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The Spectacle Blog
One part of Ann Romney’s speech before the GOP Convention which has struck people was the part she devoted to her husband’s generosity. She said, “Mitt does not like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as privilege, not a political talking point.”
In this sense, Mitt Romney reminds me of Ted Williams. The Splendid Splinter had a taciturn relationship with both Red Sox fans and the media to whom he referred as “the knights of the keyboard.” Yet despite Williams’ sour disposition, he devoted countless hours to visiting sick children afflicted with cancer on behalf of the Jimmy Fund. If the public had known about these deeds, he would have surely been more popular. But Williams insisted that these visits not be publicized. He told one reporter who was unwise enough to pry, “What I do for the Jimmy Fund, I do for the kids.” Those visits were for the children, not his personal glory.
Of course, Ted Williams never sought public office. Like it or not, an election is a popularity contest and one has to toot one’s horn when running for office. I’m sure Romney’s generosity trumps President Obama’s governmental version of compassion. Modesty might prevent Romney from talking about his good deeds but if there’s a perception that he doesn’t care about his fellow man then he won’t have a chance to good deeds in the White House.
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More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/08/28/what-mitt-romney-ted-williams
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Ankylosaurus| 8.29.12 @ 7:36AM
"he won't have a chance to good deeds in the White House. "
The kind of "good deeds" he did in Massachusetts? Third parties are looking good this year.
Cobalt| 8.29.12 @ 10:36AM
Third party votes will help Obama get reelected.
Bob K| 8.29.12 @ 10:33AM
Williams also was ahead of his time in that he had very little use for the media and the people it employed.
Romney doesn't have that luxury but he could treat some of the obviously odious members of it with the same contempt Williams did instead of always trying to be the "Merry Andrew" of American Politics. Everything is not "Tickety Boo" with them and the Democratic Party!
Bob K| 8.29.12 @ 10:41AM
Danny Kaye playing Mitt Romney here:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/v.....y-Boo.html
Occam's Tool| 8.29.12 @ 10:52AM
Romney and his kids jumped on their jetskis and saved a drowning family when he was Governor of Massachusetts, including THEIR DOG.
This should be publicized more, modesty be damned.
grant1863| 8.29.12 @ 3:20PM
Shouldn't others tell the story like the conservative press?? From Romney it will just come as bragging.
Paul McGrath| 8.29.12 @ 12:08PM
You know, the more I learn about Romney, the more I like him. Look at his CV: Mormon missionary in France for thirty months. This had to be a very humbling experience, and, it was. Masters degrees in business and law from Harvard, achieved simultaneously! Personally took Bain and made it one of the largest investment firms in the U. S. And while at BAin, he completely shut it down for several days and used all of those resources to help find a girl who was missing. Successfully ran the Salt Lake Olympics after it was heavily in debt, and whispers of bribery were rampant. (Who better to combat whispers of bribery than the incorruptible Romney?) Governor of Massachusetts.
Impeccably honest, family man, religious, generous, intelligent and successful.
You know something? He's a great man. He is a goddamn American hero!
(Compare this with the last three: Clinton, who couldn't keep his pants on in the oval office; Bush, who had everything handed to him on a silver platter, and was still an idiot; Obama, whose greatest achievement was as a shakedown arti--I mean, a community organizer. And people around here want to bitch about Romney? C'mon! Wake up!)