Wash Post article - Romney was an anti-gay bully in High School - assaulted gay student

[Pirate Smile]

Mitt Romney’s prep school classmates recall pranks, but also troubling incidents
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By Jason Horowitz, Updated: Thursday, May 10, 7:02 AM

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Mitt Romney returned from a three-week spring break in 1965 to resume his studies as a high school senior at the prestigious Cranbrook School. Back on the handsome campus, studded with Tudor brick buildings and manicured fields, he spotted something he thought did not belong at a school where the boys wore ties and carried briefcases. John Lauber, a soft-spoken new student one year behind Romney, was perpetually teased for his nonconformity and presumed homosexuality. Now he was walking around the all-boys school with bleached-blond hair that draped over one eye, and Romney wasn’t having it.

“He can’t look like that. That’s wrong. Just look at him!” an incensed Romney told Matthew Friedemann, his close friend in the Stevens Hall dorm, according to Friedemann’s recollection. Mitt, the teenaged son of Michigan Gov. George Romney, kept complaining about Lauber’s look, Friedemann recalled.

A few days later, Friedemann entered Stevens Hall off the school’s collegiate quad to find Romney marching out of his own room ahead of a prep school posse shouting about their plan to cut Lauber’s hair. Friedemann followed them to a nearby room where they came upon Lauber, tackled him and pinned him to the ground. As Lauber, his eyes filling with tears, screamed for help, Romney repeatedly clipped his hair with a pair of scissors.

The incident was recalled similarly by five students, who gave their accounts independently of one another. Four of them — Friedemann, now a dentist; Phillip Maxwell, a lawyer; Thomas Buford, a retired prosecutor; and David Seed, a retired principal — spoke on the record. Another former student who witnessed the incident asked not to be named. The men have differing political affiliations, although they mostly lean Democratic. Buford volunteered for Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008. Seed, a registered independent, has served as a Republican county chairman in Michigan. All of them said that politics in no way colored their recollections.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_story.html?hpid=z2

America has a clear f#%king choice this year!

Edit to add - This article reminds me of Republicans mocking Pres. Obama for saying he thought empathy was an important trait for a Supreme Court Justice to have. Clearly, a very unimportant - actually a negative trait - to Republicans.

[annabanana]

1. worth kicking today.. the contrast couldn't be greater. . . n/t

[spanone]

2. no surprise

[freshwest]

137. Nope, not at all.

[trumad]

3. Wow---just fucking wow.

This would be a Hate Crime in today's books.

[lamp_shade]

4. Hmmmm. I sure hope we'll be hearing more about this. K&R

[monmouth]

5. This really needs to go viral. Shows his meaness and lack of character...n/t

[PatSeg]

115. But, but, but...........

people say if you met him in person and off camera, he is SUCH a nice guy!

I find it interesting that his campaign isn't denying the story, they're just saying that Mitt can't "remember" it. That sounds like a confirmation to me.

[monmouth]

118. Me too. He remembers it alright, probably quietly thanking whomever he thanks that the

poor guy so he couldn't talk about it. Too bad the other guys have fresh memories. This is going to do him in, I'd bet on it.

[PatSeg]

120. And now Romney

is apologizing for any "pranks" he may have committed when he was young and that he's quite sure he didn't think the guy was homosexual.

And Seamus LOVED riding on top of the car!!!

[xxqqqzme]

123. Didn't dimson also

plead 'youthful indiscretions' up to the age of 40 or so?

Members of the 'entitlement class'. ( Yes, they are a class!)

[PatSeg]

125. Yes he did

and the Bush family was much better at sweeping his youth under the rug than the Romneys. I was always amazed at how little we knew about young George, as if NO ONE remembered him.

[Dont call me Shirley]

129. Thats because the bushes kill anyone who may potentially speak up.

[PatSeg]

132. That thought occurred to me

Whatever they did, its obvious many people were very afraid of the family.

[crunch60]

142. Well you know, Romney has that "selective memory recall" thing.

[PatSeg]

143. I know

He even remembers things that didn't happen.

Some people call it LYING!

[icarusxat]

158. met him in person and off camera

NOT a nice guy. I was on stage playing guitar, when he and C Amiguchi popped in for a photo op.(right after the SL Olympics) As he strutted up to me to give me a hand shake, he noticed I had a ponytail. His look went from "hi howareya" to total disdain. He crumpled his hand and walked away. It took me a few moments to realize what had happened. He came bopping on up like a rock star, took over my stage, ignored me, and dissed me. Jerk would be an insult to other jerks who are not even in the same league as this clown.

[Zookeeper]

159. Apparently, he has some fixation with how hair is *supposed* to look...

He seems to be a rigid control freak, in addition to being a stupid upperclass twit.

[PatSeg]

163. Yep

That's pretty much what I would have thought. These surrogates who keep saying what a "nice guy" he really is look like they are choking on their words. So far I haven't seen anyone on television who really likes the guy besides his family.

Damn, you're lucky he didn't have a pair of scissors with him at the time. You just know he was itching to cut off that pony tail.

[Enrique]

6. holy shit, that's bad

Mitt is a mean dude.

[dwig3d]

91. I have a tough time

believing that this spineless mealy-mouthed wimp, who can't stand up to Rush, Ted or some rapid tea-bagger, could ever be a bully. What that say about his prep school?

[gratuitous]

7. If Obama's alleged eating of dogs when he was 10 is fair game

I look forward to concomitant coverage of this episode from Mr. Romney's past, when he was a little older than 10.

[nxylas]

24. I wouldn't hold your breath

Goddamn liberal media bias

[Faygo Kid]

8. This needs to go to Rachel.

How did Mitt turn out to be such a creep? I actually respected his parents back in the day.

[ashling]

119. I'm pretty certain that she's already on this

[treestar]

9. Wow!

Rmoney keeps sinking. And people remember him from high school! Right winger have asserted no one "remembers Obama from high school, college or law school." Maybe they should have wished that for Rmoney.

[ProSense]

10. So he wasn't

a "wayward teen" who drank beer, he was just a fucking asshole who bullied other students?

Anyone wonder why he grew up to become a job destroyer, preying on people?

This should be all over the MSM.

[Pirate Smile]

14. It will be. This isn't a blog or left-leaning publication. It's the Washington Post,

[azurnoir]

11. well we're disgusted by this however

sadly for Romney's fans this probably makes him more of a regular guy

[Tikki]

41. I don't know about that...Still a lot of mullet lovin' repugs out there....

anyway, it's a woman's job to shear the strength out of a man.




Tikki

[adigal]

12. I am not surprised, not one little bit

I knew he was a bully from how he treated Seamus. You can discern what type of person one is by the way they treat the powerless among us. I am comfortable saying that Romney is a borderline sociopath, or at the least a really mean person and a bully.

[lamp_shade]

13. Tuck Chodd mentioning it now.

[Bruce Wayne]

15. Wow. A "three-week spring break"? Damn, must be nice.

[riverwalker]

16. sounds like the killings in Iraq for Emo hair

Romney is an arrogant, sadistic bully. His compulsion for conformity is pathological.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/10/us-iraq-emo-killings-idUSBRE8290CY20120310

At least 14 youths have been stoned to death in Baghdad in the past three weeks in what appears to be a campaign by Shi'ite militants against youths wearing Western-style "emo" clothes and haircuts, security and hospital sources say.

[hatrack]

17. A conformist asshole and a bully then . . . .

. . . a conformist asshole and a bully now.

[bupkus]

18. Romney's behavior is outrageous and indefensible

I wonder if he'll have the gall to say he's "evolved" or will he simply pull out his Etch-a-Sketch again?

[TahitiNut]

19. Yup. That's the Mitt-Wit. He hasn't changed one iota.

Cranbrook was infested with the sons of PRIVILEGE. I know. This is MY neighborhood ... was then and is now. I CADDIED for these elitist scum back "in the day."

[FailureToCommunicate]

20. Borg Romney and his 'prep school posse': "You will be assimilated"

"Resistance is futile"




The kind of kid in school most of us couldn't stand.

[backscatter712]

25. We are the Morg. Lower your shields and put on your magic underwear, you will be assimilated.

Resistance is futile.

[enough]

21. Whenever I hear the word "pranks," I immediately think of bullying disguised as humor. (nt)

[WI_DEM]

22. And don't tell me this isn't relevant today--it tells a lot about his character.

The more I find out about Mitt Romney the more I grow to dislike him.

[wendylaroux]

35. Agree

and young asshole bullies usually don't change,they just turn into older mean,asshole bullies.

[maddezmom]

50. agree

if this happened today it would be considered a hate crime.

[uponit7771]

79. +1

[sarcasmo]

23. Willard's new campaign slogan. Vote for the rich bully.

[FailureToCommunicate]

42. Rich WHITE bully

Or is that being redundant?

[longship]

47. I'd prefer: "Bully for the rich."

It kinda works multiple ways, eh?

[newspeak]

101. I think I like the "I am borg, here to assimilate you"

better. After all, we must all be alike, think alike, no diversity allowed. If we are all alike, think alike, believe alike then there will be no wars. So, those who are different must be forced to assimilate or bye-bye.

So, a privileged bully boy, no surprise.

[corkhead]

117. Perhaps his campaign leaked this to help enhance his "tough-guy" image

but I would imagine if he were in a position where he had to defend himself, he would fold like a card table.

[Renew Deal]

26. I'm not surprised

[coalition_unwilling]

27. Emphatic K&R - American people deserve to know all about this

sociopath before they enter the voting booths in November.

[maddezmom]

28. unbelievable

actually it isn't.

[warrior1]

29. another part of the article

But Friedemann and several people closest to Romney in those formative years say there was a sharp edge to him. In an English class, Gary Hummel, who was a closeted gay student at the time, recalled that his efforts to speak out in class were punctuated with Romney shouting, “Atta girl!” In the culture of that time and place, that was not entirely out of the norm. Hummel recalled some teachers using similar language.

Saul, Romney’s campaign spokeswoman, said the candidate has no recollection of the incident.

[riverwalker]

34. “Atta girl!”

Romney is not only racist, homophobic, elitist, is also a mysoginist as well. He called the boy a "atta girl" like it was a bad thing, meant to be a degrading insult. Very, very revealing.

[DLevine]

30. K&R. Sociopathic POS. n/t

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

31. What a clAss act.

[KansDem]

32. I have incidents from high school that I'm not particularly proud of...

...and would like to forget. However, assaulting someone and altering their appearance by force definitely isn't one of them.

[leveymg]

33. Mitt is Biff. eom

[joeybee12]

36. Bullshit...the kid's hair was cut because he ate spoiled turkey off the counter!

[ProgressiveEconomist]

37. Wait a minute: Have we heard from John Lauber? What's his price

for going on Fox and lying to Sean Hannity, "This never happened"?

Lauber now has the most lucrative blackmail hold ever on somebody with limitless resources.

[maddezmom]

58. he died in 2004

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_story_1.html

[ProgressiveEconomist]

76. Thanks. I searched repeatedly inside that article for "Lauber" but did not see that detail.

[maddezmom]

82. no problem

[Mother Of Four]

65. He passed on, liver cancer I think.

[myrna minx]

38. I'm sure no one is surprised by this revelation. Even when he's trying to be "charming" he's a bully

-just look at cookie-gate.

[get the red out]

39. asshole

Mitt Romney is simply an asshole, no two ways about it, everything that comes out about the man screams ASSHOLE.

[malthaussen]

40. Not uncommon behavior for the time...

I don't think it makes Mr Romney any less worthy of rule. Since that would be a mathematical impossibility.

Look, anyone fool enough to vote for Romney isn't going to be deterred by a little lynch mob in his past. And if any gay person were fool enough to vote for Romney... then I doubt this story would deter him.

-- Mal

[JDPriestly]

69. I think that anyone who would do what Romney did would have been

expelled from my high school in the late 1950s. I lived in an extremely conservative area of the country.

Students were unkind. They often were cliquish, snobbish and quietly mean. But physical aggression would not have been tolerated.

I also think that the social consciousness of conservatives has deteriorated to the point that many Republicans will think that Romney's behavior was great. They will support him because of it.

[slackmaster]

43. This WILL kill his chances in November. The GOP is clueless on vetting candidates, it seems

[NewJeffCT]

109. This might help him with some of the RWers out there

makes him more like "one of us" in their eyes.

[slackmaster]

111. Romney is very unpopular among much of the right because of his record on gun control laws

[DocMac]

140. I bet Ted Nugent loves this.nt

[Zookeeper]

160. The wing-nuts posted plenty of excuses for Rmoney in the WAPO comments.

Ranging from "It happened 50 years ago" to "What about Obama? He went to school in an Islamic Madrassa, said in his book that he did lots of drugs, sold drugs, shoved a little girl, ate dog...blah..blah..Bill Ayers...Rev. Wright...blah..blah..destroying America..."

Apparently, there's nothing Romney could do that would outweigh their hatred of our President.

[slackmaster]

162. That something happened a long time ago is often weak sauce as an excuse

The most important thing IMO is to be consistent in whether or not you are willing to overlook something in a person's past just because it happened when he or she was very young.

I do not forgive Mitt Romney for his assault and bullying.

[Zookeeper]

164. The responses were just knee jerk. I doubt that...

the posters saying, "50 years ago," extend the excuse to Obama eating dog meat served to him as a child.
There was nothing logical in their arguments, but plenty of rehashed vitriol.

Based on what we've learned about Mitten's character over the last few months, nothing he could say would end my dislike of him. However, if he had said, "I made a horrible mistake and I apologize to everyone involved. I have grown to understand the pain bullying causes to LGBT youth and others, and call for increased awareness and education about bullying," he would have at least looked like he has a clue.

[tanyev]

44. marking to read later

[Skinner]

45. Sickening.

What an asshole.

[Enrique]

46. photo of the young hair Nazi

[Gidney N Cloyd]

74. I've said it before here, Romney = Greg Marmalard

[catbyte]

130. LOL. Dead on, Gidney!

[eShirl]

92. he had/has predator eyes & grin

[karynnj]

48. This makes me like Romney even less

But, I assume that the voters who thought they would rather have a beer with a bully who branded pledges in college rather than a genuinely kind person who risked his life to save another - and to add insult to injury described the bully as more "likable" than both Gore and Kerry.

[classof56]

83. Yep--not to mention blowing up frogs.

Dubya was beyond reprehensible (IMHO) his entire life, including the eight years we had to endure his presidency. It was painful, listening to all those who sang his praises no matter what. I once opined he could have been videoed having sex with a pig and his supporters would have said it was just part of his Farm Animal Enhancement Program. Rmoney will be accorded similar slack, I'm pretty sure, by those who need him in office. I'm still sick about what was done to Kerry. I shudder to think what will be our national destiny if President Obama suffers the same fate.

Obama/Biden 2012!

[highplainsdem]

49. He's a thug.

[Lugnut]

51. K&R n/t

[bonniebgood]

52. I smell a "gay boating" mini series coming they

all have a price. If we believe anything in the bible, it's so true. "its easier for a camel to get.... you know the rest. Its attitude my friend. Attitude is Everything. I feel your attitude is connected to your soul.

[cali]

63. Huh? what are you saying? do tell.

[maddezmom]

71. what are you saying here?

can't make heads or tails out of it.

[valerief]

53. I wonder who would be surprised by this. I doubt most DUers would be. nt

[catbyte]

54. Imagine the backlash if Obama had attacked a kid cuz he was White?!?

Unfuckingbelievable. Well, he must have just gained 5 points with the bagger base.

Diane
Anishinaabe in MI & mom to Leo, Sophie, Taz & Nigel, members of Dogs Against Romney, Cat Division
"We ride inside--HISS!”

[MineralMan]

55. Let's hope this is publicized everywhere.

It might make an interesting ad for some PAC, too.

[Iliyah]

56. Thats one of the qualifications

to run for office of goppers. Mean spirited is the gopper evangelists way!

The insane party of no will probably give him a medal.

[Buns_of_Fire]

57. A bully with a short temper -- should make the debates interesting...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/nov/30/mitt-romney-temper-politico-book

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/03/17/what_are_we_to_make_of_romneys_flashes_of_irritation_113513.html

http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-stump/97957/romney-hot-under-tight-collar-again

[fishwax]

59. despicable -- but it will endear him to some of the GOP base

[ejbr]

60. Piece of shit, Mitt Romeny n/t

[Botany]

61. How about a bunch of people who lost their jobs because of Romney's Bain Capital .....

Get a hold of Mitt Romney and tie him down and tattoo Job Killer across his back?

I hope the student that Mitt did this to comes out now and confronts Mitt about what
he did all those years ago. I hope he does it in public with the cameras running so
Mitt can feel the terror that must have gone through his mind all those years ago.

[Swede Atlanta]

62. I hope the Dems keep this little gem ready.....

for when the pukes start using wedge issues such as Obama, Biden and Secretary Duncan's support for marriage equality.

When I heard about the Seamus story I just about cried. I would never, ever, under any circumstances place one of my dogs in a kennel and strap it to the top of my car.

But that incident gave me a strong feeling this guy is just mean. This story about his high school bullying antics just confirms this.

Yes, there is a clear choice here - someone with personal integrity and a spoiled, mean, animal-hating, women-hating, gay-hating-and-bashing rich bigot.

[polly7]

64. Here's something else from the article that bothered me to read

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romneys-prep-school-classmates-recall-pranks-but-also-troubling-incidents/2012/05/10/gIQA3WOKFU_story_1.html

"One venerable English teacher, Carl G. Wonnberger, nicknamed “the Bat” for his diminished eyesight, was known to walk into the trophy case and apologize, step into wastepaper baskets and stare blindly as students slipped out the back of the room to smoke by the open windows......."

"As an underclassman, Romney accompanied Wonnberger and Pierce Getsinger, another student, from the second floor of the main academic building to the library to retrieve a book the two boys needed. According to Getsinger, Romney opened a first set of doors for Wonnberger, but then at the next set, with other students around, he swept his hand forward, bidding the teacher into a closed door. Wonnberger walked right into it and Getsinger said Romney giggled hysterically as the teacher shrugged it off as another of life’s indignities."

What kind of arrogance and sense of entitlement does it to do that to a 'teacher'?

[TwilightGardener]

155. That's disturbing. How mean.

[surrealAmerican]

66. It will be interesting to see how (or if) ...

... he responds to this.

[Turbineguy]

67. This little anecdote

will make Romney even more attractive to teabaggers. The only improvement that could be made is that John Lauber had dark skin.

Not to condone Romney, but this sort of stuff was standard fare in 1965. We've come some distance since then, thank goodness.

[bayareaboy]

68. Gawd I don't know what I like better ...

Mittens or his friend, who BBQ a dog, or ted and his BS and bad hunting.

Which shall it be?

[Marzupialis]

70. It's unclear whether Romney opposed the kid's gayness

As opposed to disliking his hair color. Which is an act of bullying for which he should be ashamed of. But like i said, it's unclear whether Romney did this because he thought the kid was gay.

[Smilo]

72. No doubt Ted Nugent is

thinking - I like this guy, I really do - he is a no good bully just like me.

[Chakaconcarne]

73. This has to go mainstream.....timing is curious.

Something in the back of my mind is telling me perhaps it may have been known by the administration this story was on it's way out before making yesterdays announcement? Think about it.

[zzaapp]

75. Good call Chaka

[eShirl]

93. I agree; it's no mistake or coincidence.

[boxman15]

77. Fuck Mitt Romney. nt

[beac]

78. Not so surprising that Romney was a bully...

cowards usually are.

[uponit7771]

80. I can't belive this, I...wow....this guy is sadistic...please people vote...fuckin wow

[Sheepshank]

81. Romney has finally found something he doesn't flip flop over.

and it make me want to cry

[KurtNYC]

84. Cranbrook School is NOT a "high school"

http://schools.cranbrook.edu/default.aspx

C'mon. Would the great Mitt Romney be thrown in with the common rabble at a high school?

Seriously, maybe Romney would be different if his parents had not sent him away as a child. Kids need parents. People who are jealous of the multi-generation wealthy have no idea how miserable and intimacy-starved many of them are.

[groundloop]

85. "Governor Romney has no memory of participating in these incidents"

From the linked article:

“Anyone who knows Mitt Romney knows that he doesn’t have a mean-spirited bone in his body,” Andrea Saul said in a statement. “The stories of fifty years ago seem exaggerated and off base and Governor Romney has no memory of participating in these incidents.”

Doesn't remember it my ass.

[maddezmom]

89. and now has issued a non-apology apology

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-apologizes-for-high-school-pranks-that-might-have-gone-too-far/2012/05/10/gIQAC3JhFU_story.html?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost

[Botany]

95. non apology apology & he has a bad memory too

“Back in high school, I did some dumb things and if anybody was hurt by that or offended, obviously I apologize for that,” Romney said in a live radio interview with Fox News Channel personality Brian Kilmeade. Romney added: “I participated in a lot of hijinks and pranks during high school and some might have gone too far and for that, I apologize.”

snip

I don’t remember that incident,” Romney said, laughing. “I certainly don’t believe that I thought the fellow was homosexual. That was the furthest thing from our minds back in the 1960s, so that was not the case.”

Asked specifically about having interrupting a closeted gay student in English class, Gary Hummel, by shouting, “Atta girl!” Romney said, “I really can’t remember that.”

“As this person indicated, he was closeted,” Romney said. “I had no idea that he was gay and can’t speak to that even today. But as to the teasing or the taunts that go on in high school, that’s a long time ago. For me, that’s about 48 years ago. Again, if there’s anything I said that is offensive to someone, I certainly am sorry for that, very deeply sorry for that.”

*************

What a freaking weasel .... and I am sorry if I offended any weasels

One time is an accident two times is really bad luck but time after time of doing mean things
to other people is a pattern. Be it as a bully to gay kids in high school, having a sight impaired
teacher walk into a door, or laying off thousands of people so he and his friends can make money
Mitt has a pattern of being mean.

[Aviation Pro]

90. Operative word "seem..."

But they're not, you fucking mouthpiece, they're not.

Go fuck yourself you fucking ditch liquor drinking fuckwit.

[cindyperry2010]

86. Fucking prick

surprised not very muchj

[Kablooie]

87. But this is heroic leader behavior to Republicans.

[Aviation Pro]

88. Lurch the Fucking Stiff....

...is a fucking bully; a fucking motherfucker; and a fucking rolling shitstain asshole asshat assclown poser.

Just like Two Shoes, Shooter, and the Wasilla Fuckwit this wad of fuck should not come within sniffing distance of the White House.

$500 goes to the President's campaign today.

Go fuck yourself and the fucking dressage horse you rode in on, phlegm.

[HangOnKids]

116. Rant Of The Day

The bit about the dressage horse is priceless!

[Maven]

121. "Go fuck yourself and the fucking dressage horse you rode in on, phlegm."

[DocMac]

141. LOL!!!

[TBF]

94. Given his history of animal abuse this is no surprise -

I would be more surprised if he hadn't been abusive to humans in one way or another through the years.

Great article from PETA about this topic -

Violent acts toward animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathy that does not confine itself to animal abuse. "Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives," wrote humanitarian Dr. Albert Schweitzer. And according to Robert K. Ressler, who developed profiles of serial killers for the FBI, "Murderers … very often start out by killing and torturing animals as kids."

Animal abuse is not just the result of a minor personality flaw in the abuser—it is a symptom of a deep mental disturbance...

Much more here: http://www.peta.org/issues/companion-animals/human-animal-abuse.aspx

[Scurrilous]

96. Thanks.

[LetTimmySmoke]

97. The problem isn't the incident itself. I'd hate to be judged on the things I did in high school.

The problem is how the incident plays right into all the negative perceptions about Romney. When I read the WP article, my first thought was "Yep, that's Romney to a tee."

[alcibiades_mystery]

138. The incident itself is pretty fucking brutal, actually

I certainly have my share of high school regrets, and I suppose on some occasions I acted in a pack of guys and what we were doing was, point blank, bullying. I know that now, and if I;m honest, knew it then.

But at this level? Holding a person down (because he or she was gay) and actually cutting his hair. No way. That's a pretty extreme form of even run of the mill aggressive male bullying behavior.

The problem is indeed the incident itself, not because it "plays right into negative perceptions," but because it is symptomatic of a deeply flawed character. Remember that he was the governor's son at the time: he ruled the roost and brutalized those around him. It's quite shocking behavior in itself, actually.

[backscatter712]

98. K&R! We need to take down this homophobic, psychopathic skinjob! n/t

[BlancheSplanchnik]

99. people like him shouldn't make it to Street Cleaner.

Disgusting how SADISTIC (def.: taking pleasure in others' pain), conscienceless, empathy-challenged, pathologically lying humanoids are able to fool people and get rewards they don't deserve.

If only they had tentacles!! Then maybe the Great Moralizers would be able to fucking recognize them......

[thesquanderer]

100. Bush blew up frogs

These youthful incidents do tell you about the character of the person.

At least some (all?) of the other people involved in the incident owned up to feeling remorse as an adult, it ended up being somewhat traumatic for these people to even be a part of it. But Romney--the one who instigated it--can't even remember doing it.

Some on our side my be socialist, but over there, some of 'em are sociopaths.

[KamaAina]

102. Mitt, your Delta Tau Chi name is "Brutus"

as in Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, the WWF wrestler known for "the struttin' and the cuttin'" -- as well as for his presumed homosexuality.

[Initech]

104. Mitt is *WAY* too square for the Deltas. He'd fit right in with the Omega House though.

[KamaAina]

108. "Thank you, Sir, may I have another?"

[Initech]

103. I keep telling you - today's bullies = tomorrow's Republicans.

[alp227]

157. yep, i wonder when similar stories come out about John BONER, Eric WANKER,

Mitch the CON MAN, Paul VAMPIRE-MAN, etc.?

[AnnieK401]

105. Romney's going to lose it before Nov.

I have already seen signs of the stress of the election getting ot Romney. I am betting he's going to have a meltdown before Nov. that will cost him the election.

[Spazito]

106. RMoney has NO empathy, none at all...

for anyone but himself. I am not at all surprised he did the things he did in his elite school, appalled and disgusted but not surprised.

The cruel 'jokes' he has made during this campaign has shown the man has NO interest in others unless they can help him get what he wants, what he feels is his right ie the Presidency.

What a despicable, ugly person he was, is and always will be.

[young_at_heart]

107. He and "W" have something in common

W has had a lifetime of bullying and loved to brag about his bullying abilities.

[daaron]

110. Why am I not surprised? First the dog, then the dog-eating, and now this.

What's next? That's what I want to know.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

112. Mitt again is completely lacking in courage

This is deplorable behavior, but sometimes young people do bad things they eventually come to regret and learn from later in life. But Romney can't summon the courage to admit his bad behavior and condemn it within himself and describe how he's changed (if he has). How can he claim he doesn't recall such a dramatic incident that remains so vivid in the minds of his fellow students? The further problem for him is that even if he says he can't recall the event, his lack of recollection, if true, is a sign that he didn't think (and still doesn't think) there was anything wrong with this kind of behavior. It's a reflection on his character.

[ailsagirl]

113. Great! More grist for the mill!

What a jerk

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

114. Reminds me of the film If... with Malcolm McDowell

directed by Lindsay Anderson. Told the story of the harshness of English boarding school and how necessary it was to conform. However, the ending was something else again.

[Odin2005]

122. Fucking bastard! May he go to Hell!

[tclambert]

124. Right wing spin: Romney was showing his leadership abilities even back then.

[Rex]

126. And just when I think my opinion of the shitstain cannot get any lower

along comes this article...

The man is un-electable.

[polichick]

127. Glad this is hitting the news - it'll make a difference to independent voters...

...although Republicans will probably like him more.

[NYC Liberal]

128. What a miserable POS this guy is.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

131. A Bully? NO! K&R

Last edited Thu May 10, 2012, 07:42 PM - Edit history (3)

The Choice IS Very Clear!

Guiding Principles
"President Obama recognizes that our civil rights laws and principles are at the core of our nation. He has spent much of his career fighting to strengthen civil rights – as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, Illinois State Senator, U.S. Senator, and now as President. He knows that our country grows stronger when all Americans have access to opportunity and are able to participate fully in our economy."
"IT GETS BETTER"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/civil-rights

No Integrity!
Check this out:
"How the Left Sunk the Swiftboating of Barack Obama"
"Alan Colmes radio show" "thanks to Alan Colmes for sticking it to this guy.
But will the people who need to hear this hear (or read) it? Or will people be buffaloed by this character as they were by the original Swift Boaters in 2004?
How do we get this article and the Colmes interview out to the people who need to hear it?"
http://www.politicususa.com/abandon-ship-how-the-left-sunk-the-swiftboating-of-barack-obama.html
Video at link..

[TLM]

133. This is exactly who Romney is.....

He is the sadistic arrogant aristocrat bully. Religious fervor mixed with the inner belief of an almost royal birthright to rule over those he views as his inferiors. If you fail to conform, you’ll be made to conform. If you are too weak to fight back, you will be exploited and discarded. The unwashed rabble exist only for the enrichment of the elite.

In Romney’s mind a long haired hippy queer was no more or less human than the dog he strapped to the roof of his car, and no more or less deserving of compassion or consideration. If you are not one of his class, you are nothing but an inconvenience… you are not human. This core value is reflected when guys like Romney compare gay marriage to a man on dog marriage… they do not view homosexuals as human beings.

This same outlook extends to anybody who is not in their class… you’re poor, you’re gay, you’re liberal, you’re brown…. To Romney, you’re not human. Or at least you are some lesser form of human that doesn’t warrant the same level of consideration as real people, like him and his wealthy friends.

[Why Syzygy]

134. Bastard

Where is Lauber now? Doing very well I hope!

This incident describes ASSAULT. Has the statute of limitations expired? Prosecute!


I lost a wonderful high school friend to this kind of HATE/Insanity. Keyboard cannot express my outrage

He needs to be strapped to a car roof and take a long drive off a short pier.

[TLM]

135. I think the story said he died... (nt)

[hifiguy]

136. A "prank" is pennying someone in their room so they

can't get out, dragging the contents of someone's room out into the quad, or putting a horse in the dean's office. Assault is not a "prank." I didn't think anything could make me hold Mittens in lower regard. I was wrong.

[Why Syzygy]

139. Assault is not a "prank".

Exactly. This is the description of a Hate Crime. Those laws may not have been on the books in those days.

I HATE bullies! They don't like me either because I will kick their ass if they think they're messing with me or mine.

[TwilightGardener]

154. Yep. Had they done this to a woman, they would have been arrested.

[Aerows]

144. Just another reason

Why this horrible individual shouldn't be within spitting distance of the White House. Stay tuned, I'm sure next week we will see yet another reason. Of course, that's what I said last week, too, when he did something equally horrible.

[abelenkpe]

145. Can Romney be the R nominee after this?

Who can justify this behavior? Will someone else end up as nominee?

[patrice]

146. It is likely that he enjoyed doing that. One of his first tasks in becoming a "god" over Earth.

[usregimechange]

147. America needs to know what kind of asshole this guy at least was

[Skittles]

148. wow

I know we all do stupid things as young students but this is not a prank - this the work of a sadist. Seamus knows too.

[Brooklyn Dame]

149. Sociopath...

A bully who torments animals and people he considers weak.

http://borderlessnewsandviews.com/2012/04/bullying-not-just-a-lesson-for-kids/

[Thinkingabout]

150. This is the Republican way.

They proudly developed swift boat and used it to destroy hero Kerry, they do not have any shame. Now they have lived by the sword they might just die by the sword. They lie and when the story turns on them they start whining.

[mahina]

152. They keep saying Crannapple or whatever is an elite institution. It is not. It is very expensive,

but in terms of academics, it is nothing special at all.

Much like some! (Willard and Dullard come to mind first.)

[SunsetDreams]

153. Good Gawd what an Asshole!!!

This guy need to go down

[Tripod]

156. I knew it!

[spicegal]

161. I would be EXTREMELY sad to know that my son did something so very cruel.

It's mean spirited bullying and shows a lack of empathy, regardless of the young man's sexual orientation. I find it remarkable that Romney would have no recollection. Sounds like he was "leader of the pack".

[Joey Liberal]

165. Romney is a Bully Punk

But then, so aren't most republicans?

[banana convention.]

166. The "Poor Me" generation

(Hey, I coined that just now, I think, so give credit where it's due!)

Puleeze, stand in line, gay people. Next to the geeks, next to the chubbettes, next to the kids like me with upside down Nikes (some off-brand bought overseas in 1981). There are a million reasons people get bullied.