I was an army brat and spent four years of my childhood living in Alabama. When I graduated from high school I went back to Tuscaloosa for college. Any Hoo, years later I was still living and working in Tuscaloosa, when my cousin from New Jersey came to visit me. I took her around and showed her the sites, and towards the end of her visit, I asked her if there was anything else she'd like to see. She responded: "A Redneck." This was long before Jeff Foxworthy became famous for his "You Might Be A Redneck" comedy routine. I am always reminded of that whenever I hear the word "Redneck."
Last night, I was amused while watching the segment on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where Stewart spoofed Jeff Foxworthy's famous line with ... You Might A Romney.
If you have a car on your front lawn 'cause your garage only holds five cars ...
If you go to the diner and order your eggs Fabergé ...
If you think Cloverfield was a movie about your butler ...
... You Might Be A Romney.
I thought it would fun to see if we could come with some of our own "You Might Be A Romney" tags. So I searched some recent news articles to get us started.
If you reach your 65th Birthday, and can afford to NOT enroll in Medicare ... You Might Be A Romney
Despite reaching the Medicare-eligibility age on his 65th birthday today, Mitt Romney will keep his private insurance and forgo the social safety net, a Romney aide said today.
Mitt Romney Not Enrolling in Medicare on 65th Birthday
If you think American Government should emulate China ... You Might Be A Romney.
At a town hall in Jackson, Miss., on Friday morning, Mitt Romney offered his usual full-throated defense of free enterprise and small government. He criticized the large number of employees and small workload in the Navy purchasing department, said health care needed to operate more like a private market, and told the audience, "I want freedom to reign forever in this country."
But in an answer warning against the dangers of over-regulation, Romney chose a curious example to tout free enterprise: China.
I got the chance after I lost to John McCain last time, to go over to -- that was the good part of losing -- I got to go to the Olympic Games in China. It's pretty impressive over there how quickly they can build things, how productive they are as a society. You should see their airport compared to our airports, their highways, their train systems. They're moving quickly in part because the regulators see their job as encouraging private people. It's amazing. The head of Coca-Cola said the business environment is friendlier in China than in America. And that's because of the regulators. That's because of government.
They're also moving quickly, of course, because China's communist government can seize property by fiat and marshal state-owned industries to build large projects. While much of China's economy is capitalist, Romney's praise of infrastructure projects like roads and airports seemed to be an odd defense of centrally directed economics.
Mitt Romney Praises Chinese Regulators
Ted Kaufman provides a good explanation about how Chinese non-regulation works:
How does non-regulation work in China? One example was the recent story about a toxic heavy metal spill into Longjiang River. Two companies had dumped cadmium, a poisonous component of batteries that causes kidney failure and bone damage, into the river. The spill was not reported for two weeks, while people continued to use the water for drinking and cooking. Can you imagine what is being dumped in China's rivers every day?
Another recent story concerned the summary destruction in Beijing of a historic house without any review or discussion. It occurred without notice during the Lunar New Year holiday when no one was watching. It is the rule rather than the exception in China -- the government can move unilaterally to condemn land to make way for development, many times for family and friends.
Romney Seeks an America More Like China
If you're asked a football question about Peyton Manning, and you respond by bragging that you're friends with Football Team Owner ... You Might Be A Romney.
On Monday afternoon, Mitt Romney called into the Paul Finebaum Radio Network, an enormously popular daily sports talk show based out of Birmingham, Ala., that on most days concerns college football, and particularly the acrimonious partisan battle between Auburn and Alabama fans. It also routinely features some of the more colorful callers in the sports talk radio landscape.
(snip)
And at one point, Mr. Finebaum asked Mr. Romney, as a New England Patriots fan, where he thought Peyton Manning should go as a free agent, and the candidate highlighted his friendship with football team owners — echoing comments in which he explained his affinity for Nascar by noting he knew the owners of Nascar teams.
Discussing Manning, Romney Touts Ties to Football Team Owners
If you think you can win over Southerners by marching around with a redneck comedian ... You Might Be A Romney.
“If you’re going to pander, at least pander well, and this isn’t pandering well,” said Stephen Gordon, a Republican consultant based in Birmingham, Ala. The former Bay State governor is a Yankee, Gordon said, and will always face skepticism no matter how many catfish filets he raves about.
(snip)
“Does Romney think he can win over Southerners by marching around with the redneck comedian?” asked Chris Brown, the former executive director of the Alabama Republican Party, who is supporting Romney. “Does he think we’re all rednecks?”
Mitt Romney’s grits and catfish act goes too far for Southern critics
So what "You Might Be A Romney" moments have you come across?