Don’t Get Me Started: Mitt Romney and His Human Rights Hypocrisy

by Sunnyjane

Every day in this country, another irksome bit of far-right rhetorical bile flows from the Republican Party and its presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.  We read it or hear it, share it with our Politicalgates community, and then move on to the next contemptible piece of right-wing garbage.  Most news is old after twenty-four hours.

But on this particular issue, I have not been able to move on.

The Backstory

For me, Romney’s inexhaustible hypocrisies melded into one massive clump of horseshit horse excrement in the middle of the sensitive situation playing out last week in China during Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s trip there.  The original goal of the visit to Beijing was to implore China to support international efforts to persuade North Korea to end provocative actions, get Iran to prove that its nuclear program is peaceful, and end fighting in Syria and the two Sudans.  The visit soon became about Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese civil rights activist who works on human rights issues in rural areas of the People's Republic of China, particularly in support of women's rights and the welfare of the poor. 

We will probably never know the entire story involving Chen's issues and how it was eventually resolved.  But having the United States Secretary of State sitting on potentially hostile soil is not the time for fools to begin yammering about what the President should be telling the Chinese regarding how wretched their record on human rights is.   Romney simply confirmed that he knows nothing about delicate international policy negotiations.  


A Fool's Mouth is Always Open

It is typical of Romney's ignorance and out-of-touch nature that he could so "tactfully" state for the benefit of his base, It's not the language I would have used when Rush Limbaugh called Sandra Fluke a slut, but took it upon himself to openly slam President Obama for carefully saying of the situation going on in China, I am obviously aware of the press reports.

Romney decided it was a dark day for freedom -- IF the reports out of China were true.  No need to keep his mouth shut until the tense situation was resolved.  And at the same time, he made this inane statement:  I really love America.  I love what it represents, and I love that a Chinese dissident who fled the policies in his country, I love where he went -- to our embassy.   Oh, and don't we love the idle chatter of an idiot.


He liberally chastised the American embassy in Beijing for failing to put in place the kind of verifiable measures that would assure the safety of Mr. Chen and his family and didn't hesitate to add that, it’s a day of shame for the Obama administration. We are a place of freedom, here and around the world, and we should stand up and defend freedom wherever it is under attack.


But this slap-down advice to President Obama was the most egregious:  He should speak one on one with the key leadership in China and make sure they understand that we're entirely committed to the principle of human rights…that the [Chen] family is given protection from authorities that have apparently been abusing their civil and human rights, and we should make it very clear that  and for the people of the world.


You may be sorry you said that, Mitt.


Hypocrisy, Thy Ugly Name is Mitt Romney


Mitt Romney criticizing China for its human rights deficiencies is closely akin to Adolph Hitler had he condemned genocide.  Romney has made himself the candidate of the party that is committing the most grave offenses against human rights in America's history.   Never has one party so savagely destroyed the fundamental rights to which people are inherently entitled.  To name only a few, they have suppressed peaceful protests; disenfranchised segments of the population by enacting restrictive voter laws; presented budgets that protect only the wealthy; legislatively attacked the LGBT community; stripped labor unions of  their collective bargaining rights; and unmercifully enacted repressive laws against women.


Remember Romney's words regarding the China situation: stand up and defend freedom wherever it is under attack...We're entirely committed to the principle of human rights...This [human rights] is an important priority for the United States of America.


And yet, this is what he promises to do if elected president:  Of course get rid of Obamacare, that's the easy one. Planned Parenthood, we're going to get rid of that.   And he loves the Ryan budget that protects the rich.
      
It doesn't sound like you really believe that human rights are so important in America, Mitt.

End Note

Severely conservative, severely unfit for the presidency of the United States of America