"Romney giggled hysterically as the teacher shrugged it off..."

[berni_mccoy]

From the WaPo article about Romney bullying a gay student:

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 person takes advantage of a nearly blind teacher and has them walk into doors he indicates are open?

I hope Romney got help because he was a very sick person.

[hedgehog]

1. It shows a pattern of behavior far more telling than a single incident!

Look for many more anecdotes to emerge the next few days!

[cali]

6. read the entire WP article. Many, many incidents already reported.

[Tansy_Gold]

12. Reminds me of some other guy who used to blow up frogs with firecrackers

I think he had high political aspirations, too. But maybe he grew out of his youthful stupidity and cruelty and became a great guy.

[AndyTiedye]

16. You Mean This Guy?

[freshwest]

49. +1. Let the people decide if they want this man lording over them.

[Happyhippychick]

2. What the FUCK??????

I didn't really hate Romney before, okay the dog thing got me going in that direction, but this is absolutely disgusting.

[teddy51]

3. "was a very sick person"? I think is a very sick person would be more accurate. Tying his

dog to roof of his car, bullying when he was younger, hmmm seems to me he has not been cured.

Just the fact that he so wants to be President scares the shit outta me. He will do absolutely anything in his power to win the WH.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. Sick today because apparently he still thinks it's no big deal

Even today, he calls these things "hijinks". If his past behavior troubled him now, he'd make an effort to remember it, acknowledge it, and condemn it within himself.

[teddy51]

8. Exactly, and make some sort of Public apology even though the person he bullied is

longer with us. Romney, like Bush seems to think he never has to say he's sorry for anything!

[newspeak]

56. well, if he can laugh at the disadvantaged then

just think how he'd fall down laughing having millions of disadvantaged americans being screwed, especially from some of the bills the randians want to pass. It should be absolutely hilarious for at least the top ten percent in the country; but I don't think the bottom will be joining in.

[villager]

4. Sick people thrive, career-wise, in the Republican party

n/t

[Romulox]

5. Sounds like a "compassionate conservative".

[donnasgirl]

39. just unzip him

You will see he's not stiff

[Bake]

9. Oh, that Mitt! More hijinks! What fun!

Bake

[polichick]

19. Such a swell kidder!

[daaron]

10. Isn't it the Republicans who always say "character" is such a big issue?

What kind of "character" does Mitt Romney have?

[harmonicon]

11. Lots of people - kids are real assholes.

I don't want to be judged now for the way I acted as a 15 year old. I really think all of this stuff is complete silliness. The presidency shouldn't be a cult of personality, but a job.

We really don't need to jump on every damn new thing the 24 (now 8?) hour news cycle throws at us. There are real things at stake here.

[xxqqqzme]

27. I will respectfully disagree.

These incidences are behavior/character traits established early in life and they carry over into adulthood. The childish 'pranks' mature as the prankster ages. Dumbya 'matured' to give persons demeaning nicknames; felt compelled to rub clean shaven/bald heads; and give a German Prime Minister a shoulder massage. Ann rmoney and their children all remark at what a 'prankster' mitt is. The 'pranks', the nicknames have one thing in common - they are meant to demean and belittle. They are abuse at the most basic level.

Some persons may mature out of the name calling and pranks. Some never do. They just find more acceptable ways to continue their cruel behavior.

[harmonicon]

32. Exactly: some people mature out of them.

In any case, I don't think it has anything to do with the presidency. Yes, I think one's character is important, but I care about what one's character is now - not 40 some years ago. Even adults can change. I think we should focus on what is happening right now and things which have had a *direct* impact on that.

Even then, I don't think character is that important. Policy and one's ability to enact policy, however, are very important. Bill Clinton wants to get blowjobs from interns? I could give a shit - he's not my dad or brother in law. If he were, I would care, but he's not. Mittens was a dick of a teenager? I don't give a shit. I do care that once in office he would use all of his power to widen the divisions between classes and roll back civil rights. I can easily imagine asshole teenagers who now would be all about fixing injustice wherever they see it, so I don't think one's childhood should matter.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

51. and some don't

[laundry_queen]

29. I'll say what I said in the other thread

I wouldn't want to be judged as how I was at 15.

However.

If that particular pattern of behavior continues, well, then it shows a serious personality defect that has not been corrected.

For instance, at 15, I did a lot of underage binge drinking. However, I now rarely drink, maybe a glass of wine a couple of times a year. So if you were to judge me on my 15 year old self, that would be wrong because I was an idiot as a 15 year old (and lived in an emotionally damaging environment) however, I have now grown and changed. I'm no longer anything like that.

If, perchance, I still binge drank, left my kids with babysitters to party it up at the bar every weekend, came home barfing and was hung over often, then yes you could look at my 15 year old self and say, "Hmm, that is her pattern of behavior and it hasn't changed. She has a problem."

Same with Romney. If he now showed compassion towards others, you could say, aw, heck, he was 15, he's obviously grown and changed. Look at him now, all compassionate. (lol)

BUT, Rmoney is anything BUT compassionate, still looks down on those 'less than' types of people (in his eyes) and refuses (still) to take responsibility for any damage he's done to the most vulnerable (Seamus, cough cough). So looking back to Romney at 15 simply shows a pattern of behavior that has continued. His behavior at 15 is relevant.

[harmonicon]

33. In some ways I think we're agreeing.

He's an asshole now - that's what matters. Some people are really sweet kids who turn into complete jerks. Some people are really shitty kids who turn into great adults. Lets judge him for the man he is now, not the boy he was then - this is only a distraction.

[laundry_queen]

43. I see what you are saying.

[AllyCat]

45. Ding, ding, ding! he STILL acts like this. So the story has legs

because it helps establish a pattern of behavior from a privileged, unfeeling man who has turned his bullying into an art form (i. e. "I love firing people&quot .

This story helps cement what an asshole he is. For anyone who has ever been bullied, it is plainly visible and not at all surprising that he acted this way then and will continue to do it now.

[harmonicon]

54. You back this up with an out of context quote?

The thing - whatever he said - about firing people was something like "I like being able to fire people who provide services for me." Yes, it's funny that that we can take it out of context to make him sound like the asshole he is, but it has nothing to do with a political argument. Have we sunk so low that this is the kind of thing we'll rely to make our political choices? The actions of teenage children are not what made me a leftist, and they're not going to convince others who may be undecided to become leftists either. Running for or against one personality is only running for that one election and does nothing to create an informed electorate. I would like to think that we're above and beyond that way of thinking on DU.

[catbyte]

47. Not to mention Cookiegate. That said a lot about him too.

Who insults the food people serve you as a way to break the ice? That's his idea of small talk.

[DaveJ]

38. There is no right or wrong answer -- Your entitled to your own opinion

People can individually choose whether to care about it.

Personally, I was a good kid when I was young, and all the bad kids (even though they did not bully me personally) made the world much worse for me. I feel like I have basically the same character I had when I was a kid. I do not think people change that much.

I *might* hire Romney as a shift manager, but I can't believe someone like that would grow up to be governor, much less be able to run for potus. Even if someone is competent for a particular job, this is the biggest job on the planet that should entail the highest standards. I admit that I had problems in my past that would prevent me from becoming potus, which is why I would not even consider running for a high office like that in the first place.

As they say, the American people deserve better.

[Arugula Latte]

13. This guy is reminding me more and more of Dubya.

Mean-spirited, no concern for others' pain, stunted sense of humor and maturity level ...

[October]

20. Agree. Ugly with a faux folksy, gee-willickers facade. Holier-than-thou Christian... same M.O. /nt

[Marie Marie]

52. In other words, the perfect Republican candidate.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

53. Right down to the cheerleading uniform. (n/t)

[Arugula Latte]

55. Another similarity: A famous, rich politician father

with a resulting lifetime of privilege and the resulting hugely overblown sense of entitlement

[PatSeg]

14. Whoa

I had only read the first page of the article. I didn't realize there was more. This is so disturbing.

[Initech]

15. WTF!!!!!! And this asshole wants to be president??

[grantcart]

17. good to see you again berni

or have you been around I didn't notice?

[polichick]

18. Yikes, another little peek into his true character.

[KurtNYC]

21. Desparate for the approval of his peers it seems

and the teacher shrugged it off because that's the way life is when you work for the 1%.

I think this stuff is revealing but the stronger point is that Romney never out grew it. The 7/11 cookies comment, the NASCAR raincoats belittling, Seamus.

The true meaning of "spoiled" -- ruined, rotten, un-usable.

[dotymed]

30. "A Democrat would say; No-one should live this way."

Not when there is even one suffering person, you elitist bastard. (Romney)

[Maven]

22. Oh, c'mon everybody, it was just a PRANK!

Just some childish fun. Boys will be boys! And sometimes boys will be boys with scissors! And sometimes boys being boys will attack other boys with scissors for having a girly haircut! Just part of growing up!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

25. Yeah, like the frat boy hazing at Abu Ghraib according to Rush Limbaugh

[xtraxritical]

26. I agree most posters on DU are swollen with political correctness.

[donquijoterocket]

35. will

Maybe one day some person using that phrase "politically correct"in any of its forms explain just what it means. When i look at the things it gets applied- especially when rightwingers use it.I see little difference between it an that do unto other thing which is pretty famous.

[UCmeNdc]

23. Romney is a sadist

The dog, the student, now the teacher, there is a pattern here. Romney is a sadist.

[They_Live]

34. Now, now

just because he enjoys firing people, and likes cruelty to others, doesn't mean he's a sadist.

[lumberjack_jeff]

28. Wouldn't *that* be a cool place to work?

I wouldn't last one week.

[HopeHoops]

31. An asshole - that's what kind.

[Scurrilous]

36. Kick

[Liberalynn]

37. Cretin thy name is Romney

[Blue Owl]

40. WTF GOP POS?

JFC.

[Swede Atlanta]

41. Oh this is becoming very interesting......

It is clear this spoiled little shit treated everyone with disdain from his dog, to a homosexual schoolmate to a teacher. I was taught to treat teachers with respect. I guess the LDS church isn't big on respect.

[Worried senior]

42. Anne must have unzipped him

[ecstatic]

44. He claims Ann changed him, but Seamus would disagree

Then again, Bashir exposed that as yet another lie... since he says he met Ann when he was in the 4th grade. Romney is just a liar and a bully.

[benld74]

46. My grop did some crappy things to teachers in high school but,,,

we ALWAYS paid for it, inone form or another. We NEVER got away with it!

[stillwaiting]

48. There's no way Romney could have made the money he did, in the way he did, without still being

a major asshole.

He's a sociopath. Still.

[malaise]

50. A fucking entitled prick

who can't spell the word empathy.
What a nasty scumbag.

[Liberal_in_LA]

57. omg