Speaking today in Fairfax, Virginia, President Obama finally came up with a way to describe Mitt Romney’s sudden memory lapse about the positions he’s taken in the six years the former governor of Massachusetts has been running for president.
“We’ve got to name this condition he’s going through,” the president said. “It’s Romnesia.”
He then laid out the symptoms of the condition so that “no else catches it.” They include not being able to decide if you’d sign a bill that would support equal pay for women, forgetting that you said employers should be able to decide if women can get contraception and denying that you want to give tax breaks for the rich, even though your website says otherwise.
President Obama also had some good news to victims of Romnesia, “Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions. We’ll fix you up.”
Within an hour after the president first used the term, #Romnesia was already trending nationally on Twitter. Some examples:
You might have #Romnesia if you think your Paris mission was really a deployment to Vietnam.
— sfpelosi (@sfpelosi) October 19, 2012
Romney acts like a guy who was in a coma between 2001 and 2008. Then woke up and had the Bush years explained to him by Karl Rove #Romnesia
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) October 19, 2012
You might have #Romnesia if you think the President followed your plan when he saved the auto industry.
— Jennifer Granholm (@JenGranholm) October 19, 2012
I hope Obama sends whoever came up with #Romnesia to Pun-tanamo Bay.
— Indecision (@indecision) October 19, 2012
Here’s the complete transcript of the president’s remarks:
But now that we’re 18 days out from the election, Mr. “Severely Conservative” wants you to think he was “severely kidding” about everything he’s said over the last year. He told folks he was “the ideal candidate” for the Tea Party, now suddenly he’s saying, “what, who, me?” He’s forgetting what his own positions are, and he’s betting that you will too.
I mean he’s changing up so much – backtracking and sidestepping. We’ve gotta name this condition that he’s going through.. I think it’s called “Romnesia.” That’s what it’s called. I think that’s what he’s going through.
Now, I’m not a medical doctor but I do want to go over some of the symptoms with you because I want to make sure nobody else catches it.
If you say you’re for equal pay for equal work, but you keep refusing to say whether or not you’d sign a bill that protects equal pay for equal work – you might have Romnesia.
If you say women should have access to contraceptive care, but you support legislation that would let your employer deny you contraceptive care – you might have a case of Romnesia.
If you say you’ll protect a woman’s right to choose, but you stand up at a primary debate and said that you’d be “delighted” to sign a law outlawing that right to choose in all cases – man, you’ve definitely got Romnesia.
Now, this extends to other issues. If you say earlier in the year I’m going to give a tax cut to the top 1 percent and then in a debate you say, I don’t know anything about giving tax cuts to rich folks – you need to get a thermometer, take your temperature, because you’ve probably got Romnesia.
If you say that you’re a champion of the coal industry when while you were Governor you stood in front of a coal plant and said, this plant will kill you – that’s some Romnesia.
So – I think you’re beginning to be able to identify these symptoms. And if you come down with a case of Romnesia, and you can’t seem to remember the policies that are still on your website, or the promises you’ve made over the six years you’ve been running for President, here’s the good news: Obamacare covers pre-existing conditions.
We can fix you up. We’ve got a cure. We can make you well, Virginia. This is a curable disease.
Women, men, all of you. These are family issues. These are economic issues. I want my daughters to have the same opportunities as anybody’s sons. I believe America does better, the economy grows more, we create more when everybody participates, when everyone’s getting a fair shot, everybody’s getting a fair shake, everybody’s playing by the same rules, everybody’s doing their fair share. That’s why I’m asking you for another term as President of the United States. I need you to help me finish the job.
