2012-05-12 15:13:08 Is Romney's Alleged Bullying Fair Game?
BY ZACH TOOMBS
Conservatives jumped to the defense of Mitt Romney Friday — pushing back against a report the candidate bullied a gay classmate. CNN's Howard Kurtz wonders if Romney should be held accountable for something he did as a teenager.
"It was meticulously reported. Four of the five student witnesses were recorded on the record. But it's 47 years ago."
"Is there any statute of limitations on this sort of thing? And it does feel a bit like a cheap hit."
That perceived "statute of limitations" on holding candidates' accountable has some in the media hesitating to report Romney's high school bullying. But Mother Jones says ignoring this story would set different standards for Romney.
"... in the case of presidents their pasts have always been fair game back to the day they entered kindergarten. Like it or not, Romney isn't being treated any differently here than any other presidential candidate of the past half century."
And on MSNBC, Willie Geist questioned the timing of The Washington Post story on Romney — published one day after President Barack Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage.
"The timing of this piece — I'm sure they've been working on it for some time — it is a bit curious the day after.
One more wrinkle in the story — the family of the now-deceased former classmate tells ABC News, it's not happy with how the story is being handled.
"The family issuing a statement saying, 'The portrayal of John is factually incorrect and we are aggrieved that he would be used to further a political agenda.'"
On Fox News Thursday, Romney personally responded to the report — in which the Post reports he and a few classmates forcibly cut the hair of a student who later came out as gay.
"I don't recall the incident, but I've seen the reports, and I'm not going to argue with that."
"I did some stupid things when I was in high school. Obviously, if I hurt anyone by virtue of that, I would be very sorry for it and apologize."
And a columnist for The American Prospect says blame the era, not the man.
"Thankfully, our society is coming to an understanding about the harm that bullying causes, but in 1965, a young man who seemed a bit effeminate being tortured by his classmates seemed to most people to be utterly unproblematic, even expected."
But a writer for New York Magazine says the "young and stupid" defense won't suffice for Romney. He writes the report of bullying sheds light on a longer-term flaw in the candidate.
"The story does give the sense of a man who lacks a natural sense of compassion for the weak. His prankery seems to have invariably singled out the vulnerable ... It's entirely possible to grow out of that youthful mentality — to learn to step out of your own perspective ... I'm just not sure he ever has."