Did Mitt Romney Save His Soul?
www.newyorker.com
In “Romney: A Reckoning,” we get an intimate view of a man trying to reconcile faith and politics.
  • timetravelingnoodles@kbin.social
    225·
    8 months ago

    This isn’t exactly new or unusual. Look how suddenly everyone acted like John McCain wasn’t a treasonous shitbag when he died

    • sab@kbin.social
      32·
      8 months ago

      A political moron with terrible ideas, yes. But I think treasonous is the wrong word, which is what sets him apart from his comrades in the republican party.

      It’s not that people remember him as someone they would have liked to vote for, but he was over of very few republicans to speak out against trumpism.

      Sort of like how Romney was one of few republicans recognizing the election result. It has just gotten to a point where we expect the worst from these people, and it’s somehow worth celebrating when they defy our expectations.

      • Jax@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        8 months ago

        I think it’s more an attempt at positive reinforcement, if anything. When you’ve got a bad dog you’re trying to train, you fixate less on punishing the bad behavior and rewarding the good behavior.

        Too bad these people are worse than dogs.

      • timetravelingnoodles@kbin.social
        13·
        8 months ago

        I was more referring to his actions while he was a PoW and other various things than his tenure as a politician but that didnt help much either

      • Maeve@kbin.social
        5·
        8 months ago

        I’m still at a loss how my parent was furious at ~W for Iraq and just disowned me for the umpteenth time for telling them * tfg was a fraudster, rapist, insurrectionist and treasonist. The last time I did that, they put me out of the car in sleet, thirteen miles from my home.

        • edited two words
        • Coreidan@lemmy.worldEnglish
          91·
          8 months ago

          The reason is because your parents are shit bags.

          I hope that clears everything up for you.

          • Maeve@kbin.social
            3·
            8 months ago

            Thanks? Lol. I just meant how they were so outraged at W and not tfg. Mass insanity is real.

          • uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
            31·
            8 months ago

            My dad spent his entire life doing sophisticated math for NASA, and did a stint getting atmospheric and oceanic study satellites into space, so he is (or rather was ) super aware of rapid climate change and runaway climate acceleration risks.

            He was a George W. Bush supporter who went full MAGA in 2016 and hates immigrants so much, I think he hates Irish and Italians on sheer principle even though he wasn’t alive then. And now he’s a climate science denier.

            Even super-geniuses can get swayed by the right-wing cult. Granted, we’re right down the Jefferson Davis heritage, but I’m as egalitarian pinko-commu-anarchist as they come. Can’t say it’s midwest fever or boomer madness. He also screams at the television for gridiron football.

            Parents. ☕

            • Coreidan@lemmy.worldEnglish
              3·
              8 months ago

              It’s the dunning kruger effect. A lot of people think that because you’re an expert in some field, then that proves that you’re smart and therefore apply the same talent to everything.

              Your Dad may be smart with science, but all that means is he’s good at science.

              The assumption is that if your Dad is smart enough to figure out science then surely figuring out politics is a cake walk. But that just isn’t now it works. The two subjects require completely different skill sets and knowledge bases and at the end of the day you only get from it what you put into it.

              Being terrible at politics doesn’t make you great at science it just makes you bad at politics.