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Sunday, October 28, 2012

2012 Mitt Romney Thinks Disaster Relief Should Be a States' Rights Issue

Posted by Paul Constant on Sun, Oct 28, 2012 at 9:43 PM

Here's Mitt Romney during a Republican debate last year suggesting that FEMA should be pushed back to the state level:

Talking Points Memo transcribes the rest of the exchange:

KING: Including disaster relief, though?

ROMNEY: We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we’ll all be dead and gone before it’s paid off. It makes no sense at all.

But does newly moderate, Etch-a-Sketch Romney feel still feel that FEMA is immoral? Here's what the Romney campaign told the Huffington Post today:

"Gov. Romney wants to ensure states, who are the first responders and are in the best position to aid impacted individuals and communities, have the resources and assistance they need to cope with natural disasters," the Romney official said.

Well. That sure is a desperate attempt to have it both ways. I have a feeling this is an issue that might haunt Romney for the next week or so.

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Were he and his party not committed to no-growth depression economics, there would be no deficit or debt issue. Future growth would render it unproblematic. #horsesbayonetsandHoover

Posted by kinaidos on October 28, 2012 at 10:23 PM

Well of course he's going to look bad if you remember things accurately. Try a little delusion.

Posted by MacCrocodile

on October 28, 2012 at 10:24 PM

Fucking states rights? That shit is dead. Come challenge it trolls. I fucking dare you. States rights is dead. Period.

We are the United States, not a ragtag collection of wannabes. This shit was settled over 150 years ago. You're way fucking past your prime Romney. States rights? Christ you are obsolete.

Posted by Urgutha Forka on October 28, 2012 at 11:25 PM

I wonder how long the Republican party is going to continue to be able to coast on that "we can't afford these debts" nonsense before it just becomes untenably absurd. I mean, it's already a patent fiction; it's Republican presidents who rack up all the debt, and no matter where it comes from, we somehow seem to keep on living no matter how much of it we carry. A nation does what it needs to do for the welfare of its citizens.

And yet somehow, "we can't afford it" keeps on working for these rich assholes. I don't get it, and I don't know how it can possibly remain viable for too much longer.

Posted by balderdash

on October 28, 2012 at 11:31 PM

Agreed.

Let's start with the taxpayer-subsidized Oil and Coal industries, and the taxpayer-subsidized Red States and Red Counties.

Want roads in E WA? You can't afford them, Red Socialist Republicants.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on October 29, 2012 at 1:05 AM

We must aggressively expand FEMA. They were so effective during 9/11 and hurricane Katrina after all. I suppose the NDAA and the Enemy Expatriation Act have been pretty great at strengthening the unconstitutional legal framework for the police state and its not-so-secret network of gulags and rendition camps. Let's keep that momentum going, go Romeny...or Obama....police state wins!

Posted by Spindles on October 29, 2012 at 1:44 AM

"States Rights" has become a dog whistle for "keep them libruls from screwing up things we hold dear -- like Jim Crow!" Part of me wishes we would enact a strict States Rights stance and pull all federal funding from those red states that suckle at the teat of blue state success.

Posted by Cracker Jack on October 29, 2012 at 8:04 AM

look, those were just some words he said. they don't mean he actually thinks that.

the important thing to remember is that he is not black.

Posted by Max Solomon on October 29, 2012 at 9:56 AM

"Disasters are not a NATIONAL tragedy, so suck it up locals!" - Mitt Romney

Posted by RadicalTreeHug on October 29, 2012 at 10:21 AM

This will not haunt him because people have the memories of week-old kittens.

Posted by sarah70 on October 29, 2012 at 10:26 AM

But it's not immoral to leave residents of poor states high and dry in a disaster, no matter how much more it trashes their economy and tax base.

And it's nice to know that states will magically be able to afford disaster relief without passing that on to "our kids" or without raising taxes.

Posted by keshmeshi on October 29, 2012 at 11:00 AM