Romneys quote saying that 47 percent of the people will vote for the president because they are dependent on the government was one of his two quotes that topped the list. His second was hist statement about having "Binder full of women."
President Obama then followed him up with the next three, most notably his comment that "If you were succesful, somebody along the line gave you help."
"Shapiro picks quotes that are famous, important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not necessarily ones that are the most eloquent or admirable."
The quotes aren't necessairly all mistakes though. Obama's joke about bayonets in the Presidental debate made the list, along with Psy's quote "Oppan Gangnam Style."
Regardless, the list does contain many political blunders. These men are under such constant surveillance and it seems almost inevitable that they will eventually trip up. How much do you think is just a missuse of words or do you think some could be a possible look into some of their actual beliefs? In the campaign trail, they are all constantly being polished to appear as the perfect candidate. That is probably makes these quotes fun; that they finally make the candidates appear as actual people.
5 comments:
I think this a combination of a misuse of words and a bit of the political figures' points of view. No one is perfect and it makes sense that not everything that comes out of their mouths' is always what they meant to say. However, there is always some truth in everything that is said and one's beliefs are bound to come out in the statements they make, even if they were not said as they were meant. One point I would like to touch on is that I feel media plays up these statements quite a bit. I feel that sometimes the media latches on to these phrases and build them up a lot more than is necessary.
Addie basically said what I was going to say. I think the quotes have to, to some degree, reflect what the person believes, even if they came out wrong. So, I doubt Romney actually thinks 47% of the US population is made of useless moochers, but it does reveal some elitist feelings and contempt for the poor. And, unfortunately for him, people were watching (as always) when he said that. I suppose these kinds of slip ups are the reason why the textbook says that presidents try to avoid too much media.
Going off of Tina's point, Mitt Romney's "47%" quote and Todd Adkin's quote about "legitimate rape" greatly contributed to their losses, which demonstrates just how important it is for a politician to paint a positive image to the media (and, effectively, the public).
It's a little sad to think that the quotes most "revealing of the spirit of the times" are almost all political blunders or zingers that received plentiful media coverage--this really reflects the American public's tendency to see presidential elections as a win-lose competition rather than a place for candidates to voice their beliefs and engage in policy discussion.
Sometimes (and this incidence is no exception) it seems like we tend base our political beliefs on media image too much. After all, most people have moments where they say something and then look back and groan because of how embarrassing it was. Honestly, I would be more worried if a politician never slipped up--it would seem too polished, and therefore not genuine enough. However, I agree that these slip-ups frequently reveal true beliefs, and should be looked at seriously. But there's a big difference between flipping out over a poorly worded comment and noticing biases that seep through in wording. We all slip up, but it's much rarer and more worrying to slip up and call someone "n----r" or "f---t."
Well, I agree that slip ups are almost inevitable. Candidates are prime "targets" of the media. However, in regards to Romney's 47% comment, I do think he meant what he said - and I understand why he thinks that way. The binder full of women comment was blown way out of proportion in my opinion and taken out of context.
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