From teachers strikes, to foreign policy, to class war, it has been quite the week on the campaign trail. As last week came to a close, the horizon was looking grim for the Obama Administration. The Chicago Teachers Union was on strike all week, and are set to continue into this week. Mitt Romney wasted no time springing into action, criticizing Obama’s lack of stance on the matter, claiming that Obama was not in support of the teachers or their union. Apparently, the Romney campaign was vague about their own support of teachers and unions. That news comes as no surprise, as the Romney campaign is know for proving minimal information on its exact policies. Meanwhile, sporadic violence and rioting broke out across the globe, including the attacks on US embassies that killed three American citizens. Early responses to those attacks were largely criticized by the right as being to sympathetic. Official White House responses later on, more forcefully condemned the violence. All in all, not the best of weeks for the Obama Administration. Several people I conversed with over the weekend voiced concerns about the negative impact those effects might have on the election. It was clear Romney was gong to have new material for the debates approaching in early October, that is until the turning of tables that occurred on monday.
Romney was speaking to high income donors at an “intimate fundraiser” on monday afternoon, when he decided to tell them how he really feels. According to Mitt, “the 49 percent of americans that don’t pay income tax will vote for Obama no matter what, and it is not his job to worry about them.” We all know that is sentiment is held by a substantial group of people in this country, Romney is just the first to express it so frankly. Both sides immediately took issue with Romney’s statements. The Obama Administration has been using it to their advantage since early this morning, while more the republican party quietly distance themselves from the Romany campaign. Romany has essentially declared a class war, and is already experiencing a backlash for the statements. As a student, I am a member of that “49 percent” Romney doesn’t care about. I had reservations about Mitt Romney before these developments, and now he has confirmed them for me. Mitt Romney is a man who embodies individualism in America and everything that is wrong with that ideology. Romney will argue to his deathbed that he is a self made American success story. Well, he is an American success story, but only at the cost of his fellow Americans. Romney started off wealthy whether he will admit it or not, and he will die wealthy. Romney’s values have no place in the government we need right now. This country needs to move forward together, it does not need division and individualism at the cost of others. I will vote for Obama in November because he is the best of two candidates. Obama has a far way to go, but much like my favorite president(Lincoln) he believes in a country unified. That is something I can stand behind. Giving up on my fellow countrymen, is something I will never stand behind!
By Evan Lonergan
THEWHITENOISEBLOG 