It looks like Mitt Romney has developed a pattern in his responses to gaffes. He doubles down.
This has happened again and again and again--- on accusations about distorting or lying on Obama and loosening Welfare rules, on the attack on Bengazi, on his "inelegant" attack on the 47%.
Doubling Down has different meanings. In Blackjack poker, it means you double your bet and take one more card. The McMillan dictionary defines it: to increase one's effort or focus.
Wiktionary offers two definitions:
1. (idiomatic, gambling) To double one's wager. "-[ quotations -]
- (idiomatic, by extension) To double or significantly increase a risk, investment, or other commitment.
I think the second definition from Wiktionary best describes what Romney is doing. The thing is, I don't think he does it because he has a plan or strategy. I think he does it because he thinks he's right, because he thinks he knows better than all the rest of the world who see him as being an ass or ignorant or really misguided.
Put together the definition and my explanation for his double down attitude and you get a guy who is pretty dangerous. It reminds me of Cheney. We now know that he had a similar attitude. He didn't listen to reports from multiple intelligence agencies. Instead, he ordered them to go out and prove he was right-- at the most of millions of dollars and countless lives.
Romney is one of those guys who was born on third base who think they hit a triple. This doesn't just apply to his wealth. I think it also applies to his getting into Harvard and being an Ivy Leaguer. He assumes he's smarter because he went to Harvard. This creates an even more dangerous, albeit ludicrous character.
I mean let's face it, when a guy in his position screws up, with gaffe after gaffe, again and again, it gets funny. They guy looks like a clown, a buffoon, a fool.
But it is not just funny. Romney's knee jerk stupidity (or knee jerk assholism-- take your choice) goes beyond Cheney's. It appears all over the place, in more areas where he can screw up.
Just imagine he stumbled and bought his way into the White House. He'd continue to blurt out off-message, un-vetted, knee-jerk stupidities and then, with his born on third base, thinking he hit a triple attitude towards his intelligence, would double down on the dumb remark. He'd probably use his powers of executive office to put the exclamation point on his doubling down-- ordering military action, making economic policies, making appointments" ie., there would be major consequences.
Something to think about.
What's your take on Mitt's propensity to double-down?
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