The RPs Debate Romney’s Bullying: John Y. Brown, III Responds

[Click here to follow the entire RP Debate]

Robert,

Great point about Romney’s response needing to be honest and opening inroads for an important dialogue.

Like so many instances of public discussion of a public figure’s heretofore private life incidences , it’s the response –not the act—that’s the thing. The teen behavior by  Romney, if true, is reflective of a narrow and hurtful view of homosexuality while he as a teen.  But if he deliberately deceived the public about the incident as a 65 year old candidate for president, that would bother me quite a bit more.

I believe that if a candidate is comfortable with themselves and their past, it allows the public (voters) to be comfortable with them—and their past. They trust the person who stands before them today that their prior mistakes were duly noted, reconciled, and learned from. But if the person has not made this peace with their past bad acts and integrated them into their present selves, they are merely managing a public image not reflective of who they really are. And will struggle to gain credibility with the voters who they seek to lead.

Artur,

Touche regarding the Washington Post’s coincidental timing. Perhaps a form of selective and sophisticated journalistic bullying?