You Were Surprised?

Com'on. You knew Mitt Romney was like this. He's made it crystal clear all along. He told you who he was and how he felt about people who aren't like him. You know, people like us. Average, hard working people, sometimes needing help from our families, friends and maybe even the government to make ends meet, keep our heads above water, maybe put food on the table. Other times helping others through their tough times when we have extra. Maybe you were too busy with your life, your loved ones, your friends, your job or job hunting, your school work, housework, yard work, volunteering, just being an average American living day to day. He told you. You just weren't listening.

Yes, I talking about all those little hints he's thrown out.

Remember the primary debates and the one in which Romney wanted to bet Rick Perry $10,000? “I’ll tell you what, ten-thousand bucks? $10,000 bet?” I don't know about you, but to me $10,000 is not pocket change. It's not a dollar amount I'd throw out as a challenge. Most likely a buck, maybe $10. $100? Hell no. That's groceries for the week. $10,000??!! I couldn't afford to gamble with and lose that kind of money, and I don't know many folks who can.

"Corporations are people too, my friend." Now, I have actually have personal knowledge about this one. Tom and I formed a corporation when he became a contractor and opened his own business. No, we didn't "form" another child. It wasn't a human being. It was an entity, a business structure created solely to limit the amount of legal liability for the corporation's business activities and debts, because in the eyes of the law the corporation is a separate entity. Tom is a person. I'm a person. The corporation is NOT a person.

"I like to be able to fire people who provide services to me." I was an administrator at a university for quite a few years. The worse part of my job was firing people. Even though an employee may have been a detriment to our department and their work substandard, I always tried to give the employee the benefit of the doubt and worked with them to bring their performance up to expectations. Why? Because I understood the personal ramifications of being released or fired. That former employee is immediately without that necessary paycheck and often, because of the circumstances surrounding the release, is not eligble to collect unemployment. Unfortunately, sometimes it simply becomes necessary. But I hated it. Mitt Romney was the first person I ever heard say he liked it.

Do you know any NASCAR owners? Me, neither. I don't even know any NASCAR drivers. Hell, I don't even know anyone who works on a NASCAR car! Mitt does. "...but I have some friends who are NASCAR owners." Of course he does.

Have you ever gone to an event to see a presidential candidate you think you might be proud to support and find yourself caught in an intermittent rain storm? You do what everyone around you does. You stop at the nearest 7-11 or convenience store, buy a large black trash bag and cut holes in it for your arms and head in order to keep yourself relatively dry while you stand in a crowd cheering the person you think is going to change America's direction. And what do you get? Ridicule. Ridicule from the very person you came to see. “I like those fancy raincoats you bought. Really sprung for the big bucks.” Apparently, in Mitt Romney's world, it's perfectly acceptable to mock those who were unable or unwilling to purchase a fashionable, socially acceptable rain garment so as not to embarrass your candidate.

"I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." How's that for compassion for about...oh...14% of Americans?

Then of course there was Ann Romney's "you people" reference to those of us who are asking Mitt Romney to release as many tax returns as President Obama.

Middle income families generally earn from $35K to $45K. I've even read the highest figure could be up to $69K. That sounds about right to me. It fits with most folks in my neighborhood and in neighborhoods like mine. But, in Mitt Romney's world, "Middle income is $200,000 to $250,000 and less.”

And let us not forget about the cookies. Remember the supporter who brought cookies to a Romney event? When the woman offered them, did Romney graciously accept a cookie and thank her for the gesture? No. Again ridicule. “I’m not sure about these cookies. They don’t look like you made them. No, no. They came from the local 7/11 bakery, or whatever.” What the hell?? He can't even eat a freaking Chips Ahoy cookie??

Now. All of that and you were still surprised when he was caught on video ridiculing 47% of all Americans?...

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax."

Romney continued: “[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

Really? You were surprised? I wasn't. He had already told us many times who he really was and how he really felt about us.