Character in a Presidential Candidate
I'm not so proud of many things I did as a young person, but I can honestly say that I never intentionally hurt anyone, physically or otherwise.
Mitt Romney's "hijinks" (as he calls them) as a senior in his "prep" high school which involved holding a gay boy down and cutting his hair, seem to be more of a character issue to me. He had no thought at all about this young man's feelings. Indeed, he deemed himself to be more worthy - else he would not have dared to force the boy into an unwanted haircut.
He took control of someone without their permission. I find this unacceptable of the character that should be in a presidential candidate. He was a senior, not a ten year old boy who may not have known better. Equally as distressing as the incident itself, is that the school did absolutely nothing about it.
There is also the issue of animal cruelty relating to Seamus, the family dog who was placed in his kennel (equipped with a windshield), and strapped to the top of the car for the family vacation trip in 1983. In 1983, I'm pretty sure Romney was an adult.
Regardless of which party one represents (or religion for that matter), a presidential candidate should always possess the character and inherent morals that would enable that person to have compassion and empathy for his/her constituents - the people he/she will be sworn to protect. I sincerely hope that the American people will consider these issues when they vote in the Presidential election.
Mitt Romney's "hijinks" (as he calls them) as a senior in his "prep" high school which involved holding a gay boy down and cutting his hair, seem to be more of a character issue to me. He had no thought at all about this young man's feelings. Indeed, he deemed himself to be more worthy - else he would not have dared to force the boy into an unwanted haircut.
He took control of someone without their permission. I find this unacceptable of the character that should be in a presidential candidate. He was a senior, not a ten year old boy who may not have known better. Equally as distressing as the incident itself, is that the school did absolutely nothing about it.
There is also the issue of animal cruelty relating to Seamus, the family dog who was placed in his kennel (equipped with a windshield), and strapped to the top of the car for the family vacation trip in 1983. In 1983, I'm pretty sure Romney was an adult.
A Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey found that 74% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 63% of Republicans consider it inhumane to put a family dog in a kennel on the roof of a car. The poll also found that 35% of voters would be less likely to vote for Romney because of the Seamus incident, whereas 55% of voters said that it would not affect how they vote.
Regardless of which party one represents (or religion for that matter), a presidential candidate should always possess the character and inherent morals that would enable that person to have compassion and empathy for his/her constituents - the people he/she will be sworn to protect. I sincerely hope that the American people will consider these issues when they vote in the Presidential election.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI think you are totally right about wanting our president to have compassion and not be a bully. I just hate that as our country has grown, the American people have become more tolerant or wrong-doing, more selfish and materialistic, and less compassionate.
Our system of government only encourages the wealthiest and powerful to be candidates for our highest governmental position. These people tend to be less compassionate and selfish so it is difficult to choose who to believe or even respect these days.
Good article-I enjoyed reading it. Sally
So true Sally and thanks for the compliment. Whatever happened to being governed by our peers?
ReplyDeleteCampaign reform must become a priority if we are ever to return to offering these service positions to all who are capable, and not just to all who are wealthy enough to campaign.