Why I did not vote for Mitt

Election post-mortems are always interesting, especially this one.  The Republicans have some interesting views on why more people did not vote for Mitt Romney, or other Republicans.  Some seem to think the message wasn't conservative enough, or explained well enough, or some odd thing or other.  I am wondering if they actually asked anyone - especially someone who was undecided just before the election - who voted for the other guy, just what it was that tipped the scales. 

Here's the thing - even if my political philosophy were more closely alligned with Mitt's, there were still some things about that candidate that disturbed me. 

1.  One of the things that Romney campaigned hard about was the evilness that was Obamacare.  Turns out that legislation was patterned closely after the Massechussets program that Romney himself pushed through, and said later he was "proud of it".  Huh??   No one every really explained that major inconsistincy. 

2.  Romney was always changing his message and his mind about many, many issues.  He seemed to bend with every breeze. 

3.  He never said much of anything about foreign policy. 

4.  I understand the concerns over the economy.  Many folks voted for him thinking that he could somehow turn things around instantly.  What they did not realize was that his plan was very much like what Herbert Hoover did when the Great Depression hit, and we all know how that worked out. 

5.  During the primary debates, he offered to bet Rick Perry $10,000 on something (can't remember just what now).  I well remember the look on Rick's face as he tried to decide how to respond.  I have a feeling that even though Rick has a lot more money than I do, the price of that bet was a shock to him.  Romney thinks that $10,000 is chump change, and thinks a lot of other people have a similar attitude. 

6.  But the big thing for me was his 47% remark, and his reaction after it became public.  He seemed to be totally ignorant of the fact that many, many, of the 47% were working poor, not people on public assistance.  And he was totally ignorant of the fact that many of the working poor were conservatives who would certainly vote for him.  But what was worse was the abject disgust he had for these people.  We are talking about the people I grew up around, the people in my neighborhood.  The people who worked 2 low paying jobs in some attempt to make it up the ladder of the American dream.  Yet, somehow they are no better than pond scum.  If I could have been in the same room with Mitt, it would have been hard for me to  not punch him. 

Then, when these remarks became public, he simply said he could have said the same thing more "elegantly.'  What the hell does that mean? 

My baby boy???

I was able to visit my baby boy (who is now 36) over Christmas, and received several surprises. 
A lot has changed in the year since last I saw him.

1.  This child who would not come within several feet of most vegetables was snacking on celery, carrots, raw cauliflower, and other such items. (I don't even eat celery.  Nasty stuff).
2.  He is training to compete in a triathalon.  This involves arising at 5:30 a.m. most mornings for either an intensive swimming class or similar difficult workout.  5:30 a.m. for something he doesn't have to do.  Did he have a twin?  I don't remember giving birth to twins.
3.  He is eating onions.  This is the same son who would not even taste his uncle's spaghetti sauce because he spotted a piece of onion in it. 
4.  He is drinking herb tea.  (more nasty stuff).
5.  He has never been what one would call chubby (except for a brief period when he was 10 or so), but now he is thinner and more muscular than ever.  He was complaining about having trouble finding clothes that fit. 

   I don't think I would have been more surprised if he had started wearing fingernail polish (which he wasn't, thank God.)  Just goes to show...you never know when our offspring will change.