Basking in the schadenfreude of Romney's loss

By Michael J.W. Stickings

This one's worth a read: "A detached Romney tends wounds in seclusion after failed White House bid," at the Post: 

The man who planned to be president wakes up each morning now without a plan.

Mitt Romney looks out the windows of his beach house here in La Jolla, a moneyed and pristine enclave of San Diego, at noisy construction workers fixing up his next-door neighbor's home, sending regular updates on the renovation. He devours news from 2,600 miles away in Washington about the "fiscal cliff" negotiations, shaking his head and wondering what if.

Well, boo... hoo.

Maybe if he weren't such a privileged rich douchebag with a plutocratic sense of entitlement, as I put it throughout the campaign, and if he hadn't been such a shameless liar and panderer both to the far-right Republican base and to every other constituency he was trying to suck up to...

And if he hadn't made those reprehensible remarks about the 47%... and then about Obama winning by giving "gifts" to minorities and others...



As I wrote a few weeks ago in a post entitled "The failure of Mitt Romney":

It's easy to forget this now, but Romney really was a terrible candidate. Other than his performance in the first debate, where his shameless "Etch-A-Sketch" lying combined with Obama's disengagement to make it seem as if he was a credible candidate, what else was there?

Yes, this could mean that a stronger candidate would have won, but who was that candidate? Because one can make the case that Romney was really the only viable Republican choice in 2012, the only one who could pull the party together by saying whatever each of its constituent parts wanted to hear, and who would be prepared to sell that good 'ol Republican snake oil with a smile on his face. And yet with a still-struggling (if improving) economy he still lost badly.

Regardless, Romney's weakness as a candidate, and as a political actor generally, likely means that his post-election political career, such as he has one, will be pathetic and self-serving.

And as for any legacy, well, consider that a failure as well. 

And so what if he's moping around? He has a massive fortune at his disposal. As for wondering "what if," honestly, who cares?

Maybe in some ways he's a decent enough guy. (Hey, if he wants to come to my house for some turkey chili, I'd welcome it.) I have no doubt that behind the right-wing platitudes he's a smart and interesting man who loves his country and generally cares about the world.

And I get it... It's hard to lose, especially something this big... especially when you thought you were going to win... especially when you think you're entitled to political power.

But do I feel sorry for him? Not at all.

The privileged rich douchebag is getting his just deserts. And it's all rather entertaining.