Posted on 12/20/2006 2:16:59 AM PST by raccoonradio
Something’s missing from Gov. Mitt Romney’s Christmas card.
The word “Christmas.”
Oh sure, no Beautiful Person has dared use the word Christmas on a “holiday” card for years. The word disappeared from official White House greetings in 1983 - when Ronald Reagan, of all people, was president.
But Mitt is running for president as THE conservative candidate. What might get him pulled over by the PC Posse in Cambridge would surely make him wildly popular in, say, Des Moines or Spartanburg.
But no. Instead we have the politician’s traditional adorable family (with Mitt in an inexplicable purple shirt) and inside, references to the generic “holiday season.”
But above the Politically Correct greeting comes an attempt by Mitt to - and there is no other way to put this - have it both ways.
It’s a quote from Isaiah 60:1:
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”
It’s a message to the born-agains - wink-wink, Merry Christmas. But the unsaved, those who will still be driving their car after the Rapture, won’t get it, nudge-nudge.
Here’s Mitt’s spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, on the missing eight-letter word:
“Hey, the guy quotes from the Bible - come on!”
Yeah. The Old Testament.
“The Old Testament contains many prophecies about the coming of the Messiah.”
And pulling the quote from the Old Testament is another sneaky part of Mitt’s card. If some ACLU lynch mob gets its hands on this card, Mitt can always shrug and say it’s not even from the New Testament. Not that Mitt has much to worry about on that score - your average American today knows even less about the Bible than he knows about American history, if that’s possible.
“ ‘You should have come to our Christmas party,” Fehrnstrom said. “That’s what the media advisory said, too - Christmas.”
My invitation said “Holiday.”
Too bad Mitt didn’t go out on a limb and authorize the use of the C-word. Hey, if it’s good enough for Wal-Mart and Target, it should be good enough for Mitt. But they’re all battling a tide of Political Correctness. Someone sent me an advisory from a federal agency on how not to offend anybody:
“It’s best not to call your event a ‘Christmas Party.’ Consider calling it a ‘Holiday Party,’ or even better, a ‘Year-End Celebration.’ ”
“If your team celebrates the end of the year by exchanging gifts, call this activity a ‘Gift Exchange’ as opposed to ‘Secret Santa.’ ”
Naturally “Yankee Swap” is out too. John Forbes Kerry might be offended.
“(No Santa, no elves, no gifts and no Christmas trees.) Better to stick with more generic ‘wintertime’ symbols. For example, depictions of snowmen, undecorated pine trees, winter landscapes or snowflakes are appropriate and inclusive.”
Dead pine tree with nothing on it - no lawsuit. Dead pine tree with angel on top - lawsuit.
Are you still unsure what exactly “inclusive” means? It’s easier to define what inclusive isn’t. Anything Christmassy that the 98 percent of the population thatstill enjoys Christmas might enjoy - that’s not “inclusive.” If 98 percent like, say, a Christmas carol, that’s “exclusive.” If the 2 percent who loathe Christmas can’t complain about something to the ACLU, that’s “inclusive.” Giving up your traditions - that’s being respectful of diversity.
Mitt went “inclusive” this year. He respected diversity.
I asked some people how they felt about Mitt’s sneaky little card.
One guy said, “I would have had a lot more respect if he’d written ‘Merry Christmas from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Romneys.’ ”
Next year, Mitt should send a singing Christmas card, with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir belting out, “Joy to the World.”
Mitt Romney is a Mormon.
I wonder why he didn't quote Joseph Smith about restoring "original" Christianity which was lost after a Great Apostasy, and how a angel named Moroni appeared to him in 1827 in North America to give him a set of Golden Plates in original "reformed Egyptian."
is "the missing eight-letter word" 'Christmas'? 'Cuz I'm counting 9 letters there... (interestingly enough 'chanukah' has 8 letters...)
for any DePetro fans out there:
>>Great news. I will be on WABC in New York,the number one talk station in the world, all next week. I will be filling in for John Gambling from 10AM to 12 noon. John DePetro on WABC Dec 26-29. You can call in at 1-800-848-wabc. Thank you for all the support, and Merry Christmas...
I didn't read Merry Christmas and Happy New Year at the end of the Carr bad mouth of his Governor. I'm quite sure Governor Romney has lots of time to sit around gaming his annual Christmas Card. By cracky I barely have time to sign them and send them, much less play word games.
Then there is your link.
Mitt Romney
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The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.
I won't bother to run to the talk page. This
little tid bit makes about as much sense as
the Carr article. Which article and author seem
to make a mockery of everything related to
the Christmas season, until I came upon your
little addition, and your point is?
SO LONG MITT. You can join JulieAnnie and McLame in the graveyard of forgotten RINOs as far as I'm concerned.
DUNCAN HUNTER is the MAN!!!!!!!!
DUNCAN HUNTER - Have heard he could be another Reagan. The country needs one!
The correct and true test for Romney's social conservative bona fides is his own life: how he has lived personally and within his own family for almost 60 years. Test that, and you will a true and dedicated social conservative.
To judge him according to Christmas cards that his Massachusetts staff chose to distribute is to engage in fatuous and absurd superficiality.
See:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1756169/posts
He's got my money, my unwavering support and my active campaiging efforts.
If you're not a registered Republican now, get registered and staret working for this guy.
He's the RINOs worst nightmare.
For him to send Christmas cards is absurd surperficiality. He isn't a Christian.
Howie, Howie. Humor-impaired people on both sides of the aisle read your column. Microscopic examination of a Christmas card as legitimate candidate inquiry. rofl. I love it. But the right has its own PC Police every bit as nasty and irrational as the ACLU who think scrutinizing the content of one's personal mail is a fine idea.
Hint to anyone in that category: It's a freakin' Christmas card fercryingoutloud. With a bible verse. Sounds pretty normal to me. You really think Romney's trying to pull one over on the Buddhists?
Carr should have stuck to the stuff about the feds guidelines for end of year parties.
To criticize someone for the card they are sending you are being influenced by these pressure groups I realise they are making me more sensitive and it is ridiculous.
Hm? Maybe he thinks Christmas is the plural of Christma.
He is going to get his butt kicked in the primary.. Besides I don't think anyone who is from the house is going to win.. You can dream on, but ain't gonna happen....
So why is he afraid to use the "C" word? "Season's Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" cards go straight into the circular file at our home.
Give 'em hell Howie.
After the President,Cheney.. mitt Romney is probably the politician most targetted by Liberal slime media Nytimes, boston globe etc and he has not even won the nomination so far! Wonder what he has done to upset them so much, they sure do have their panties in their twist at the prospect of a Romney candidacy.
Given Romney's documented statements concerning gay marriage and abortion, I find him to be duplicitous and a prevaricator -- IOW, he is just another politician seeking to pull the wool over the eyes of the maximum number of people in search of votes.
No, that usage is only correct on the Errornet when coupled with an otherwise inappropriate apostrophe: Christma's.
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