Mitt Romney

"What do Mitt Romney and a plastic sandal have in common?"

We've all heard the joke about Mitt Romney being famous for being a "flip flop", constantly changing his stance on key issues throughout his campaign (click the following links for examples of his amorphous stances on abortion, health care reform, and foreign policy.)  Romney has also taken a rather fluid stance on immigration; most recently, on October 2nd, 2012, he stated that if he were elected, he would not revoke President Obama's executive order that issued temporary visas/work permits as documentation for young immigrants.  The President's Deferred Action Immigration Plan would eliminate the possibility of deportation for those who have lived in the country for at least 5 years and entered before their 16th birthday, as long as they have obtained at least a high school diploma or GED or are serving in the military.  This softening of position by Romney contradicts very hardline views he has held in the past.  Talking Points Memo, a politically left news source, outlines Romney's softening stance since the Republican primary elections, when he called for "self-deportation" and labeled the DREAM Act a "handout":

"In January, Romney called for 'self-deportation' for illegal immigrants, including those brought by their parents as children, which involves making life so difficult they choose to leave.  'The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can’t find work here, because they don’t have legal documentation to allow them to work here,' he said.  Fast-forward to the general election. Facing a huge deficit among Hispanics, who support immigration relief, Romney no longer rails against 'amnesty.' And he promises not to rescind work permits that Obama plans to provide DREAM-eligible migrants via executive order.  'The people who have received the special visa that the president has put in place, which is a two-year visa, should expect that the visa would continue to be valid,' he told the Denver Post early this month. He also sought to put a lighter touch on his 'self-deportation' remarks.  'Self-deportation says let people make their own choice. What I was saying is, we’re not going to round up 12 million people, undocumented illegals, and take them out of the nation,' Romney said while debating Obama. 'Instead let people make their own choice. … I’m not in favor of rounding up people and taking them out of this country'" (Sahil Kapur, Oct. 29, 2012).

Recent polls have Obama leading Romney 73 to 21 percent with Latino voters, so many of Romney's last ditch efforts at moving to the middle on immigration issues can be seen as a move to secure more Latino voters.  However, Romney appears be hurting himself by changing his stance so frequently, and often appears to be flailing in comparison to Obama's seemingly far more sympathetic policies to undocumented workers.  In the October 16th, 2012 town hall debate, Romney attacked Obama for failing to pass immigration reform, but Obama blamed the stoppage on Republican resistance in Congress and accused Romney of adopting far right positions on immigration when immigration used to be a bipartisan issue.  Obama is essentially calling Romney out not only on his party's congressional stubbornness, but also the fact that Romney is criticizing him for not passing policies that he wouldn't support even if they had been passed.  Critics of Romney claim that though he has said he will not revoke the president's executive order, he would still repeal the DREAM Act if elected as president; in a June 18th, 2012 article from Time, it is noted that Romney has both been cautious in avoiding answering whether he would repeal the DREAM Act, while other times he has stated he would not sign it as it currently stands, but may if it undergoes changes to focus more on military service.  Romney still maintains that those who enter the country illegally should not be granted amnesty.  The cartoons below focus on Romney's stance(s) on immigration and his attempts to sway Latino voters.

Team Member Name: Alex Jeppesen

Publication: N/A           
Date: 2012

Cartoonist: Horsey (U.S.)

Title of the cartoon:   Know Your Enemy                                                          
Cartoon #: N/A

What action is taking place in the cartoon?  What is the context? Mitt Romney is trying to eat a burrito that represents immigration reform and President Obama is offering more "no deporting" Tabasco sauce.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Positive or negative framing of undocumented immigrants

2) Negative framing of immigration policies

What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?
The cartoon suggests that Mitt Romney is trying hard to stomach the current immigration reform and it will take a lot to change what is already in place.  Obama is making it more difficult for him to handle by dumping on Tabasco sauce that represents the no deportation policy. Romney is framed as being somewhat in over his head, and Obama is making it hard on him by hammering Romney for switching from his "self-deportation" stance.

 http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/4255b4aa-264d-4792-84ee-34ac4817c85b.html

Team Member Name: Seth Merrill

Publication: The Record of Hackensack, NJ

Date: June 25th, 2012

Cartoonist: Jimmy Margulies (U.S.)

Title of the cartoon: Romney Immigration Policy

Cartoon #: 114072

What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?  Romney is seen delicately treading along a wall that represents the U.S.-Mexico border. It is also a symbol for two vastly different stances on immigration, such as amnesty vs. deportation and strict law enforcement, pro-immigration vs. anti-immigration, and so forth.  Romney boasts of feat, referencing Nic Wallenda, and man who crossed Niagra Falls on a tightrope (just for fun, see Wallenda's feat here, if you want).

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Positive framing of undocumented immigrants

2) Negative framing of immigration policies

What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?  The cartoonist is poking fun at Romney's inability to stick with any one policy on immigration while pointing out the difficulty and potential foolhardiness of the task by comparing it to a balancing act.  Romney is depicted as being goofy and apparently more concerned with his own performance and appearance than he is with the lives of people who would be affected by polices, namely, undocumented workers and Latino immigrants.

Team Member Name: Seth Merrill

Publication: St. Louis Post-Dispatch  

Date: June 19th, 2012

Cartoonist: RJ Matson

Title of the cartoon: Mitt Romney's Long-Term Solution for Immigration Reform

Cartoon #: 113755

What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?  This cartoon shows Mitt Romney discussing whether or not he would repeal President Obama's executive order on deportation.  With each additional dialogue box, Romney contradicts himself, softens his contradictions, and does everything he can to avoid firmly answering the question by keeping all his options open.

Tone of the cartoon:

1) Positive framing of undocumented immigrants

2) Negative framing of immigration policies

What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants? The two boxes on the right are references to statements that Romney has made on the campaign trail, which the cartoonist uses to further Romney's image of wishy-washiness; they are vague statements that are intended to inspire hope without really offending anyone or putting forth any concrete plans.  He jokingly uses the term "complete and comprehensive reform" to imply that Romney will most likely change his stance on immigration, and can't be held accountable for anything he says.

Team Member Name: Stefani Lewis
Publication: Tribune Media Services
Date: 2012
Cartoonist: Drew Sheneman (U.S.)
Title of the cartoon: N/A
Cartoon #: N/A
What action is taking place in the cartoon? What is the context?
The action of the cartoon is the GOP elephant with an arm around an average American man, while Mitt Romney stands to the left. The elephant is being pretty offensive, saying that undocumented workers are "tearing at the fabric of our great nation." Romney has his hand on the shoulder of a man with a shirt labeled "latino vote," saying, "he means that in the best way."

Tone of the cartoon:
1) negative framing of undocumented immigrants
2) negative framing of immigration policies
What “reality” is constructed/framed about immigration/immigrants?
The cartoon reflects the majority of the Republican party's viewpoint on undocumented workers. It suggests that the man in the USA gear is considered to be the 'true-blooded' American, the victim that has had his job 'stolen' by the undocumented worker. This cartoon suggests that Romney is appealing to the Latino population, simply to get the vote despite his party's general opinion. Romney has been known as a flip flop Republican (see above), supporting different viewpoints at different times. Romney attempts to separate himself from his party in order to get votes for the upcoming election, saying whatever he needs to say to the Latino voter to soften the hard stance of his party.  On a side note, many accuse Romney and claim he would run to the middle on many issues if elected to the presidency.