Essential Estrogen

On Monday I picked up a post from Tennessee Guerilla Women that presented a photo of Republican hopeful Mitt Romney with a supporter, both of them holding the following sign:

The incident happened last week while he was campaigning in South Carolina. On Sunday, according to the AP, Jerid Kurtz, administrator of Buckeye State Blog, asked Romney to apologize for comparing two U.S. senators with an internationally-known terrorist.

Kurtz has posted a first-hand account and the following video, showing him confronting Romney about the poster:

Kurtz poses the question once and Romney side-steps. When Kurtz poses the question again and more forcefully, Romney responds: "You know what? Lighten up slightly. Lighten up. There are a lot of jokes out there. I'm not responsible for all the signs that I see... just lighten up."

While I firmly agree candidates cannot be held accountable for every sign that pops up at their rallies and events, there is a distinction to be made for a sign appearing at a rally and a candidate holding a sign at one of their rallies.

By posing with and holding this sign, Romney has effectively taken it's homemade message as his own. He has compared two members of the U.S. Congress with Osama bin Laden and, when confronted about it, he has chosen to play it off with apology.

Just as I would not and do not tolerate Democratic candidates and supporters painting the current dynamic duo in the White House as Hitler, I cannot and will not tolerate Republican candidates and supporters comparing any American with an international evil such as Osama bin Laden. To do so does nothing to elevate the national conversation, pushes honest and concerned Americans away from the process and further divides our nation.