Evil

0
1508

Romney’s reaction to medicinal marijuana question unnecessarily controversial

It seems the Republican Party is relentless in digging up whatever they can find to entrap a candidate.

In the case of GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney, politicians dug up a video dating back to 2006 when Romney was approached by a man in a wheelchair.

The 2006 clip was uploaded to YouTube in late Dec. 2011 and has hit popular news organizations like The Huffington Post and The New York Times in the past week because of its controversial nature.

In the clip, the young man discloses how medicinal marijuana is the only medicine that doesn’t make him sick.

He patiently answered his question, compassionately tried to disagree and when it became a cantankerous situation, he politely moved on.

Mitt Romney didn’t brush off the young man; he took a second to listen intently to the man’s question.

Romney doesn’t believe in legalizing medicinal marijuana. Romney answered the man’s question. Do you think he should have lied to him?

Though a large number of students have criticized the way Romney walked away from the man, I commend him.

While this isn’t verfied as a setup, this video was clearly uploaded with the intention of causing unnecessary controversy and making Romney look insensitive.

Isn’t he allowed to have a different view, even if the person with whom he’s disagreeing is in a wheelchair?

Romney has been in a similar situation before, with a gay veteran advocating for equal constitutional rights as a heterosexual veteran. This was uploaded to the Internet once again, and Romney was placed in a compromising position.

He had taken his campaign into a small town for votes and support on Dec. 12. Once there, he went into a diner where an old veteran was sitting by himself. Similar to the man advocating for medicinal marijuana, the veteran pressed Romney on granting the same rights to gays, especially if they were veterans.

Romney has clearly outlined his stance on gay rights. This veteran was only taking advantage of Romney and his viewpoints.

Romney could’ve gotten up, but he sat and listened for a second too long, and before he knew it, Romney was in a deep conversation about this  gay veteran’s worries and anger.

At the end of this debacle, Romney eventually stood up amid the veteran’s heckles and walked away to avoid answering the question.

Even President Barack Obama faced the same dilemma. Remember the insanity of Joe the Plumber? It was a setup orchestrated by FOX News, according to an Oct. 2008 article on CBS.com. Obama was gracious enough to stop and talk with Joe.

But Joe the Plumber was a figure intended to represent the average Joe in a working class society.

Politely, Joe the Plumber asked him about a tax issue which was in discord with Obama’s political stance on taxes — but he was patient and answered his question.

Before you knew it, this went viral and Joe became the shill of the GOP. It gained traction, harmed Obama’s campaign and became a huge deal.

Be it a handicapped young man, a gay veteran or Joe the Plumber, what’s in an individual’s best interest shouldn’t necessarily apply to a candidate’s ideology.

What makes a candidate strong is his or her unwavering stances on issues — stances that won’t bend to certain extenuating circumstances, but rather, stances that hold strong even in the most trying of circumstances.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here