“Sumter, South Carolina (CNN) – Mitt Romney gave a handful of cash Saturday to a woman who had told him she was struggling financially after an event in Sumter, South Carolina.
An aide said the GOP candidate gave the supporter "what he had on him" - about $50 or $60…”
This just feels wrong for some reason. I may be wrong on this. There is something about it that makes me feel a bit sick.
I wish he could have done it without anyone knowing about it. But she may have been the one telling everyone about it. I do not know.
But still it just seems not right for some reason. Some people are commenting that it is vote buying. I do not think that is the case.
The article says that she has been helping at is campaign office. It seems like this could have been taken care of at the office and in private.
I am not sure if what brothers me is that a man that is super rich hands out $60.00 or not.
I am super poor. From about the middle of the month to the end of the month I have just about zero money. Sometimes a homeless person will stop me around here and I will give the person often $2.00 or at the most $5.00 and when I do it I slip it to them. I fold it over and try and not let anyone see me doing it. Now as poor as I am if I give someone $2.00 that is a hell of a lot more than Mitt Romney that is worth as much as $264 million dollars.
I am glad the woman got help. Her lights were turned off and she got them turned back on.
I can not see attacking Mitt Romney for giving a poor woman $60.00 but I can not see patting him on the back.
When I was working I always gave my fair share to the United Way. Most of them, maybe all the time, I gave my fair share plus. One year it was my job to go around to the guys in the security department.
I went to the director of security. He made very good money AND he got a big military pension that was tax free. Plus his wife made more than he did. She had a very good job. Well he made out a check for $100.00 and gave it to me. Sounds like a lot of money but I was giving more than that giving my “fair share.”
What do you think about Mitt Romney and this story? I do not think it is vote buying.
Does it make you uneasy also? I can not put my finger on just what it is. Like I said.. I may be just totally wrong on this story.
I think he was caught in a sort of bad situation. Maybe candidates should not carry any cash on them. To stiff her would have appeared cold - to give her money would have seemed like showboating and also chintzy since he has enough money to change her life. Best would have been to refer her to staff - just say "Please speak with my staff in a few moments" and sort of kick the problem down the road. Any amount he gives out in cash is going to appear "light" coming from a multi-millionaire.
So I'm not crazy about his solution but also sort of sympathetic to the ambush on camera. Wasn't like he said something stupid - he did what you'd do on a human level - tried to help and came off looking bad to some. It was ok with me - awkward moment. Guess he could have given her a Book of Mormon and cited a verse on self-reliance. That would not look good.
Ah yes, from the Book of Mormon:
“I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders,
that even you cannot feel them upon your backs.” Mosiah 24:14
Sort of snarky of me to bring Mormonism into it since I say the religion itself has some odd tenets and the founder was pretty sketchy but the Mormon people are hard working and have a lot of good personal qualities. Having a Mormon president would not worry me. I wouldn't vote for Romney but that has nothing to to with his religion. Harry Reid is a Mormon - how's that for different political views? And the Catholic church somehow encompasses Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich through conversion and in days gone by - Jim Howard.
Posted by: Dick Williams | Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 14:22