Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Mitt Romney's Son Might Not Understand What "Immigrant" Means

Posted By on Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Courtesy of Mediate, a translation of a campaign ad soon to run in Spanish language markets in support of Mitt Romney:


I’m Craig Romney, and I want to tell you what my dad, Mitt Romney, thinks. He values that we’re a nation of immigrants. My grandfather, George, was born in Mexico. For my family, the greatness of the United States lies in how we respect and help one another, regardless of where we’re from. As president, my dad would work towards a permanent solution to our immigration system with those on both sides of the aisle. I invite you to listen to him.

No judgment, but George Romney (Craig's grandfather) was born to Mormons who fled the United States to Mexico because of federal attempts to regulate polygamy (Miles Romney left America in disguise with one of his wives, meeting the others in Mexico). This is not exactly the same experience and difficulty that people wishing to immigrate to the United States are exactly facing. It probably wasn't easy when the Romneys (and others) were forced out of their Mexican homes back into America by the Mexican Revolution, but to try to make this particular comparison (the Romneys understand your plight, Spanish speaker! We're just like you!) seems considerably tone-deaf.

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