Romney clarifies as he proposes to 'hang' Obama with misery index

Boston.com ^ | April 30, 2011 | Glen Johnson,

[Baladas]

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Expected Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney tread on socially dangerous ground last night as he talked about the need to "hang" a misery index around the neck of Barack Obama, the nation's first black president.

Romney almost immediately caught himself, with the English major declaring "metaphorically" speaking, but the mix of nervous laughter with applause indicated at least some in the audience realized its potency.

Romney said: "You remember during the Ronald Reagan/Jimmy Carter debates? That Ronald Reagan came up with this great thing about the 'misery index,' and that he hung that around Jimmy Carter's neck, and that had a lot to do with Jimmy Carter losing. Well, we're going to have to hang the 'Obama Misery Index' around his neck. And, I'll tell you, the fact that you've got people in this country, really squeezed, with gasoline getting so expensive, with commodities getting so expensive, families are having a hard time making ends meet. So, we're going to have to talk about that, and housing foreclosures and bankruptcies and higher taxation. We're going to hang him — uh, so to speak, metaphorically — with, uh, with, uh — you have to be careful these days, I've learned that, with an Obama Misery Index."

[Baladas]

No Mittens fan, but geeze, the things the idiot MSM do to protect that fraud Obama.

[A_Former_Democrat]

OMG talk about “silliness”

This is what it comes down to Watch the freakin know-nothing MSM, NAACP etc go nuts over this, showing their true ignorance about anything substantive

[rogue yam]

The whole world has gone stupid.

To "hang it around his neck" has nothing to do with executing him. It is a allusion to the albatross in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

Here, however, the sailors change their minds again and blame the Mariner for the torment of their thirst. In anger, the crew forces the Mariner to wear the dead albatross about his neck, perhaps to illustrate the burden he must suffer from killing it, or perhaps as a sign of regret ("Ah! Well a-day! What evil looks / Had I from old and young! / Instead of the cross, the albatross / About my neck was hung").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rime_of_the_Ancient_Mariner

[SunkenCiv]

“Rime of the Ancient Mariner”?!?

Seems as though people are niggardly with their praise of Mitt.

Thanks Baladas.

[jmcenanly]

The Misery Index was inflation * unemployment. Since the Labor department is now adjusting how we measure inflation so as to avoid this sort of thing, may I suggest using the national average price of a gallon of gasoline instead. This would give us a misery index of 0.0925 during the Bush administration, or 1.85 (gas price) *.05( unemployment). Right now, it is at .499, assuming 4.99 a gallon for gas and 10% unemployment.
Feel free to correct my rough figures, but you will get the idea of what I am proposing.

[rogue yam]

This is how I remember the misery index:

“The misery index was initiated by economist Arthur Okun, an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960’s. It is simply the unemployment rate added to the inflation rate. “

http://www.miseryindex.us/

[sefarkas]

I wonder what misery index you are referring to. The one Carter referred to was determined by adding the unemployment percentage and the inflation percentage. During the Presidential campaign of 1976, Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter made frequent references to the Misery Index, which by the summer of 1976 was at 13.57%. Carter stated that no man responsible for giving a country a misery index that high had a right to even ask to be President. Carter won the 1976 election. However, by 1980, when President Carter was running for re-election against Ronald Reagan, the Misery Index had reached an all-time high of 21.98%. Carter lost the election to Reagan.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

He should accuse the MSM of behaving niggardly with the English language.

[BushCountry]

Mittens should just say, “Obama has no black ancestry in America. He father was here illegally from Kenya and his mother is white. Even out of context, as some black leaders are insinuating, my reference does not relate to him in any way, shape, or form. If I offended any black Americans of ancestry, it was purely unintentional, I apologize.”

[ansel12]

Romney said: "You remember during the Ronald Reagan/Jimmy Carter debates?

Romney left the GOP because of Reagan and became a fund raiser, donor and supporter of Democrat candidates in a number of states. Romney did not rejoin the GOP until 1993 to run for office in Massachusetts.

To quote the man, "I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush." Boston Herald, 10/27/94

[sportutegrl]

Maybe Mitt was afraid the MSM was going to stick him with that tarbaby.

[AD from SpringBay]

This is what is wrong with all the pu$$y republican candidates. This is why Trump draws support. Rommney said one thing that might sorta-kinda could possibly be construed the wrong way and he’s bending backwards to correct a perceived slight against Great Leader. How about the republicans stop worrying about all this trivial crap and start holding Obama accountable for the direction of this nation? Why are they all so spooked? Oooops, did I just say ‘spooked’? Well, ahem, obviously what I meant was something far different that my unfortunate choice of language indicated. I am so, so, sooooo sorry. Please forgive me.

[sentient]

Go Trump, f Romney and f his friend Obamacare.....

[jmcenanly]

I was in error.