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(originally published by The Hill)
In fairness to Mitt Romney, on the matter of his poor dog riding atop his deluxe car on a long drive, Romney suggests his dog enjoys this. Even assuming this is true, what does it tell us that on the trip in question the poor dog became ill, and Romney cleaned him up, put him back on the roof and finished the trip?
In fairness to Mitt Romney, when he famously said he enjoys firing people, the context of the quote was that he enjoys firing firms that do not provide good service to customers, but "
There was a coldness to the way Romney said this, as though he enjoys saying he enjoys firing people, and even more important, what he did at Bain Capital involved firing many real workers and harming many real communities.
In the coming months, serious media (myself included) will do serious work to explore exactly how many jobs were created by Mitt Romney, and how many people were laid off, but "
Gordon Gekko in the great film "Wall Street," brilliantly played by Michael Douglas, gave his famous greed is good speech for his form of business, which has some aspects in common with Mitt Romney's form of business, making the case that greed (and layoffs) are good because they serve economic efficiency.
So: Let's have this debate, based on facts, based on sound economics and business, and based on deep principles of faith and the degree that faith (in my case, the Sermon on the Mount) should have an impact on policy.
Republicans are big on faith (as I am) so the teachings of Jesus should have some relevance to the policies we promote (though Republican conservative devotees of Ayn Rand would vehemently disagree).
Republicans claim to be for jobs, so an objective evaluation of Romney's creation of jobs, or lack of creation of jobs, or responsibility for layoffs that destroy jobs, as governor and in business, is welcome here.
I emphasize that this debate should be serious, objective and fact-based.
I do find it astounding that Republicans now have a pro-layoff faction, and may have a pro-layoff presidential nominee who argues (like Gordon Gekko) that greed is good and layoffs are positive.
Let us have this debate with serious discussion of the creative destruction theory of Joseph Shumpeter, the teachings of Jesus Christ on matters of faith, the philosophy of the atheist laissez-faire libertarian Ayn Rand and her conservative Republican disciples, and the modern facts and challenges of the American and global economy.
As for my title about what abused dogs and laid-off workers have in common, I leave you with this, for now:
There is a saying in Washington that if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.
I would add this today:
If you are a dog, my advice would be to stay the hell away from Mitt Romney!
