Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Mitt Romney gave the commencement speech at Pat Robertson's Regent University this weekend and threw plenty of empty cliches at them. I particularly liked this one:
"There is no work more important to America's future than the work that is done within the four walls of the American home," Romney said.
Unless, of course, that work is being done by the hundreds of thousands of gay parents raising children around the country. Then it's obviously all part of a pagan plot to destroy the family and everything that is good in the world. And I love his conflicting explanations for the VT shootings:
And he twice referred to the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16 in which a gunman killed 32 people before killing himself."We're shocked by the evil of the Virginia Tech shooting," Romney said. "I opened my Bible shortly after I heard of the tragedy. Only a few verses, it seems, after the Fall, we read that Adam and Eve's oldest son killed his younger brother. From the beginning, there has been evil in the world."
He added: "Pornography and violence poison our music and movies and TV and video games. The Virginia Tech shooter, like the Columbine shooters before him, had drunk from this cesspool."
So which is it, Mitt? Is it because Adam and Eve brought evil into the world, or did pornography and violence in the movies and video games take this otherwise good lad and turn him into a killer? And what about the 99.999999999999% of people who have also "drunk from this cesspool" but don't kill people? And why has violent crime been going down the last 20 years as popular culture has gotten more violent and sexual than ever? I know, I know, those are pesky logical questions and you were just trying to spout a few empty cliches.
The other thing that I love is how Romney is trying to reach out to evangelicals who consider his religion a cult by stressing that because he is a "person of faith", he's just like them. I think we should start referring to ourselves as "people of reason" to distinguish ourselves from "people of faith."
Comments
I would be content to be a 'person of what works'. I haven't had any coffee yet and right now that's the apogee of my aspiration.
Posted by: Lorri Talley | May 7, 2007 10:02 AM
I'm saying that "Mitt" translated from the Mormon, means "loser".
Posted by: J-Dog | May 7, 2007 10:07 AM
I'm glad that the republican candidates seem to be the ones contorting to get votes. The worst I've heard from the democrats is some accent changing when speaking to different groups, but (as far as I know) no one has switched entire positions, unlike the whole republican field (excluding perhaps Ron Paul, who doesn't have an ice cube's chance in hell of winning).
Posted by: Stuart Coleman | May 7, 2007 10:08 AM
On the whole, when I look at the democratic candidates I have some serious reservations, but they are head and shoulders above all the republican candidates.
The Repubs wouldn't be so bad except for all the crazy. Mitt totally switching bases, McCain going senile (or something), what happened to that whole party?
Posted by: Robert | May 7, 2007 10:14 AM
what about the 99.999999999999% of people who have also "drunk from this cesspool" but don't kill people?
Ah, would that it were so. ;-)
Posted by: Mike | May 7, 2007 10:19 AM
I like that a whole lot.
Posted by: Pieter B | May 7, 2007 11:35 AM
Oh really, Mr. Romney?
Posted by: Daniel Murphy | May 7, 2007 12:10 PM
Daniel - You silly reality-based thinker. If the voices in his head said it, it's perfectly reasonable to put it in a speech.
Posted by: AnneS | May 7, 2007 1:00 PM
I think we should start calling "people of of faith," "people of strong non-rational conviction."
Posted by: dogscratcher | May 7, 2007 2:03 PM
There is no contradiction, Romney has simply demonstrated that Cain must played a lot of violent video games...
...probably on an Apple.
Posted by: Sam Paris | May 7, 2007 2:26 PM
Only one out of 100 trillion? That's a low rate indeed.
Posted by: Steve Reuland | May 7, 2007 5:27 PM
I like that a hell of a lot better than "Brights".
Posted by: Wes | May 7, 2007 6:16 PM
I too like the "People of Reason" thing.
So the French are Vulcans? Maybe Mr. Romney has been reading too many science-fiction novels...
Posted by: Coin | May 7, 2007 6:26 PM
Maybe Romney was thinking of the France where the Coneheads were from?
How can you be that loose with the facts and think you are capable of being president?
Posted by: daedalus2u | May 7, 2007 9:15 PM
Why get worked up over Romney's opinion's, he'll only change them in a few days anyway :)
Oh, and we've always been at war with Eurasia.
Posted by: James | May 8, 2007 1:46 AM
Well really, Daedalus, how can you think anybody *not* that loose with the facts is likely to make it into office?
Posted by: Anuminous | May 9, 2007 10:22 AM