray it lands upright on the bottom.
Jump off! He's the reason for the teetering.
Nothing he can do now...whilst shooting himself in the foot, the bullet also put a sizable hole in the ship's bottom. It's taking on water, and he and boat are sinking fast.
Martha, Rew, PA
Media has assisnated Romney's canadancy, but he keeps furnishing bullets for their guns. MSNBC WINS!!!!! Ed andO'Donnell will be in their glory.
bob in Ocala, Fl
Nothing...he's sinking it just fine all by himself...as he should be. Not smart enough, out of touch, represents too few Americans.
He needs a really big crane - kind of like the one needed to right the cruise ship off the Italian coast. Trouble is, there is no such crane in the Republican party!
Linda B – Santa Cruz, CA
Nothing Jack. His ship has sunk..
It's no longer possible with the current republican party. He must move toward the center but would lose the base but if he keeps the base he loses the center. Obama kept moving right and the right kept moving away to oppose him till they held ideals that don't work on a national level.
It's a little too late. Anyone who thinks Romney will "uplift the poor" is living in lala land..
I'll make this easy-to right the ship he needs to JUMP ship!
He needs to engage in what he already said he enjoys. Fire himself from the republican presidential candidacy.
outsource his campaign team
Maybe Mitt Romeny should graciously donate 47% of his income to us Obama supporters. Now we're talking about handouts and entitlement.
Romney needs a secret weapon and that secret weapon could be to release 10 years of his tax returns, that is if those returns don't sink his ship.
Romney keeps doing the same thing over and over. He thinks this normal and can justify every word. Some people think he's a smart man, I'm not so sure anymore.
Sometimes the ship has taken on so much water it can't be righted and it would be better to let it sink. The only thing he can do is go down with it at this point.
Become transparent. If what is behind his curtain is worthy and of integrity to serve the whole of Americans, then expose it. If not, he should walk the plank and let a real captain take the lead.
Throw Ryan overboard....... and then jump himself,
To Right the Ship " GET OFF IT " !!
Jack, Mitt needs to walk the plank!
Details, details and details, thats what he needs to give. The rhetoric can change only so many people and repeating the same thing will not have any effect. Give more details, for example, from a liberal point of view – details for why trickle down never works:
Let us say you are a business owner. Unlce sam gives you money in Tax breaks. You have some extra money now. Will you hire someone or increase pay scales? you will only do this when it is "necessary". This "Necessity" comes from "incentive". This "incentive" comes from "demand" and this "demand" is direct indicator of "sales". These "sales" are created by Middle class and not the rich (Unless you are talking about high end brands, which are and also create few jobs). Hence there will NEVER be a trickle.
See details convince people
Loose lips sink ships. That pretty much sums Mitt Romney's campaign.
Right the ship?! Are you kidding?! Romney is only still campaigning to save face for the party–ironic because it seems like every time he shows his face he also shows his ass. If he was a real man, he would throw the towel in and let a real Republican represent the party–unfortunate he won the primary. Ron Paul probably would have been competitive....
Get off the ship, and don't forget your life vest
David from NH.
The Best thing Mitt Romney can do to right the ship is VOTE FOR OBAMA!!! Then he could instruct the Republicans to stop working to defeat the Democrats and start working to MAKE LIFE BETTER ALL AMERICANS. Work to make Obamacare better...work to CREATE JOBS....work together to avert the Fiscal Clff.....it's a bigger ship than one small election.
J.Lalonde, Vancouver Canada
Maybe Mitt Romney should graciously donate 47% of his income to us Obama supporters. Now we're talking about handouts and entitlement.
First, Romney needs to find a seaworthy ship to right. His is so full of holes from the flip-flop in policy, no one knows what the campaign believes. Second, he needs to stop punching new holes in his ship. He cannot right the ship of state with ineptitude.
Polls are still even...
GO SEE OBAMA 2016 – The USA as we use to know it is being distroyed by Obama. For those that are definding Obama – I really think you need to educate yourself, and learn what this loser of a president is doing to this country. Rome will fall, Obama is making it easy ...
Hire a voodoo priestess,i know one thats looking for work................................
Ask for a Phone-A-Friend lifeline.
romey and his rich clans should take the rest of campain money and hide it in the cayman island before people finds out who the real mooch is..he's not gonna win and he knows it
Romney's campaign is like the Titanic, we all know what happened to that ship.
Mitt Romney's claim to the Presidency is that he can do better on the economy than Barack Obama. He has to get specific... showing us his management skills, insights, and plans... so that we can believe in that narrative. Otherwise, we're stuck with his campaign, which looks more like a badly run flea market than a smooth-running corporate enterprise.
I figure that Mitt has about two weeks to make some sort of progress in the polls (Rasmussen probably shouldn't count, as their Likely Voter criteria tends to skew Republican). If it starts looking like he's going down, Republican senate and house candidates in close races will start distancing themselves from Romney for fear of being dragged down with him during the last month of campaigning. Once Mitt's own party accelerates their adandonment of him, it seems unlikely that enough independents will break his way to swing the election.
The question that I have Jack is, "does Governor Romney wants to become POTUS?" I don't get a sense or a warm fuzzy feeling that he does, I'm a non voter by the way. But, I think he actually believes that this is how life is in his world. I think he sees the presidency like that golden toy, the one you always wanted, but got a fixer upper or a hand-me-down, but never that golden toy, so you decide you want to buy it. After you bought it and had it for a short while, you realize that, this is it? Whats all the fuss about? I don't like this toy anymore, its not what i thought it was. So now he wants to return it. He is sabotaging his own ship Jack. And he wants to take the entire country along with him!
Mitt reminds me of the Captain, Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia. Romney wants to put his hands on the helm of our country but he's in the private dinner room laughing with the elites, at a 50 thousand dollar dinner fund raiser. Belittling half of the country. Forgetting his responsibility to the rest of "We the People". Now the rest of the Captain's story; While the ship sinks, people die, because of the Captains folly. Even though the ship is salvaged the party is over.
Mitt Romney's words will ring in my ears long past election day and I am not, amused. Nor do I believe are those who suffer under such arrogance.
Sew his mouth shut until after the election.
This guy is a genuine horse's ass.
Mr. Romney needs to put a white flag and get prepared for a burial at sea...
I make 9 bucks an hour Mitt and working my tail off for it and they take taxes from my check each week. The fact is i was making more money than this in 1983 .Maybe if the corporations worried more about their employee's and paid them a living wage they would make enough money to pay taxes. You make more money in a day off your overseas investments than ill make in a year .Yet you have the nerve to call americans lazy and feeling deserving of entitlements .Mr Romney you can never wright the ship because your words have shown the so called 47 percent and the rest of the country where your thoughts are and loyalties lie. You should leave this country and I suggest you go where you have the largest bank account
He could try and live like the rest of us for a month while the camera followed him,no healthcare,no job,only a few dollars of food stamps, so we make sure he doesn't lie.But that's not gonna happen.Then we will see if the boat sinks.
If Mitt Romney ever wants to be President of this United States, he needs to go back to class, take some social studies classes, in order to really know what the middle class is going through, and then do some community organizing, in order to identify with it literally.
Mitt being a business man may well qualify you as a finance secretary, but DEFINITELY not the Zpresident if the United States, who is the VICTIM now Mitt? Lol
It's too late to make any nuanced, graceful corrections, but any sudden course changes would scare off even his strongest supporters.
It would take a stroke of genius beyond anything anyone can muster.
I sure hope not. The way a candidate runs his campaign is a picture of the way he'd run the office if he won it... and America's too great of a country to have such an incompetent fumbler at the wheel. Right now all Romney's incompetence is doing is wrecking his own campaign. If he were president, our fate would be tied to his, and that would be a nightmare.
What Romney needs to do us jump ship.
Ask the Wizard for a heart.
Romney’s ship has run aground due to his spouting rhetorical nonsense. Best that Romney & his flock jump ship. Maybe he can try in another country?
So California
He should keep doing what he is doing, this is a ship that needs to sink.
1. Release his taxes.
2. Give specifics how is going to make things better, not just say "trust me."
3. Stop saying what Obama hasn't done-Republican obstructionists stopped every effort he made-and start talking about what he is going to do-goes back to 2. What is he going to do?
4. Try a positive approach instead of negativity and telling lies
maybe he could right the ship if her were latino.
Gov Romney doesn't have to do a thing, and continue to spread the truth about Pres. Obama to the 47%. Oh, I'm a retired private sector union official on SS and private retirement and an agent orange disabled Vietnam veteran who have experienced so many who attempt to take advantage of the Federal Government.
Right the ship? How about he just get off and let a better captain lead. In this case Capt Obama might not have started out as the most experienced captain but he has become a most impressive one . He seems much more trustwotrhy than the Romney crew to lead us forward out of troubled waters. Rommey is use to a yacht , not a battleship.
Romney is a really nice and very qualified president. The problem – Catering to Tea party. Picking a lying Ryan was a BIG mistake. Disowning his Health Care Reform for MA is another and the list goes on. I would say just be himself – just like the Governor of MA
Jack, How again is Mitt wrong? What's there to right? If America cant stand the blunt honest truth about what our society has begum, then there is no hope of a greater tomorow! Sometimes people just need the hard honest truth about what is really going on! Thanks Mitt! Signed: Veteran thats stands with and for the American Dream!
Salvage companies Mammoet and Smit International raised the stricken submarine Kursk, an incredible feat, but the Romney ship is even beyond their capabilities. Let it sink.
Fortunately for Mr. Romney not as many people follow the news as you think. If he can win the debates, and demonize Obama like Obama's campaign has done to him it will be a close race.
Mr. Romney needs to put up a white flag and get prepared for a burial at sea...
What Romney needs to do is jump ship! Jean Weber , Smethport PA
I think Mr. Romney needs to speak from the heart instead of trying to follow the party line. I don't really care about his tax returns. He probably hasn't done anything that every sitting politician isn't currently doing to shelter income. Mr. Romney needs to stress why he is running in the first place – unlike most politicians it isn't to get wealthy because he's already there. Shame that Dennis Miller didn't speak at the GOP Convention and tell it like it is: the safety net is meant for the helpless, not the clueless. The problem is that the clueless still have the right to vote. They sure know their rights – shame they don't live up to their responsibilities, and it's too bad every American must first pass a civics course before they are given the right to vote...Do they even teach civics in elementary school anymore? Just might be part of the problem...
He can't "right the ship", because he can't change who he is.
To right the ship... you must control the ship... with do as I do and not as I say... show his success with taxes with the release of his taxes, and all can believe that this ship is under control!!
You just can't hide who you REALLY are and who Mr. Romney really is we do NOT need in this country right now.
Well, Mitt Romney isn't a good enough communicator ( Reagan, in his day or more recently the brilliant communicator Bill Clinton) as examples, or a good enough actor to be other than who he is. He is a wealthy man who isn't cut out for the job he's trying for. You can't be something you're not and get away with it unless truly deceitful and/or gifted. Paul Ryan is also trying to do it and their true colors are and will continue to show themselves.
Change his name to Ronald Reagan and hope for the best!
As a 70 year old married white male and a retired veteran, my wife and I have paid into unemployment and medicare for a total of 90 years. We are not asking for anything more from the government than we were promised and worked hard for the past 50 years.
The only way Romney can straighten the ship is to surrender it to a man with 4 years experience, who believes he is the President of all the people.
Jack I'm not even an US citizen I'm from Europe but I really have been wondering. With a broken economy depending on foreign oil, not to mention the made in China fact and wars around the globe? Jack the question is really irrelevant. Since when did the US became lost touch to even start placing bets on 3rd place runners? At least Mr Mc Cain had dignity to step back from the stage this year. Are we talking about the presidency or the next US battle ship captain? In both cases he would lose. Jack I think it's clear and with all greatest respects Mitt Romney is qualified for 3rd place. Not good enough to run any ship but his own.
Mr. Romney should retro-actively not run for president.
Dave in Ottawa, Canada
Romney is steering his campaign with all the skill and professionalism as the captain of the Costa Concordia...
Best he should just not say anything....ever...again....(and Paul Ryan too for that matter...)
He cannot right the Ship. It is too far off course and he aint got the luxury of time.
What does Mitt Romney have to do to right the ship.
Nothing Jack. Romney is done. The American people are not going to elect this flake. I can even believe the Republicans ran this guy on there ticket.
Stop pandering to the neo-con element of the party,and start being Mitt Romney
Withdraw and ask Plain and Buckman to run for him and Ryan.
Late night comedy gold for four years.
What MItt Romney has to do, to right the ship, is get off it (the ship). Bail out. This is not a venture opportunity where his personal ambition, business acumen, remarkable self control, poker face, brevity of details and chamelion personality (as designed for the particular situation at hand) will win the day. It is America and it is about ALL the people. His campaign is a skinking ship. And sadly, Mitt is just not ready for prime time~!!! Fire in the hull. Compartments 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 alreading flooding! Wii somebody please throw candidate Romeny a life raft!!!
Richard in Costa Rica
First and foremost – Politics is NOT a business. Stop running it like one. You can fire your employees if they do not perform in business but you CANNOT fire the congress or senate. People come to you in business, you need to go to them in politics
The SS Romney sails off to the Cayman Islands.
Sending his campaign's staff jobs overseas would help get him back on track
He should be impeached from rericanunning for office. I can't believe people would agree with what he said, 47% of americans are looking for handouts. I guess my 24 years of service I shouldn't get a retirement. What he said is mean and show that he doesn't care about america, he cares about power and whoever agree with him are mean also. I don't care what party you support please let's have some dam respect.
While we've only been shown a portion of the truth iceberg, his ship is inevitably sinking, as evidenced by the rats like McMahon and Brown trying to distance themselves – something they'd never do if they might adversely impact an expected future relationship.
Not much. He can count on 47% of the electorate 'no matter what.' and he can count on the fact that large luxury liners don't usuallygo down right away. Meanwhile he can plug the holes with bails of cash and slogans, and hope this one has enough momentum to wallow on for another 48 or so days so he can ground it in a shallow cove somewhere on the Texas coast.
Do you mean how can Mitt right his Yacht? He can’t, he thinks Americans who are not rich are freeloading; even those who believe he’s not talking about them …yes old people and vets are taking rich people’s money according to Mitt. Mitt knows most of these American’s aren’t bright enough to vote their self-interest. They are to delusional… yes Mitt meant you…and history proves he is right.
Let it sink and buy a new one. He can afford it.
Jack,
Give Romney credit for saying what he believes. I guess that's good. But, the fact that what he believes is offensive to half the population and is an attempt to play to the most cynical instincts of the other half of the population is a sad commentary on the man's character. Character counts in the job he's trying to get. Maybe it didn't in the one he had.
There is nothing Mitt Romney can do to right the sinking ship. In fact, he needs to toss overboard the life preservers and untie the lifeboats, so that no one (who finally comes to their senses) on his campaign can save themselves. That is the only way he is not going to end up alone and on his own when the ship goes completely under.
It's extremely curious that he has disparaged 47% of the population based, in part, on whether they paid any income tax, when many of them have paid their taxes all along in their paychecks and then may have received a refund for overpayment. In contrast, by refusing to release his tax returns, he has yet to prove he himself has actually been paying taxes all along. Wouldn't it be ironic if his tax returns show he himself falls into the same 47% category by not paying any taxes at all during those years.
Essentially he said "LET THEM EAT CAKE" I hear this comparison from Republicans .. so; Mitt is Marie Antoinette?
John McCormick
Charleston, SC
(Disabled Vet – 47%-er – Govt Teat-Suckler
I think it is over for Willard. He does not have enough time in the world to convince most of us that he has a thimble full of understanding about the life of the average American. His elitist, attitude is showing up more and more. He is the one thinking he is entiteled. He thinks it is an entitelment for him to just be accepted as the POTUS. His arrogance seems to know no limits.
I think he has hit the iceburg and there may be no saving his ship!
Romney is very short sighted. Were he to become POTUS I fear for country's integrity. The best possible thing he could is accept the our Government is for all its people not just for "those who need it". This great nation was founded to be security, shelter and haven for the people. He needs a dose of humility and if he takes heed we might not have a four year fiasco.
Calling us victims? Well in November we will find out who the victim really is, 47% or......MITT
" Mitt, get off the Ship... The United States of America needs YOU to do this for them and this Great Nation!
I am a very successful professional who will vote for Obama, I don't get any government hand outs nor do anyone in my family, in fact I paid a large amount of income tax this year, so if Mitt wants to insult people who don't buy into his B.S. that's fine, it only goes to show how ignorant he is about people in this country. and being that ignorant disqualifies him to be president.
These people think so little of human life that I think it's time for this ship to sink. If he could do that to a dog he claimed to love I shutter to think what he would do to the 47%?
Jack please can someone tell Mitt he is running for president of the United states, and not highest fund raiser of the United Stares!!!
Calls us victims, maybe if he left some of his cayman islands money here in the states, we would have less people dependent on the federal government!!!!
There will be no righting the ship–Mitt is the captain and he will go down with it. Perhaps he belongs out there, swimming with the sharks. If he wants to make one last ditch effort to 'bail out', maybe he can offer an apology to the veterans, active duty troops, elderly, children and working poor he does not want to be the President of. It sounds like his heart's not in the job and if it is it's three sizes too small.
It's too late. Some things cannot be etch a sketched.
Sink...Jack he's done so stick a fork in him!!
Well Jack.... Maybe he could right his sinking ship, if he took that silver spoon out of his mouth, went to work for a month as a bag boy or a janitor at walmart , recieve minimum wage pay, and live only on that income for that month . If I saw him doing this, This 47%, would know he has a real understanding of the poor and middle class, and i would vote for him .
Jack can't you tell, this man is all for the money!!! Take a close look at his last name...RawMoney!!
It's easy to rob Peter, to pay Paul, to get Pauls vote. It takes a leader to tell the truth, and let Americans know that the purpose of government isn't to run to your aid whenever you stub your toe! Romney has the guts to tell the truth, whether you want to hear it or not!
What I can't understand is how a nation could even consider voting for a presidential candidate without the release of at least ten years of tax returns-particularly now when the candidate condemns 47% of the nation for not paying taxes, are nothing but moochers, and are not contributing to the common good. He must show that he does not fall within the 47% himself and has paid his fair share.
He doesn't have to do anything now. He just has to remember that the so called American voters he supposedly offended also have Amnesia. Once the debates start this will all be Historic nonsense and those of us with good memories will wonder why CNN wasted 3 or could be 5 days by the end of Friday on this story.
From Southampton, Ontario
To call for help now is like sending out an SOS from the Titanic, after it hit the iceburg...
That ship is sinking fast to the bottom of the ocean! But don't worry he is too much of a business man to go down with the ship, that's what his staff is for. He'll conveniently run for a life boat!!!
The race to the Presidency is essentially a popularity contest. The winner must be both liked and trusted by the voters. Willard Romney, frankly, is succeeding in neither category. Time to head for a safe haven...or should that be a tax haven?
Sorry Jack, but the good ship lollipop is going down with all his suckers onboard. Romney keeps firing shots into his own bow while his supporters are doing their best to bail water. it appears the pumps are getting overwhelmed. So come November I think the ship is going to sink like a rock. Gravity is more powerful than arrogance.
52 percent (minus that 1 percent) cannot keep paying. I know people on food stamps who work off the books, own homes and drive BMWs. I bust my behind, always refused handouts, and I am tired of supporting them.
His ship is right. It is the liberal America that needs righting. No pun intended.
Drop out now, and save face.
Quit opening his mouth! We cannot have a President that shoots hisself in the foot ever time he opens his mouth and has to spend days retracting what he really meant to say. This is not the first gaff from Romney nor the last. Scarry if you ask me. He is going to sink our ship not right it.
Georgia
As a 30 year navy vetran I've learned that there are only two kinds of ships; Subs and Targets. Up periscope
Romney is showing his true colors. He has no concept of what working and poor people do to contribute to society, beyond making him and his ilk even richer. He has no empathy and hates the poor and working classes and low middle class of our society. If he becomes president and his agenda is enacted, one thing I can predict is that cities across this nation will riot and burn. It will be a dog-eat-dog society and there are more poor and working class than there are rich. Romney's comments are in the same mindset of Louis XVI and his wife Marie and her infamous "Let them eat cake" comment. We all know how that worked out from them and 30,000 of their ilk in France.
Romney cannot right a ship that isn't constructed correctly. His ship has never been on an even keel. He has pandered to any constituency he encounters at any given campaign stop. Maybe he should set sail for a Latin American country, where he would have a much better chance of election.
the problem with his statement is that it insults ALL those under the 47% umbrella: social security, medicare and healthcare recipients who are entitled to what they;re getting from Washington – and people who collect unemployment, and yes, even the very poor (those under $20,000) – all deserve what they get and most of them are still paying taxes. Does Romney understand even what he said?
"Right His Ship"? Mitt's "Titanic" has hit an iceberg and is sinking.
He was caught just like Andy Griffith ("Lonesome Rhodes") in the classic film "Face in the Crowd"
Here are the "47%-ers" Mitt was referring to (Includes millions of White-Republican-Voters that receive ENTITLEMENTS) of which he "is not concerned about.."
Unemployment ENTITLEMENTS that you recieved (including the xtra $100 bump-checks courtesy of Obama)
Disabled ... SSDI ENTITLEMENTS
"Corporations are People" ... large corporation receiving Tax-Breaks = ENTITLEMENT
ALL disabled Vets (including myself) stop receiving ENTITLEMENT money from the VA
.
being rescued by the Coast Guard when stranded in mid-sea in a storm (thats a tax-paid ENTITLEMENT)!
John McCormick
US Coast Guard Veteran (Retired/Disabled/47%-er)
Charelston, SC
MR needs to stop the rhetoric and be specific; How and when specifically will he create 24Million jobs and match up the right person for each job. Just be SPECIFIC!
Thanks
There has never been an issue so what is the writer talking about...obama is the one that is on the sinking boat...vote Romney.
No, I don't think he can.
The GOP will not let him, they want divisiveness and they want him to attack Obama regardless of the any actual truth, substance or merit to back him up.
It's pure anti-Obama at this point. No solutions, no optimism. The right has simply been led to believe that Obama is the worst person in the world and they cannot understand why their perception of the man is seemingly so different than that of the rest of the country – most pointedly the mainstream media.
The use of "a newly surfaced 1998 clip " by a then Senator Obama only shows the desperation of a failing campaign by Romney to take attention off of his statement about the "47% of the people" that he implied were the leaches of our society. It won't work, we know what Romney thinks and always did, at least it was good to hear him tell the truth for once about what he really thinks. Talk about "class" warfare, this is a stark example of who is talking class warfare! As for redistribution of wealth, when did this become a "bad" word? Redistribution has always been a part of what this country and our government has been about using our taxes to support public education and student loans, federal dollars for healthcare clinics, to non profit and for profit hospitals, government funded research, small business loans, farm aid, FEMA and natural disasters, federally insured banks (to insure we don't lose our money if a bank fails), and all of the federal assistance that all of our state congressional representatives back and request yearly, ALL is redistribution of wealth, the wealth of the country!
If this were a first round job interview where he was going to manage people and he made comments like that, he would not make the short list. Maintaining the metaphor, it is now too late to get back on the short list!
stop talking and if he needs to use a telerpromter
I do not thinks Mitt Romney will defeat Obama; however, if he wants to make the ship right he needs to do much better than what he has been doing other than bashing Obama. He needs to tell the people what his plans to better the economy and all the other issues such as foreign policy. He needs to release his tax returns just like other release theirs for five or more years. He needs to consider all people of all gender and race who lives in America as Americans and not just his family, friends and wealthy businessmen. However, he had years to get himself in a position to win this election and he is lagging behind so that tells me he is not the leader that he says he is especially if you left BAIN in 1999 and allow your signature to be used within the company til 2002. A man with a MBA and Law Degree from Harvard knows not to sign or leave your signature on anything that your not responsible for. Your signature on documents are very important. You don't have to go to Harvard or any college to know that.
From the lookout I see them point to Romney and say "Icehole, straight ahead!"
All he has to do is keep lying that he really wants to help everyone, throw in a few $100M in ads from SuperPACs and the voters will probably believe him and we can head back to the middle ages where a few had money(castles) and everyone else was a serf
Romney sunk the ship long ago. There is nothing the out of touch, insensitive, arrogant , baffoon can do to win the election. The majority of Americans aren't stupid enough to elect such an idiot. Sarah Palin would have a better chance of winning the election and nobody wants a dunce like her either.
MITT, get off the Ship...The American People and this Great Nation needs you to do this for them!
Are you kidding, Jack? I don't understand the fuss and why people are so shocked and surprised. Those statements are what Romney is and believes (despite what I think qualifies as a "pot, meet kettle" moment–Mitt, millionaires, billionaires, and corporations, then, are by his own definition, moochers and leeches because they're not paying taxes either, and corporations are getting gov't subsidies as well).
I've always thought Romney only thinks you matter if you're a millionaire or a billionaire, or a wealthy corporation. Most people in MA already know this. These statements aren't gaffes; what he should have said was "I spoke from the heart" rather than it was "inelegantly stated".
And yes, they were and are an insult to everyone who works hard and still needs help. Retirees, military folks, disabled folks, students, those in low-paying jobs. We'd all love to earn what Mitt earns, but we lack his connections, his inherited wealth, and the benefits that go along with being super-wealthy (you don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else).
The die-hard righties are calling for him to double down. To the rest of us, he can't right his ship. The Titanic is taking on water and going down, and the captain should go down with the ship.
"Right the ship"? That's silly. The ship was unaffected by that remark. All it did was irritate a bunch of folks that were not going to vote for him anyway.
"You're going need a bigger boat."
The ship isn't off course at all. In fact, while the candor he expressed isn't the normal repetitive talking points we normally hear from politicians afraid to lose votes, Romney's comments were actually tremendously refreshing. Besides, his concerns are those that most Republican voters have been feeling for years. While it may be hard to hear, there comes a point where we simply need to ask, should we be a country where the majority of people don't pay income taxes but control fiscal policy through thier majority at the ballot box? Or do we want a country where the majority of people work, pay taxes and therefore, have a stake? The later option is what made America what it is today and what we are in danger of losing: The strongest and most free economic and military power the world has ever known.
I must start by pointing out that I am rather new to the political seen. Truth be told until the last year and a half of my life politics was something that went on without my attention and I would vote base mostly on what others I know said was the clear choice. In following this presidential election I have found that the Republican party has been fighting this campaign like a war. By crusading around flaws they found in policies of the presidency they pulled their party together based on the idea that the Democratic plan for the country will not work. Regardless as to whether they are right the fact is that the party has been embolden already. What his campaign needs now is to cool down and take a more measured moderate pace to reach out to moderate america that is waiting to decide what is the right coarse for america.
I believe that both candidates truly believe that there plan will work. I believe that both candidates want what is best for this country. I believe That both plans have merit. What he needs to do is show me what his plan can do to help this country not circle the wagons and try to alienate everyone against the president because now it is simply having the opposite affect.
He needs a bigger bucket.
A moderate VP pick just might have been that bucket?
But instead, he picks Tea Party darling Ryan, who appeals to almost no one except hard-core right wingers.
Titanic, anyone?
Mitt Romney is like trying to stuff a square peg into an oval office. It will never fit.
Mitt should quit campaigning right now, and go into hibernation. Every time he opens his mouth, he loses voters. God help us if this flawed human being ever asends to the leadership of the Free World!
What to do to right the ship? Right now the lookout is pointing at Romney and has called the captain to say "Iceberg, straight ahead!" And you remember Jack, there aren't enough lifeboats, not by half, and many Republicans are already grabbing lifeboats and steering clear.
I really don't think hae can right the ship. The more of the video you watch, the more you realize how much contempt Romney has for the "lower class". According to him, middle class is any family making between $200k and 250k. So all of us dirtbags that make under $200k are government mooches, and Romney wants nothing to do with us? At least he's honest.
I love how he talks about China's working conditions, and says being born in the US is like being born with a silver spoon. Well, Mitt, our factories would be just like China's if it weren't for labor unions. You know, the entities that you blame for the downfall of our economy?
I am voting for Obama, AND I pay taxes, Payroll taxes, federal taxes, state taxes. I lose over 25% of my $50,000 a year income to taxes. Rich people like Romney pay 13% (at most, where's those returns, Mitt?), while I have to part with a quartrer of my modest income, he kicks in a tenth of his for this country he claims to love (yet denies the US government played any role in his success). I guess Romney created Utah's infrastructure with private funds?
Also, giving 10% of your money to a church that uses that money exclusively to entice more followers, is not charity.
Read all of these comments and you can easily see the Romney campaign is OVER! It seems lies and distortions do not make a complete campaign strategy...