Slog
News & ArtsMonday, September 24, 2012
2012 This Man Wants to Be President
Posted by Goldy on Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 1:18 PM
Mitt Romney, via the Los Angeles Times:
"When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous."
[Slog tip Reading is Sexy]
1
Hahahahaha.....
Well, too his credit, opening a door would suppress the fire quickly, since it wouldn't have any air either. You can accomplish that by opening a door try not to get pushed out with the breeze.
Well, too his credit, opening a door would suppress the fire quickly, since it wouldn't have any air either. You can accomplish that by opening a door try not to get pushed out with the breeze.
2
Obviously, the windows don't open so that the poor people can't get inside and ruin the experience for the first class passengers.
4
He makes a great point though. Couldn't they at least put in a screen door or something? Would be nice to be able to catch a breeze, but also keep the flies out.
6
If Mitt wants a jet with passenger windows that roll down, let's give him one and see what happens. Don't let some fat cat bureaucrat Boeing engineer get between Mitt and his super helpful windows.
7
I'm also kind of head-shaking about his idea that adding extra oxygen to a fire in an enclosed space is a good idea. Because oxygen never fuels a fire, right?
But yes, by all means, open the windows in a plane at 30,000 feet! Sheesh.
But yes, by all means, open the windows in a plane at 30,000 feet! Sheesh.
10
Better yet, why hasn't anyone invented a convertible airplane? It's that stifling over-regulation isn't it?
11
Guys, I... I think this may have been a Romney attempt at making a joke. And then stepping on his own punchline. Three times.
12
Weird line of thought, but the context is even odder: his wife's plane was forced to land to address a possible electrical fault - certainly an event to inspire fears, reflections, and dark imaginings, but basically a non-event - and he's talking like the pilots barely and bravely saved the lives of everyone on board amid a raging conflagration.
We've seen the unconsidered and ill-advised way this man makes snap reactions to sudden events, in Egypt and Libya. Now we see that even minor setbacks inspire him to horrifying flights of fantasy. Not a good combination.
We've seen the unconsidered and ill-advised way this man makes snap reactions to sudden events, in Egypt and Libya. Now we see that even minor setbacks inspire him to horrifying flights of fantasy. Not a good combination.
13
Of course planes need windows! How else can the pilot look out to check on the dog strapped to the roof?
15
Oh, and I'd just like to congratulate Mr. Romney on being so monumentally inept a candidate that twice in about a week he's been forced by financial need to attend fundraisers for fat cats in Southern California, rather than attending public events in states where he might get votes. Meanwhile, Obama is effortlessly outraising him in small donations from actual donors to his campaign, not $50,000 checks to the party.
17
But you gotta admit, those drop-top F-18's built during a Romney presidency would super sweeeeet lookin', bro!
19
@10 - Aloha Airlines already tried that in 1988. It was not a popular experiment. One flight attendant was so upset at the change she left the plane immediately.
21
He should travel exclusively in float planes. They've got windows that roll down. I was riding as the only passenger in one once when the pilot and I had to shoo a bee out the window.
23
If only they equipped airplanes with emergency exits that are large enough to fit a human body through in case something like this happens. You just have to sit there and die in a fire, looking out of that tiny, unopenable window, waiting to be engulfed in smoke and flames.
26
God. That was some super-concentrated "all-the-stupid-in-the-universe-collapsed-in-on-itself" levels of stupid right there. Painful.
Well. What do you expect from a guy that believes in magic underwear, glowing rocks that translate ancient hebrew, and that jesus sailed to America.
Well. What do you expect from a guy that believes in magic underwear, glowing rocks that translate ancient hebrew, and that jesus sailed to America.
27
@23: We really need to think the molecular transporter system for boarding airplanes. It's such a death trap.
30
as with any romney "mis"statement, he was probably being facetious and is perfectly aware that jet windows don't open, and the technological reasons why. but he can't stop himself from making a joke.
just like rush limbaugh's conservative dog whistling ironic humor, facetious really doesn't work well in text, willard. the key to the presidency is sincerity. once you learn to fake that, the rest is easy.
just like rush limbaugh's conservative dog whistling ironic humor, facetious really doesn't work well in text, willard. the key to the presidency is sincerity. once you learn to fake that, the rest is easy.
31
"the key to the presidency is sincerity. once you learn to fake that, the rest is easy."
a rare applaud from me to you Max, nicely put.
a rare applaud from me to you Max, nicely put.
32
All he needs now is a comic pratfall a la Ford, and I would probably vote for him. We need more humor in these dark days.
33
@29 Really? Mitt is joking about his wife asphyxiating to death in an airplane fire? Hard to imagine. And hard to imagine how that would be some kind of an excuse.
34
@10, another view of the Aloha jet http://oopslist.com/AlohaAir.jpg
Take a look at the rest of these airplane incidents on http://oopslist.com/
Take a look at the rest of these airplane incidents on http://oopslist.com/
35
If you read the relevant paragraphs of the LA Times story, there's no reason to think he was joking - if anything, he was demonstrating some vulnerability and the depth of his feelings for his wife, albeit in a bizarre and darkly fantastical manner. If the reporter thought he was joking, they likely would have made that clear; it would have been their duty to do so. They might have deliberately muddled the issue to vindictively harm a candidate they disliked. but this would be a stretch - and I can't imagine how the text related in the story could have been intended as a joke.
As I said above, the bit about windows opening is weird, presumably some sort of odd notion that improperly slipped from brain to mouth. The dark fantasy that he imagined to bring him to thinking about it, that's far weirder.
As I said above, the bit about windows opening is weird, presumably some sort of odd notion that improperly slipped from brain to mouth. The dark fantasy that he imagined to bring him to thinking about it, that's far weirder.
36
Goldy, I didn't mean that it was a joke in order to make excuses for him. Just, I can imagine a situation in which you or I or anyone else who likes to crack stupid jokes about serious situations, might say "Oh man, the plane was filling up with smoke, I would've loved to just open the window a crack" or something.
I can also imagine that "When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous." is Romney's overexplained, robotic, near indecipherable version of that dumb joke... For which, to be clear, there's no excuse.
I can also imagine that "When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous." is Romney's overexplained, robotic, near indecipherable version of that dumb joke... For which, to be clear, there's no excuse.
37
@33 - Really? You can't imagine that Mitt Romney makes completely tasteless jokes and can't comprehend why people would be upset? And you can't imagine people making flimsy excuses for the stupid shit their chosen candidate says and does? Are you new here?
38
@30 I read absolutely nothing in what was reported to give me the idea that he was being facetious. The reporter wrote, "[Romney] spoke of the concern he had for her when her plane had to make an emergency landing.." And his speech has none of the usual winks to indicate he's not being completely serious.
I'd really like to hear your reasons behind your conclusion.
I'd really like to hear your reasons behind your conclusion.
41
Actually there are airliners that have windows in the cabin that open and have an escape ladder/rope they can slide down on.
I'm an avid watcher of "Mayday/Air Crash Investigation" and in one episode the pilots did just that.
It is only useful on the ground at standstill, of course!
I'm an avid watcher of "Mayday/Air Crash Investigation" and in one episode the pilots did just that.
It is only useful on the ground at standstill, of course!
43
@42: Dorks like me would be more inclined to mention the original Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." (Starring William Shatner!)
Also, the more I read about Mitt Romney the more I start to wonder if he is on the autism spectrum, or a psychopath, or a little of both. He seems totally incapable of empathy.
Also, the more I read about Mitt Romney the more I start to wonder if he is on the autism spectrum, or a psychopath, or a little of both. He seems totally incapable of empathy.
45
Let's give him a window on a airplane. He'll open it and get sucked out! So many problems solved!
46
A welcome tonic for those who long for the grand old Bush days of eloquence and rational thought.
51
Paging Gay Dude for Rmoney, paging Gay Dude for Rmoney... Please pick up a white courtesy phone near your location...
52
Point of Correction @44:
What's depicted in the video is a cockpit emergency egress system, not a cabin egress system.
Cockpit=place for pilots who can generally be trusted not to open windows at 30,000 feet.
Cabin=place for passengers, for whom at least one out of every flight would be sorely tempted to open a window at 30,000, if given the opportunity.
What's depicted in the video is a cockpit emergency egress system, not a cabin egress system.
Cockpit=place for pilots who can generally be trusted not to open windows at 30,000 feet.
Cabin=place for passengers, for whom at least one out of every flight would be sorely tempted to open a window at 30,000, if given the opportunity.
53
@52
and hear i thought Supreme Ruler was going to be ignored from now on just like my barks into nothingness. @44- success! now how are you going to respond to Comte's astute counter-argument?
and hear i thought Supreme Ruler was going to be ignored from now on just like my barks into nothingness. @44- success! now how are you going to respond to Comte's astute counter-argument?
54
@38: my reasons wouldn't be specific to this comment. it's really hard for me to believe that a harvard-trained CEO doesn't understand cabin pressurization and wasn't just babbling "off the cuff". i might be wrong.
my impression is that romney uses facetious humor often ("the trees are the right height", "i'm running for office, for pete's sake, i can't have illegals"), and it falls flat, especially in text.
but, his mouth also frequently runs over his brain, mixing words and thoughts into a jumble - as in the 47% statement, and maybe here. i have this problem too - saying turn left when i mean turn right, and not ever hearing what i said.
the key is to slow down, which is the reason Obama ummms and ahhhs to the point where you want to shake him. he's making sure he doesn't say something impolitic.
my impression is that romney uses facetious humor often ("the trees are the right height", "i'm running for office, for pete's sake, i can't have illegals"), and it falls flat, especially in text.
but, his mouth also frequently runs over his brain, mixing words and thoughts into a jumble - as in the 47% statement, and maybe here. i have this problem too - saying turn left when i mean turn right, and not ever hearing what i said.
the key is to slow down, which is the reason Obama ummms and ahhhs to the point where you want to shake him. he's making sure he doesn't say something impolitic.
55
@43 - Twilight Zone: The Movie was a remake of several classic episodes from the show. @42 was referring to the remake of Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, with John Lithgow in the Shatner role.
57
So is there somehow not video of the statement that would offer some tone & context for everyone to pore over? Or failing that, at least another reporter's account that might give some additional and/or more detailed perspective? I mean, I'd assume that at this point the guy probably can't clear his throat without someone providing a detailed account.
61
This sounds like a joke to you guys?
“When you have a fire in an aircraft, there’s no place to go, exactly, there’s no — and you can’t find any oxygen from outside the aircraft to get in the aircraft, because the windows don’t open. I don’t know why they don’t do that. It’s a real problem. So it’s very dangerous. And she was choking and rubbing her eyes. Fortunately, there was enough oxygen for the pilot and copilot to make a safe landing in Denver. But she’s safe and sound.”
This sounds like a joke to you guys?
62
No one has mentioned the most ridiculous thing about his statement, which is that it is not true. The plane does in fact take air from outside into the cabin, and vents the exhaust air as well. It's not like they carry a entire trip's worth of air with them; they are surrounded with the stuff, after all. It's heated and pressurized, but it's still air from outside.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_press…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_air
That said, if Romney had just said "there was an electrical fire on board, so we were quite worried" and stopped, this wouldn't be news. It's perfectly reasonable to be worried about that without having to go into a bullshit technical explanation. I think he's suffering from sleep deprivation, and is babbling -- what I call "Will in Seattle mode". He's a very old man, after all. He should be napping on the sofa, not running for prez.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_press…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleed_air
That said, if Romney had just said "there was an electrical fire on board, so we were quite worried" and stopped, this wouldn't be news. It's perfectly reasonable to be worried about that without having to go into a bullshit technical explanation. I think he's suffering from sleep deprivation, and is babbling -- what I call "Will in Seattle mode". He's a very old man, after all. He should be napping on the sofa, not running for prez.
63
You know, there are some people out there who are very, very, good at one thing (say, making money) and essentially clueless at everything else. I think that may be the case with dear Mitt.
64
I have a policy of trying to ignore one really idiotic statement a week from candidates. Everyone says stupid things from time to time, that's human and 1/week is pretty good for a stressful job near constantly on mike.
It's been awhile since I've had a difficult time deciding which wrong thing to toss each week; the selection is daunting with this guy.
It's been awhile since I've had a difficult time deciding which wrong thing to toss each week; the selection is daunting with this guy.
65
@54, you may be right on the mouth-run-away-from-the-brain thing, but the 47% phrase was deliberate -- he was saying to other rich people who believe it, and he believes it.
67
@58 That was 40 years ago.
Personally, I'm disturbed by the fact that he might not know how anything works. I had thought that his prevarications over taxation and the economy was simply due to his ideology, that this is what Republicans want us to believe so they can do what they usually do to us. But this little incident might just mean that he's truly clueless, that he really doesn't understand the world we live in, not physical laws, not how machines and appliances work, not people, not society, not anything that doesn't have to do with taking over enterprises and dismembering them to "liberate value."
Personally, I'm disturbed by the fact that he might not know how anything works. I had thought that his prevarications over taxation and the economy was simply due to his ideology, that this is what Republicans want us to believe so they can do what they usually do to us. But this little incident might just mean that he's truly clueless, that he really doesn't understand the world we live in, not physical laws, not how machines and appliances work, not people, not society, not anything that doesn't have to do with taking over enterprises and dismembering them to "liberate value."
68
Catalina @63,
I made a similar argument to Paul earlier today. It seems plausible to me that he never thought much before about how airplanes worked, because he just wasn't interested. It's not that he's stupid. He's just not curious.
In that way, he would be very much like George W. Bush.
I made a similar argument to Paul earlier today. It seems plausible to me that he never thought much before about how airplanes worked, because he just wasn't interested. It's not that he's stupid. He's just not curious.
In that way, he would be very much like George W. Bush.
69
@64 I agree with you. Obama himself has said at least one face slapper in his time (paraphrase: "I have been in 44 of 52 states." Or something like that.)
70
@62 - "He's a very old man, after all. He should be napping on the sofa, not running for prez." WTF? He's 65. Wash your mouth out with soap, whippersnapper. Maybe 85 is "very old", but 65 certainly isn't. Self-centered, entitled, incurious, rude, stupid; but not all that old. And just think -- he managed to get that way without being a drunk or a druggie. All it took was money and deferments.
72
@68, yep, no curiosity in either guy. Romney and George Bush were interested in only two things--the same two things: money and being as powerful as their fathers.
73
@71, Bill Clinton isn't running for president, either. And you can be sure he naps on the sofa quite often. Running for president involves working 20-hour days, seven days a week, and 65 is too goddamn old to keep up. He's older than any candidate in history besides Reagan for his second term, when he was already suffering from Alzheimer's and barely knew where he was half the time, and McCain, who is also too damn old.
74
After seeing footage of The Bot running for the Senate against Kennedy, I'm not sure if his age is the controlling factor for his screwups. He was dumb as a younger man too. Just very lucky that he was born into a rich family and is able to pay for success.
75
Rachel Maddow showed the video, he wasn't making a joke, unless he was also joking about his worry for his wife, choking and gagging on smoke, and his relief that she made to the ground safely. I'm sure that won't stop Etch-A-Sketch from trying to retroactively claim that it was.
76
@67, @75 I finally watched it, too, and I must say that having done so, I have to change my assessment. IMHO that was Mitt doing his horrible impression of a stand-up comedian. While it doesn't prove he's not stupid for other reasons, and while that attempt at entertainment would get him the hook at any venue on the planet except a Republican fundraiser, and is proof he is utterly tone-deaf in communicating, I'm retracting my prior statement.
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