Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone
Romney Camp: Tagg Was Just ‘Joking’ about Taking a Swing at POTUS
By: Sarah JonesOct. 18th, 2012more from Sarah Jones
The Romney family is not ready for primetime. Tagg Romney made waves yesterday when he told a radio host he wanted to take a swing at the President during the debate. Today, the Romney campaign is taking the bullies defense saying he was “just joking.”
Here’s Tagg Romney in an interview with North Carolina radio station saying he wanted to take a swing at the President but didn’t because Secret Service was there via Buzzfeed:
Radio host Bill Lumaye (who, from his info page, appears to be on par with Glenn Beck — fyi), “I’m going to ask something I think a lot of people want to know, or at least I do. What is it like for you to hear the President of the United States call your dad a liar. How do you react to that?”
Tagg Romney responded, “You want to jump out of your seat, and you want to rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at him.”
Tagg continued, “But you know you can’t do that, because — well, first, because there’s a lot of Secret Servce between you and him — but also because this is just the nature of the process. They’re going to try to do everything they can do to make my dad into something he’s not.”
For the record, President Obama never called Mitt Romney a “liar”, though he did correctly point out inaccuracies and inconsistencies in Romney’s stated positions. President Obama did accuse Romney of not telling the truth, but then, Governor Romney was not telling the truth.
We don’t generally have the family of politicians take to the media to express their desire for physical violence, no matter how unfair they feel the process is. This process is, after all, meant to test them as well as the candidate. They are all auditioning for the job, and part of that process is seeing how they handle the pressure of a strong opponent.
A campaign aide has explained it all away, saying Tagg was only joking. Really? Like his father was joking when held down the kid with the long hair so he could cut his hair? “Just joking” is the standard bully defense. You can’t take a joke because you’re too sensitive, not because the bully was completely out of line.
Tagg was laughing in part of his answer, but that doesn’t make the words he chose to use okay. First Families do not have the luxury of making “jokes” about physical violence, and since his father is not currently President, Tagg Romney is just another citizen saying he wanted to hit the President of the United States. Were he anyone else, this might earn him a visit from Secret Service.
Can you imagine the son of the President saying something like this about another American or leader of a foreign country, let alone the President of the United States, on the radio? Oh, hey Putin, Tagg was just kidding! Don’t bomb us! Heh heh.
Tagg might have given away the store when asked how his father feels before a debate. He said, “Are you kidding? He’s terrified before he gets out there!” The entourage of the bully lashes out when the bully is frightened.
Tagg Romney is no child – he was born in 1970. He is not Bristol Palin, a child who doesn’t know what she doesn’t know. Tagg is a grown man. He needs to apologize, but something tells me he wasn’t brought up to take responsibility for himself when he’s wrong. It’s ironic that on Tuesday night, Mitt Romney told us that violence was the fault of single parenting. Go figure.
Instead of apologizing like the clean cut conservative the Romneys present themselves as, Tagg and Gang will snicker in the bullies defense and find new and cuter ways of insinuating violent fantasies against the President, letting the listeners know exactly what he’d like done to this President just in case they missed it the first time around.
Can you imagine how big the cross of victimization would be if President Obama’s 40 ish son said he wanted to take a swing at Romney? We would never hear the end of the “thug” values – -but it’s okay with conservatives when rich white people act like thugs. In fact, they seem to take sick pleasure in it.
Things that are humorous to Ann Romney: Mitt ending up in the hospital was joke worthy. Mrs. Romney j ...
The new meme to come out of the Romney family is that Mitt never wanted to be President anyway, so fug y ...
President Clinton explains Mitt Romney's $5 trillion tax cut and how middle class families with children ...
Mitt Romney said he was for the Personhood Amendment, which would make even some forms of birth control ...
Mitt Romney tried to walk away from his 47% comments last night by calling them "wrong". Not so fast, sa ...
TigerLily
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
My gawd..imagine if one of Obama’s girls had said this? The GOP can get away with anything! ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY, ITS PRESIDENT. None whatsoever. So many millions and not an ounce of respect. Sad. Very very sad and pathetic the Romney family. As Ann the mother stands by and allows this DISRESPECT. I cannot believe what the GOP has done to our democracy and self respect. I put nothing past them anymore. EVERYONE PRAY TO GOD Romney doesn’t win. This is going to be ONE AWFUL COUNTRY IF HE DOES.
TnkAgn
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 12:40 pm
If he had tried, Tagg would’ve been tazed! Then frogmarched out of the room, forever having shamed his father and guaranteed his defeat. Do it, Tagg! Just try it you gutless wonder.
TigerLily
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Like father like son. FILTHY RICH GUTLESS WONDERS.
ArrogantDemon
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Meanwhile, someone called in a bomb threat to the school the Obama girls are attending, and had to be evacuated……..
Its really telling that two pre-teen girls are more adult and mature than a damn 42 yr old man with 6 kids of his own, that’s just telling.
And you know what they say, children are reflections of their parents, need I say more?
Antonio Morales
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
If Tagg has all that fight in him he and his brothers can directed it towards serving our country in the military and fighting in Afghanistan!
Reynardine
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
When you exclaim, “Oh, God!” and a human voice says, “Yes?”, you can bet it’s a Romney.
Anne
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
Aside from Willard’s character flaws, which are only too well-known, his sons show that the rotten apples don’t fall far from the tree. Along with Willard and wifey, they show that money buys neither class nor character. I believe that Willard was angry enough at the debate to have gotten physical if he could have gotten away with it. That’s the result of his not liking to be challenged or contradicted. As for the apology, I don’t consider it to be any more genuine than the others issued by folks who have earlier insulted the president. The only reason for the apologies is because of the flak they probably got, not because they think any differently.
Bill
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Willard and one of the sons admitted the sons are all liars and lied often to Willard. Character does not appear to be important in the Willard family.
ibwilliamsi
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
It’s a “joke” because that’s how privileged bullies joke. Sometimes the “joke” goes too far and they end up tackling the butt of their joke and chopping their hair off. But it’s “just a joke”.
Lori
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:12 pm
I kept thinking, during the debate, that if President Obama had hair & Romney had scissors, Romney would be holding down the President & giving him a haircut.
Reynardine
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Leavenworth.
terri
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Tagg… your Dad has done a great job of making HIMSELF look like something he’s really not. His position & campaign changes every five minutes. He doesn’t need Obama to do that.
Nefer
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
Just “joking” or “pranking”:
-attack a fellow student and forcibly cut his hair
-lead a blind teacher into a closed door
-dress in a police officer’s uniform and pull people over
-shove your child’s hair into a plate of food
-your kids reminisce about how you liked pranking them, but didn’t like anyone doing the same to you
-trip your postpartum daughter-in-law in a footrace
-your son, a 42 year old man is just joking! about wanting to punch out the President of the United States
-pretend to your staff that they are the cause of someone being fired
-your wife talks about your temper
All of Romney’s so-called jokes or pranks have a cruel edge to them. This type of “humor”, like sarcasm, tends to cover a mountain of anger.
Ann seems to be an angry woman with a lot of contempt for anyone who questions her.
It looks as though Mitt’s kids (youngest in his 30s) might have their own anger issues.
Scary family.
neil
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I’d loved to see this wimp mamas boy take a swing at our president.God could these people be any more detestable.Big tough guy ho has never done anything for our country.No military service there.
Theodore Knapinsky
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
The secret Service needs to pay a visit to Tag.
luciboo
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Nice talk tron a “nonviolent” Mormon.
Guess they don ‘t take their believes all that serious unless it can get them out of serving our country.
Derek
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
I’d serve as a surrogate for the president in that fight. I actually call Tags dad a pathetic liar everyday. I’d punish that wimp if (s)he ever developed the courage to swing on me or our president. It would be fun beating tag like a drum.
Tag; what a ridiculous name !
Kris Krunk
Oct. 19th, 2012 at 8:33 pm
I feel you man…Then “TAGG” me and I’ll get my licks in…after that, we can get our 7 laughs in…Aren’t you glad that our parents taught us values?
mjh
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Romney Camp: Tagg Was Just ‘Joking’ about Taking a Swing at POTUS
Isn’t strange how rightwing “humor” usually involves murder or violence?
Anyway, like someone at The Political Carnival said, how hard could a punch from this 42-year-old, prep-school legacy be? Forget the Secret Service, Pres O would deck him with one punch himself . . .
.
Sammy
Oct. 19th, 2012 at 2:22 am
Heck, Mrs. Obama could take this guy out without even breaking a sweat.
Robr
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I’d think if any one of us made that same comment publicly with our real names attached to it, we’d be certain to receive a visit from the Secret Service to be sure.
Kassi
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Put yourselves in the shoes of every black teen and young adult in this country. If President Obama had a son, a brother, or any Black Male family member ‘joking’ like this, he would have been arrested. The Uproar from the right would be thunderous. Agree 100% –Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. $$ can’t buy class.
BrownSugarC
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 3:01 pm
It was not funny. Put on a uniform like I did if you want a fight.
Goddess1871
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Is it just me, or are the R-Money children just the goofiest looking people you’ve ever seen?? Seriously, dilute the gene pool a little. Geez.
robyn ryan
Oct. 19th, 2012 at 11:22 am
they all have that look like Saddam’s sons – vapid depravity.
j
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Antonio and Brownsugar had it right, if the Romney boys are brave they should put on a uniform and fight for the country. We don’t want people like that in the White House, they have no respect for anyone but the almighty dollar and power.
robthomas
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Malia was hammered for wearing a peace sign shirt, but the radical right will say nothing about Tagg Romney acting like a thug!
TRUTH OR DIE
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
just put his dirty sock in his mouth….the teeth got the way of the truth.
these 1 percenters didnt get the memo no ones scared of the big bad mormons…..come to the hood and get some of this 47% ***kickin.
maji
Oct. 18th, 2012 at 10:01 pm
David Sirota calls Tagg Romney and others like him out in Salon today in an article that addresses White Privilege. He notes that had a Person of Color said what Tagg Romney said about the president he’d not only get a visit from the Secret Service, the MSM would elevate it to a 24 hour news cycle and call it breaking news for three or more days. Sirota also points out that, since President Obama has taken office, it is White Privilege that permits people like Tagg Romney to feel confident in making threats of violence against the president and confident that they will suffer no negative consequences as a result. Not only does Tagg Romney demonstrate a sense of White Privilege, but what he did smacks of a lack of class and a failure to consider the feelings of others before he opens his big mouth and allows the stupid to come flowing out. Of course, many republicans will laud him and call him “brave” for taking on the president, but they’re too dense to realize that saying stupid sh*t and making threats of violence against PBO, or anyone, is not a sign of bravery, it’s an example of the worst kind of cowardice. Tagg Romney had the opportunity to let the president know he took offense at some of the things he said about MR during the debate because he was at the debate, but he wimped out and didn’t find his gonads until he was speaking to a RW radio entertainer where he suddenly felt comfortable flexing his non-existent muscles. Yep, he’s Mitt Romney’s kid, alright. He learned his cowardice from his dad, and he learned how to lie by watching him. The real heroes are in the military and/or hardworking, people who are sacrificing for, and providing for, their families every day -they’re the ones who exemplify those whom our kids should be using as role models–not this noveau riche trash that permeates the GOP parading as the best among us when the reality is that they’re the very worst among us.
www.salon…
Garth Spruiell
Oct. 19th, 2012 at 8:44 am
American exceptionalism is one thing but now we have Romney exceptionalism.
Alan
Oct. 24th, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Obama would’ve cold-cocked him!