Apparently Romney (according to the story about his being attacked for his ability to speak French) learned it when he spent thirty months there during his Mormon mission. This would suggest that the Republicans don't understand their own propaganda, if his knowing French is taken as a sign of his 'elite' background. Romney got his BA from BYU, although he got what I'd take to be a non-threatening joint JD/MBA from Harvard.
I wonder though if it's more the fact of his being able to speak /French/, than it is his ability to speak a foreign language, for there's something about a person's being French, speaking French, drinking wine instead of Jack Daniels, that makes the stereotypical Middle American distrust and scorn such a person. I doubt that being able to speak German, or Norwegian would arouse the same suspicion, hostility, and ridicule.. Moreover, being able to converse in Mexican/Spanish is viewed as a political advantage in many of the Southwestern and border states. As John says, Gore and Kerry were ridiculed for their un-American 'Frenchness,' but as far as I know, Bush was never ridiculed for his attempts to slip a few Mexican/Spanish phrases into his campaign stops, where appropriate.
Robert Paul
An important factor in political life in America is that people like us, who were good in school and rewarded for it, are a small minority. For most people, schooling is something they have to endure before they are granted adult status. The majority of voters are not comfortable with candidates who come across as the smart-ass teacher's pet who got praise and As, while they were being hammered with negative feedback. This was a major problem for both Al Gore and John Kerry.JohnOn Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 9:35 AM, Veronica Caley <molleo1@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:molleo1@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:I read this and two words came to mind, hypocrisy and chutzpah. And then, I realized that neither one is sufficient. So, I amlooking for help with words stronger and funnier than these. So if you can help, please do. Then I scrolled down and read the link re attack add against Romney because he was caught speaking French. If this is not a joke, I guess you can't be ignorant enough to please the electorate. Veronica Caley Milford, MI
