In Taki's Magazine, I review The Real Romney, the new biography of the candidate:
The Creepily Normal Mormon
In his new book Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010, master social scientist Charles Murray flavors his statistical portrait of the widening gap between the classes with some human interest by referring to the bottom 30% of American whites as “Fishtown” (after the gritty Philadelphia neighborhood) and the upper 20% as “Belmont” (after the leafy Boston suburb).
Perhaps coincidentally, Belmont, MA has been home for the last four decades to GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney and his lovely wife Ann, ever since Mitt was at Harvard earning his JD and MBA degrees.
Indeed, this patrician paterfamilias is almost a cartoon embodiment of Murray’s thesis about elites losing touch with the rest of America ...
Read the whole thing there.
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50 comments:
Why is Sailer so cryptic about absence at Vdare? Was he fired or did he quit?
"In their 20th-century efforts to not seem weird anymore, Mormons permanently fixated on pre-1960s American values that encouraged both halves of the bell curve to live middle-class lifestyles. But modern Americans often find Mormon normality creepy."
Freaking A, gays are the new Mormons.. or homons.
"Romney, despite his 42-Long handsomeness, is a terrible athlete."
You can tell by the way he moves. Shoulders low, legs dawdling. He needs to be coached on how to move. Obama moves like he's walking on air.
"Belmonters such as Romney are doing quite well for themselves."
Romney, at least the conservative side of him, is not typically Belmontish. Belmonters may mostly be conservative in their lifestyle but their far-liberal in their ideology.
Fishtowners oppose 'gay marriage' in the name of 'family values' but can't stay married. Belmonters support 'gay marriage' in the name of 'radical progress' but stay married.
Based on the "Who would you rather have a beer with" criterion that was touted in the last two elections, I guess Obama is a shoe in. You can't have a beer with a guy who doesn't drink.
"Many Americans believe that Romney assumes he’s better than them."
No, this isn't the problem at all. Obama acts like he's better but his supporters love him.
The problem is we don't know which Romney is the real Romney. Obama is also shady but he's been a solid Democrat all his life. Romney, in contrast, has been all over the map.
Now, if Romney told conservative voters that he really had a genuine change of heart(and regret his past record) or he had to be 'liberal' in Mass due to political realities, I think many conservatives would have understood--and even appreciated him as a man of pragmatism.
But every time he changes his position, he acts like that was his ONE AND ONLY position. People don't mind Romney acting like he's richer or better looking or better educated. What they don't like is Romney taking them for a fool. People don't mind politicians saying, "I'm more successful than you are." But they mind politicians acting like, "you're so dumb, I can tell you any lie and get away with it."
Also, Romney is not a good liar. We all knew Billy Boy Clinton was a liar but he was slick, and he made it fun and we laughed and he laughed and he knew it was a lie and we knew it was a lie and we knew he knew it was a lie and he knew we knew that he knew it was a lie, but we forgave him cuz he was slick willy. He turned it into a jazzy art.
But when Romney lies, it's so stiff and sticks out like over-starched-and-ironed clothing. He's earnest with total bullshit, which makes him and us look foolish.
Good article.
Romney is quite square. And I'm struck that he isn't even the biggest square running. That honor belongs to Rick Santorum. As I write this, the uber-Square is beating the pants off Romney.
As an old Soul, I'm glad to see Squares doing well.
Romney should just have a session where he finally comes clean and explains why he did why he did as governor. Just come clean, be forthright, and explain, and many people will understand and forgive him. They'll realize Romney had to adapt to the political climate of a liberal state. Just come clean.
"Just come clean, be forthright, and explain, and many people will understand and forgive him. They'll realize Romney had to adapt to the political climate of a liberal state".
Except the truthful answer is one you're not going to like. Like his father before him, he simply is a moderate Republican who has had to adapt to the political climate of a conservative party (to his credit, he's the best candidate on trade and immigration since Pat Buchanan).
"Each year Mitt sends out a Christmas card with a picture of his vast and good-looking extended family, which routinely drives liberals into paroxysms of rage"
This seems off-key. Do liberals really get upset that Romney sends out Christmas cards with a family picture? The guy's Ned Flanders, he may annoy some people but does anyone really hate the guy?
"Based on the "Who would you rather have a beer with" criterion that was touted in the last two elections, I guess Obama is a shoe in. You can't have a beer with a guy who doesn't drink."
Yep, if the Gates-Crowley thing had happened during the Romney administration, imagine the ramifications!
About the X-Mas photo of Romney and his abundant progeny putting off the Left--the same Left does cartwheels when they see the abundant progeny left by the Kennedys, yet I'd love to contrast the Romney offspring with the number of druggies and drunks and accused murderers of the Kennedy clan.
"Obama moves like he's walking on air."
While I don't think Obama is a clutz by any means, I certainly don't think his bob makes him seem to bet "walking on air."
"Obama is also shady but he's been a solid Democrat all his life. Romney, in contrast, has been all over the map."
I don't think so: when I look at Romney's positions, his speeches, he seems no more a flipper than the average pol, including Obama, who just did his usual turnabout as his now embraces PACs after raging against them in the SOTU last month.
Of course, I have experience in such matters. I used to be a raging lib and mellowed into a moderate who is now a conservative. I am not a pro-lifer as the term is understood, but I do not want tax dollars to fund abortions nor abortion counseling nor health care to provide contraception. I'd like to promote the idea that people should look after those things for themselves.
Romney should just have a session where he finally comes clean and explains why he did why he did as governor. Just come clean, be forthright, and explain
What exactly is it that you imagine "he did as he did as governor"? Because based on my time in blog comment sections, a lot of people in the GOP don't have the foggiest clue what he did. It's all "He fought to impose abortion on demand in Massachussetts" and similar nonsense.
"Obama is also shady but he's been a solid Democrat all his life. Romney, in contrast, has been all over the map."
No, he really hasn't. Not compared to Reagan, for instance.
"You can't have a beer with a guy who doesn't drink."
Bush didn't drink, either.
"to his credit, he's the best candidate on trade and immigration since Pat Buchanan."
Bollocks. Visit his web page. He's huge on rpomoting more legal immigration. His webpage says absolutely nothing about ending illegal immigration. But then with effectively open borders, no one will have to come here illegally.
Santorum is every bit as aquare as Mitt, but he hasn't been running for POTUS for six years so no one's had time to write a biography on the man.
"the same Left does cartwheels when they see the abundant progeny left by the Kennedys"
They do cartwheels when they see the huge progeny of illegal Hispanics. It's white conservatives breeding that bothers them.
Annoy a Liberal: Have Sex Without A Condom.
Like his father before him, he simply is a moderate Republican who has had to adapt to the political climate of a conservative party (to his credit, he's the best candidate on trade and immigration since Pat Buchanan).
That makes him the best front-running candidate since Pat Buchanan as well. I'm not sure where all the anti-Romny whiners were when the GOP nominated McCain, Bush, and Dole - three men to the left of Romney in many important respects. But all of a sudden Romney is to the left of Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro! I'm actually starting to wonder if the liberals are right - maybe the average Republican voter isn't all that bright.
"Obama moves like he's walking on air."
More like he's full of hot air.
"Bollocks. Visit his web page. He's huge on rpomoting more legal immigration. His webpage says absolutely nothing about ending illegal immigration. But then with effectively open borders, no one will have to come here illegally."
Please, that's just something to make sure the liberal media doesn't convince moderate women that he's "extreme" or "racist". He doesn't mean it, or if he does, he means it for high-skill immigrants only.
He is by no means perfect but he is the MOST pro-white America viable candidate in at least a generation. He's been anti-illegal immigration since he was governor. he's tough on China. He's much better on these issues than either Bush I, II, OR Reagan.
and Republican voters are BLOWING it. Because he was pro-choice to be elected Governor of Mass. I agree with a previous poster. Republican voters are not bright.
I got lost in downtown Philly one night, mistakenly ending up on a freeway with a long stretch to the next exit. That exit was dark, with a jacked-up car here and a broken window or two there. I was afraid for my life.
Turning into a narrow sidestreet, I was intrigued to see solid windows, all lit up, and kids innocently bicycling in the road. White kids. I asked an attendant at a nearby gas station what neighborhood this was. He said Fish Town.
Next time in the city I asked an information volunteer what he knew about this "Fish Town". Turned out he grew up nearby. He was on a date there once and was robbed at knifepoint-- by a classmate. "What are you doing? You sit behind me in sociology class!" "Just shut up and give me your money."
I don't know what was more striking-- that he was robbed by a classmate, that he was on a date at 14, or that they both were studying sociology at that age. But then, he was volunteering at Mensa's Annual Gathering, so he was probably more advanced than your average Fish Towner.
Enough about Fish Town. Now back to Belmont...
Your perfect Romney has a habit of sticking his foot in his mouth. He's also mostly a RINO. One of the things he does have going for him is a squeaky clean image as a family guy, great contrast to our recent crop of presidents. I wouldn't emphasize that moral and intellectual perfection aspect too much however. I know how much this means to you HBDweebs but it might come out a little like supremacism to everyone else. If you're intent on promoting the guy as president, I'd parlay this into warm-fuzziness to soften the robot edges.
FYI, most Christian types agree strongly that the slogan "Not perfect just forgiven" applies to them. Assuming you ever interact outside of HBD circles, most people will not nod their heads in agreement or get a smug I-told-you-so look upon being reminded that Romney's life outcomes have been just as the prophet Charles Murray predicted.
beowulf, for some reason white liberals are very often horrified by whites with large families. I suspect they dislike large families with many children on general principle but that it is unseemly to criticize highly fertile minorities. So they focus their disdain for large families on the few whites that have them.
The great thing about the new generation of Kennedys is that they're not breeding to the extent that their forebears did. Joe III, the original red-headed stepchild if there ever was one, has announced he's getting into the race for Bawney Fwank's seat in Congress.
He's 31, works for the Middlesex County DA and still lives with mom!
I'd say Romney has far fewer daddy issues than Obama, Bush, or Clinton. Obama and Clinton's all-consuming need to be loved is an embarrassment. I'll always vote for the guy who seems the most normal.
I would sooner vote for a Sharia-promoting Islamic fundamentalist than a Mormon.
"Anonymous said...
""You can't have a beer with a guy who doesn't drink.""
Bush didn't drink, either."
True, he is a reformed drunk. I bet he really would like a beer though.
I'd be happy to have a cup of Brigham tea with Mitt, tho we'd probably argue. Great piece, Steve. I'm surprised you didn't bring up Ned Flanders. I've commented on this and linked it HERE.
"Obama is also shady but he's been a solid Democrat all his life. Romney, in contrast, has been all over the map."
"No, he really hasn't. Not compared to Reagan, for instance."
But Reagan wasn't entirely wrong when he said "Dem Party left me, I didn't leave the Dem Party." And when he made a break, he made a clean break, and people knew he was a new man. With Romney, you never can tell cuz he won't make come clean about his past.
465 comments!! Wow, Fuku really set off a bomb.
The people of a place like Belmont represent a segment narrower than 20%.
"Each year Mitt sends out a Christmas card with a picture of his vast and good-looking extended family, which routinely drives liberals into paroxysms of rage"
Beowolf responded:
This seems off-key. Do liberals really get upset that Romney sends out Christmas cards with a family picture? The guy's Ned Flanders, he may annoy some people but does anyone really hate the guy?
--------------
Good point. On large families and driving liberals mad... Santorum and Palin? Yes. Romney and Paul? No, though Romney is close to the edge of acceptability. I think the difference is really just age or generation.
BTW, the following morning of the announcement of Santorum's daughter being hospitalized, the vast majority of people put aside politics to wish him well. Twitter, with its pictures and names, revealed a tiny minority that was downright demonic and they seemed to consist only of gays and liberal Jews (many conservative Jews like Santorum); I just didn't see liberals SWPLs or any other liberals act like psychos.
dogzma said,
"Romney's life outcomes have been just as the prophet Charles Murray predicted."
Why is it guys/gals like you seem so angry about biology and so incensed toward those who simply study what biology has delivered forth through culture?
Like Billy Joel says, "We didn't start the fire." He should have added, "Our genes did."
The difference between a child and an adult is the ability to face the truth and deal with it instead of living in a fantasy land, a practice that eventually destroys everything and everyone.
Romney is 99.9% sure to get the GOP nomination.
Romney will get 100% of the GOP/Conservative/Evangelical/Teaparty vote, and they will turn out in huge numbers not because they love Romney but because they loathe Obama.
Romney will get a large portion of the middle class Independents, who really don't care about poor people, either.
Romney will pick up a decent portion of moderate "Reagan/Hillary Democrats" who are having buyer's remorse over voting for Obama.
Democratic turnout will be subdued, since you can only elect The First Black President once. (The fact that Ron Paul got over 18% of the vote in NH's DEMOCRATIC primary tells you something.)
Obama's support will come from the Bi-Coastal, Post-American Ruling Class Elites and their NAM "muscle." Not enough to win.
The period from November 7, 2012 thru January 19, 2013 will be the most perilous time in US history since 1861.
"Obama moves like he's walking on air."
Light in the loafers?
Sailer & Vdare: I can't remember what it was, but I read part of a piece there recently and wondered whether VDare might be getting a bit too radical for Steve. Sorry for being so vague but I honestly can't remember what it was.
His webpage says absolutely nothing about ending illegal immigration.
Everything you need to know about a person is not encompassed in their web page. Check out this if you want to know where the candidates stand on immigration.
I have to say, I don't quite get the hostility towards Romney by many on the right. No, he's not as conservative as I would like, but none of the candidates are.
Romney seems to be significantly to the right of George W Bush, who Republicans voted for twice. So what's really going on here? Maybe some people just don't like Mormons.
that is extremely freaky. belmont is where my college girlfriend was from. i've been to belmont several times.
she is a biology professor now at one of the UC campuses. her dad was a professor at yale and her mom was a professional psychologist. they were divorced, and her mom had remarried, to another psychologist. yeah, they were WAY out of touch with the average person.
lol. i remember many knock down drag out fights we had over the way the world worked.
At first, I thought it was pretty amazing that Romney lives in the real Belmont. It turns out not to be that remarkable that somebody in the news lives in Belmont, MA. Murray chose wisely: when I looked up Belmont on Wikipedia, the number of famous people who had lived there at some point in their lives was lengthy. It's sort of a suburb for Harvard and MIT, so you have lots of names on the Wikipedia list like Henry Kissinger.
i just realized steve used "paroxysm" in this article. now it's going to look like i copied him in my post on homosexuals versus africans. damn vocabulary words!
i will send 20 dollars to the campaign of the next politician who uses paroxysm in a televised debate, be it romney, paul, gingrich, santorum, or obama.
Check out this if you want to know where the candidates stand on immigration. --anonymous 11:50 am
I'm a little wary about NumbersUSA's grades now, since Santorum jumped from a D to an A. This is all based on talk, and he hasn't followed through even on that. Romney is mediocre, but more consistent. (Of course, he hasn't had a job in awhile.)
Numbers should have separate 'Say' and 'Do' grades!
Obama is quite exposed on this issue. Numbers eschews conservative concerns (culture, budget) for more liberal ones (wages, environment, minorities).
Obama's F- is a liberal disaster.
i just realized steve used "paroxysm" in this article. now it's going to look like i copied him in my post on homosexuals versus africans. damn vocabulary words!
This happens to me a lot. I read about a study that says people are more likely to grab and use a big word once it's been introduced to the discussion. Subconscious thing. But I wish I had a dollar for every time I picked out a comment to reply to, scrolled past the bulk of the converation, composed and submitted my reply, and went back to reading - only to discover someone else had already introduced my 10 cent word.
Doesn't happen much with my favorite 25 cent words, though. Like oleaginous: nobody ever uses that one. I usually save it for when it truly applies (i.e., describing Steven Segal).
Esthetically, Romney is perfect. My idea of a good, white America. But oh! that platform! State capitalism, red in tooth and claw, fueled by Goldman-Sachs-ites. Don't forget the warmongering, the desperate urge to blow up Iran on behalf of the Chosen. Hey - it will only cost a couple million dollars, right?
As someone said, don't worry about Romney's positions. Just wait a month or two and they will be different.
Romney's "disconnect" with people appears to many people--perceptive women, especially--to have nothing to do much with social class but will a brittle persona--with somewhat robotic "emotions". The most perceptive comment I've heard regarding his disconnect with many people is: "Where's the rest of him?" He's a loser in the long run in a media based war against an incumbent who'll have mountains of PAC money to unload on him.
President Obama walking on air--
The better perception is that "he's light in his loafers" --i.e., not quite enough weight down there in the dual-gland sack.
Belmont souns a lot like my wife's hometown of Santa Monica, where she recalls the only Republican family in the neighborhood was ostracized.
I'm a little wary about NumbersUSA's grades now, since Santorum jumped from a D to an A. This is all based on talk
Since neither Romney, Gingrich or Santorum are in office, "talk" is all we've got to go on.
"Creepily Normal Mormon?" With respect, you have seen only the surface of morality and missed the essence. By all accounts Stalin's chief of secret police, Lavrentia Beria, had a notable work ethic. He also sent million to their deaths. Would your really compare his morality to that of America in the 1950's?
Suppose the during WWII Eisenhower had decided to sell military secrets to the Nazis to make a quick buck. I mean, as long as he doesn't cheat on his wife and has a good work ethic, who can complain about anything that someone might do to make some money? It's not like 'morality' means that we should care about anything other than getting ours, right? So when people like Romney ship advanced ballistic missile technology to communist China, somehow this is the same morality as America in the 1950's - when such behavior would have gotten you put on trial for treason?
With respect, Romney has the same cold-blooded morality of a shark - which is to say none at all. An ethic which holds that you need not have any consideration for your fellow citizens is no morality at all...
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