Romney: "The Customer is Always Right."

[sandman]

Yesterday, Mitt clinched the Repub nomination in Texas and celebrated in Las Vegas. Can't blame the man for that choice, I would go Vegas over Texas any day myself.

Two things bother me: Trump was part of the big do. In fact it was at Trump's hotel. No cameras or recorders were permitted. I have a problem with Trump because he is once again whoring himself out on camera with his idiotic, tired "OBAMA WASN'T BORN IN THE US!" bullshit.

(I don't know how many times I have had to explain to people that it doesn't matter WHERE you were born, it only matters that you had US citizenship at birth, and you have US citizenship at birth if one or both of your parents were US citizens when you were born. Obama's mother was a US citizen, which means it wouldn't matter if he was born on the damn Moon, he would still be a naturalized US citizen.)

What bothers me about this is that Romney refuses to condemn Trump's idiocy, leaving it to underlings to contradict the Donald. He wants to have his cake and eat it, too.

The other thing that bothers me was Romney's assertion that the citizens are the "customers" of the government, and that the "customer always knows best."

I have worked customer service and retail, and not only does the customer not always know best, the customer rarely knows best. The customer usually wants whatever they believe will most benefit themselves personally in the short run. That may be a "special" price, an exception to the return policy, or some other special treatment at the expense of the business. The customer generally doesn't care if the special treatment they get screws all of the other customers or even puts the store out of business; the only thing that matters to them in the moment is getting that special treatment.

(Which is why people all go to shop at the Wal Mart and then complain for years that all of the local businesses are gone and they have no choice but to shop at the Wal Mart.)

Most of the time the customer doesn't know jack shit about the business, doesn't understand or even care to understand why the business is run in a certain way, and demands that all rules be bent to accommodate them regardless of the consequences to others.

Hell, the LAST thing we need is for the government to start treating the citizens like "customers." We aren't customers, we are clients. And sometimes you have to tell your clients that they are being dumbasses.

[Askold]

(I don't know how many times I have had to explain to people that it doesn't matter WHERE you were born, it only matters that you had US citizenship at birth, and you have US citizenship at birth if one or both of your parents were US citizens when you were born. Obama's mother was a US citizen, which means it wouldn't matter if he was born on the damn Moon, he would still be a naturalized US citizen.)

Actually I heard something new about that. I hunted down the claim from another forum I go to.

1. Were he born in Kenya (or any other country), to a mother less than 21 years of age in 1961, and with a Kenyan father, as the law stood when he was born, his mothers citizenship would not have automatically descended to him, and his status would be that of naturalized citizen. I believe the laws changed regarding this in 1965, and no, John McCain isn't the same case, as he was born to two citizens, both of their majority. (and even were the mother a minor, his father was not)

Still, even that guy admitted that this does not matter unless someone can actually prove that Obama wasn't born in USA (And the guy who brought up the claim wasn't in fact a birther, he just wanted to make clear that the birthers are right that the country of birth does matter in this case.). Besides I haven't bothered to check old US laws to see if that law even was like that in 1961...

[ironbite]

...there's an entire website dedicated to the fact that customers are not always right.

Ironbite-oh Mitt...you're so out of touch.

[starseeker]

Anyone who claims the customer is always right needs to work customer service.

[KZN02]

There's already a site on this.

[erictheblue]

Still, even that guy admitted that this does not matter unless someone can actually prove that Obama wasn't born in USA (And the guy who brought up the claim wasn't in fact a birther, he just wanted to make clear that the birthers are right that the country of birth does matter in this case.). Besides I haven't bothered to check old US laws to see if that law even was like that in 1961...

I don't know about 1961, but I can address the issue as of 1969.

The statute in question only applies if the person's parents were not married (as it mostly addresses citizenship of the child if the father was a citizen and the mother was not). If the mother is a citizen at the time of the person's birth, and "if the mother had previously been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year," the person is a citizen at birth. 8 U.S.C. 1409(c).

It's clear that Obama is a citizen, as his mother was a citizen at the time of his birth, and she had lived in the US for at least a year prior.

[Her3tiK]

There needs to be some kind of rule that states that candidates for public office must have held an actual job for X amount of years (let's say 5+yrs for now), and not just ridden daddy's coattails or a few smart investments. I don't like Obama much as president, but at least he had to pull himself up to where he is now. This kind of out-of-touch crap needs to stop.

[Lt. Fred]

Romney has spent his entire life exploiting low interest rates to spend borrowed money on investments with long-term profitability. If, as he claims, the government is like a private business, it should borrow a huge amount of money right now (when interest rates are at record lows).

[Fpqxz]

Hell, the LAST thing we need is for the government to start treating the citizens like "customers." We aren't customers, we are clients. And sometimes you have to tell your clients that they are being dumbasses.

Fucking A+ post right there dude.

The problem is, both the government (including federal, state, and local) and the media have all but given up on keeping the public informed and educated.  They want to keep us stupid and easily manipulated.

[sandman]

Another problem is that a "customer" is someone you have a one-time or short-term interaction with, and when that interaction is done, you are no longer a "customer." A "client" is someone with whom you have a long-term relationship based on mutual benefit.

[nickiknack]

As "customer" I would like to see:
1. the whole "Obama birth debate" bite the dust.
2. the whole "Obama is a Socialist" crap stop, he's center-right
3. the Republican party be locked away in an insane asylum, they need some fucking help, big time
4. the Democratic party to stop throwing the progessives of the party under the bus at every stop, except around election time
5. for the US to have some serious electoral reform (which includes getting money out of politics, reforming the electoral system, etc)

I have more, but I'll save it for another time

[Thejebusfire]

The other thing that bothers me was Romney's assertion that the citizens are the "customers" of the government, and that the "customer always knows best."

Would he still be saying that if he doesn't win the election?

[ThunderWulf]

I'm retail manager, and the customer is always right is complete bullshit. Romney hasn't changed, though it still means he's talking out of his ass.

[Lt. Fred]

Another problem is that a "customer" is someone you have a one-time or short-term interaction with, and when that interaction is done, you are no longer a "customer." A "client" is someone with whom you have a long-term relationship based on mutual benefit.

Even client implies outsider. Workers have a boss. Investors aren't part of the institution. Partners are on the inside.

The government should treat the public like citizens. The government is not a business.

[N. De Plume]

This whole “Customer” thing is another extension of the bizarre idea that government should be run as a business.

No. Just no. Governments and businesses fill two different niches. Neither one can be successfully run using the other’s model.