Gutless Wonder

For about six hours there, Mitt Romney was for keeping certain parts of Obamneycare intact. So he said, on Press The Meat: he'd continue the rules in the ACA about pre-existing conditions, and about letting young adults stay on their parents' coverage for some time. That was before the right-wing crazies went nutser than they already are.

Faster than the speed of sound, Mitt's campaign clarified: he's actually not for that at all; market forces, second only to tax cuts in the teabagger pantheon, will take care of it. Market forces. Like we already have. Yeah. That's the ticket. The ticket, that is, that has no shame and, as this little episode shows, no willingness to do what's right, even -- and who knows? It could be true -- when they actually know and have an opinion of their own.

The thing about Mitt Romney (well, not the only thing, but the main thing) is that no one, including Mitt himself, has any idea what he really believes about anything, and about what he'd actually try to do as president (other than -- so he says for the moment, anyway -- passing a budget that increases military spending, lowers taxes on the wealthy, and cuts spending on the future). The only thing that seems clear is he really really wants to be president. After that, who the hell knows? Who knows to whom he'll kowtow next, which positions he'll change and how fast; and at the behest of what interest group? Since there are no positions on any matter at all that he hasn't changed completely at one time or another (while denying it!), how could anyone conclude he has any core principles at all?

I have plenty of reasons not to vote for The Rominee: his lying, his flipflopping, his utterly shameful insinuations, his pandering, his unwillingness to give details about his plans. His plans. What seems impossible is that anyone would have a reason for voting for the man. Not, certainly, with the conviction that he has any convictions. Not with any sense at all of what he really stands for, or if he stands for anything at all.

So I guess it's about voting against Obama. Which is why Romney and Ryan and the RWS™ and Fox "news" are trying to convince people Obama is someone he's not. When your candidate is an empty vessel, what else can you do?