When Mitt Romney made candid comments about government-dependent, victimized, and hopeless 47% of America that pays no income taxes, he was talking about my grandfather. My grandfather was a man who legitimately lived the values that Romney and the Grand Ole' Party like to fake. With his comments, Mitt Romney took aim at more than just Barack Obama supporters. He took aim at many people who might have otherwise voted for him, and in the process, Romney exposed the mind of a man who misunderstands America at its core.
My grandfather left in his early 20s to fight the Germans in World War II. As a member of the United States Navy, he participated in Operation Overlord - the Normandy invasion most often referred to as "D-Day." While thousands of Americans died that day, my grandfather was lucky enough to survive. He lived to tell great tales of his time at sea, and he took great pride in his part in the fight for freedom.
When he returned, my grandfather started a business. He founded DuBose Jewelers, a small store that sold everything from trinkets to high-end diamonds. A watch man by trade, my grandfather relished the role of local business person. He was a firmly entrenched member of the community and was what the Republicans might call a "job creator."
Somewhere in there, he met and married my grandmother. That marriage would span more than 50 years - all of which were faithful.
He had two children. One went on to serve his country as a Marine in Vietnam. My grandfather lost that son a few years after the war when my uncle ended his life after an extended bout with undiagnosed and untreated post-traumatic stress disorder. His other son became the first person in our family to go to college, where he played soccer. My father graduated with a degree in business and went on to expand the family business to other locations and new cities.
My grandfather was active in his small Baptist church. He was a deacon and often took pride in his roll there. He taught a Sunday school class in his older age and made a friend of nearly every person he met. He often recalled that he had never been drunk, which was quite an accomplishment for a man who spent his early years on a Navy ship.
Shortly after celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary, my grandfather faced a new challenge. His wife was diagnosed with lung cancer and would have to fight to extend her life even a few years. He put on the hat of a dedicated caretaker, spending nights on end watching over my grandmother, even after she had moved into a nursing home. During this time, his savings took a major hit, as his Medicare and benefits were not enough to cover the total cost of her care.
Sometime just before my grandmother's death, my grandfather was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. He fought to survive until my grandmother passed, but had very little to live for when she was gone. He lived out his final months with grace, taking the time to attend my football games and have lunch at my mother's restaurant.
During this time, my grandfather survived on nothing more than his Social Security check. There is little doubt that he did not make enough to be a part of the income tax paying base in America. In short, he was the 47%.
When Mitt Romney talks about the 47%, he is talking about my grandfather and grandfathers like him around the country. My grandfather was everything the GOP wishes it could be. He was a fierce patriot who put his life in direct danger during freedom's greatest challenge. He was a job-creating business owner who "built that," but not without the help of his community. He was a faithful man - both in his Christianity and in his relationship to my grandmother. He was a father who sacrificed a son for his country and guided another who has served as a business owner, a pastor, and now a chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. He held a strong moral backbone, eschewing vices like alcohol in favor of more fulfilling pursuits.
I do not know my grandfather's political leanings. I do not know whether he, as a member of the 47%, would have voted for Barack Obama. Given that he sold diamonds to black men on credit in the 1960s, I suspect that he was more progressive than his average contemporary. What I do know is that Mitt Romney is dead wrong when he makes character judgments on 47% of Americans based on their economic snapshot alone.
When Mitt Romney made his comments, he emphasized that the 47% were unreachable. He disdainfully notes that those people will never learn to take personal responsibility. In this statement, we learn a lot about how Mitt Romney evaluates character. He believes that a man's momentary station defines his character. That if a man does not currently have the means to contribute to the federal income tax, he is a shiftless loser who is not worth "worrying" about. Perhaps this is Romney's way of placating himself. He could never believe that such a huge proportion of Americans don't like him. Rather than looking in the mirror, Romney lashes out, callously claiming that those people must have some deficiency in character. It's narcissism at its finest - a reflection of a desperate man unable to cope with the idea that, for the first time in his life, no amount of money can make him a success in this venture.
What Mitt Romney fails to understand is that circumstances can sometimes dictate economic station even for those with unshakeable worth ethic and personal character. He doesn't understand that, as Americans, we reject the notion that a man is only defined the current thickness of his wallet. As Americans, we value the contributions of those people who have given much of their lives and now need a little bit of help. We also value the future contributions of those people who need the collective help to get their lives off of the ground. We value these people because we know that we are better off when all ideas are counted and when all contributions are sought. We are better off when we have a President who recognizes that for every ten lives we dismiss, we are throwing away at least one great idea or one person who could change a community for the better.
My grandfather was no loser, former Governor Romney. He was a man who conducted all of his dealings - business or otherwise - with a level of integrity that your wildest dreams can't match. When he died, people wept at his funeral, telling stories of his compassion in a racial climate that did not promote compassion. He was a man who took the ultimate responsibility for himself and for others. When my grandfather went to France, it wasn't to hide out in a castle. It was to lay the foundation of freedom for our nation and to lay the foundation for his own life - one that reflected the honor, character, and values that the modern GOP can only throw on a bumper sticker.