Romney impersonated a cop?

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**Kid_Kyoto**

Seriously?

Seems well sourced and if true... wow.

http://www.nationalmemo.com/did-young-mitt-romney-impersonate-a-police-officer-another-witness-says-yes/

When Mitt Romney was a college freshman, he told fellow residents of his Stanford University dormitory that he sometimes disguised himself as a police officer – a crime in many states, including Michigan and California, where he then lived. And he had the uniform on display as proof.

So recalls Robin Madden, who had also just arrived as a freshman, the startling incident began when Romney called him and two or three other residents into his room, saying, “Come up, I want to show you something.” When they entered Romney’s room, “and laid out on his bed was a Michigan State Trooper’s uniform.”

Madden, a native Texan who graduated from Stanford in 1970 and went on to become a successful television producer and writer, has never forgotten that strange moment, which he has recounted to friends over the years as he observed his former classmate’s political ascent. The National Memo learned of the incident from a longtime Madden friend to whom he had mentioned it years ago.

Said Madden in a recent interview, “He told us that he had gotten the uniform from his father,” George Romney, then the Governor of Michigan, whose security detail was staffed by uniformed troopers. “He told us that he was using it to pull over drivers on the road. He also had a red flashing light that he would attach to the top of his white Rambler.”

In Madden’s recollection, confirmed by his wife Susan, who also attended Stanford during those years, “we thought it was all pretty weird. We all thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty creepy.’ And after that, we didn’t have much interaction with him,” although both Madden and Romney were prep school boys living in the same dorm, called Rinconada.

Other eyewitnesses have previously recalled Romney’s alleged use of a police or trooper uniform in pranks during his high school years at the exclusive Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Phillip Maxwell, a prep school buddy, told the New Republic in 2008 that Romney had pulled over students from a girls school next door to Cranbrook while wearing a police uniform as a prank. Other former classmates described Mitt as a “happy-go-lucky guy known less for his achievements and more for his pranks.”

In The Real Romney, a biography published by Boston Globe reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman this year, another former friend recalled how Romney had “put a siren on top of his car and chased two of his friends who were driving around with their dates.” The two friends were in on the scheme, but the girls were not. There was beer in the car trunk, according to a prearranged plan. Mitt told his two counterparts to get out of their vehicle and into his car. Then they drove off, leaving the girls behind.

“It was a terrible thing to do,” said one of his accomplices, a Cranbrook classmate named Graham McDonald.

To some observers, Romney’s alleged masquerading as a cop to intimidate innocent drivers shows a character defect that is also revealed by other bullying incidents during his youth. When those incidents were disclosed in the Washington Post earlier this year, Romney issued an apology of sorts, stating that he had done “stupid” things and was sorry if he had harmed anyone.

While he may have believed that his cop antics were harmless, Romney may well have been breaking the law merely by donning a police uniform, committing a crime if he pretended to be a cop and a felony if he did so more than once. In both California and Michigan, any person convicted of fraudulently impersonating a police officer may be sentenced to up to one year in prison. (The National Memo has collected some other examples of police impersonators.)

The Romney campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Following his sophomore year at Stanford, young Mitt left and never went back. For more than two years he served as a Mormon missionary in France — thus avoiding the obligation to wear a very different uniform in Vietnam.

**LoneLictor**

LOLZ, it would be hilarious (albeit extremely unlikely) if he ended up in jail for this. Man, this election is more and more of a 'lesser of two evils' thing.

**grayshadow87**

LoneLictor wrote:LOLZ, it would be hilarious (albeit extremely unlikely) if he ended up in jail for this. Man, this election is more and more of a 'lesser of two evils' thing.

Ditto. I like some of Obama's social policies, but I have doubts about his economic policies. On the other hand, I like some of Romney's proposed economic policies, but I have serious questions about his social stance.

**juraigamer**

Oh boy this election season is the gift that keeps on giving.

**Kid_Kyoto**

I would enjoy it more if we didn't have to live with the results...

**ShumaGorath**

LoneLictor wrote:LOLZ, it would be hilarious (albeit extremely unlikely) if he ended up in jail for this. Man, this election is more and more of a 'lesser of two evils' thing.

I get the feeling it's been a bit too long since it allegedly happened for him to be punished for it.

**Orlanth**

Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Student pranks are student pranks, particularly for first years, they have little effect on how one lives the rest of ones life.

I suppose the journalists involved with this story were virginal freshmen who studied hard and stayed away from booze, girls and parties. Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this. Remind me of the Clinton smoked dope in college 'scandal'.

**Kanluwen**

Orlanth wrote:Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Student pranks are student pranks, particularly for first years, they have little effect on how one lives the rest of ones life.

There's a very big difference between "student pranks" such as wearing an obviously fake police officer's uniform and pretending to arrest people--and wearing the "real deal". There's a reason that wearing a real police officer is considered illegal, and it's not because "pranks are bad".

It's because the uniform is a recognizable part of what makes an officer of the law recognizable. It is a very recognizable symbol of their authority, and the respect/deference which is entailed to an individual wearing that uniform.

I suppose the journalists involved with this story were virginal freshmen who studied hard and stayed away from booze, girls and parties. Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this. Remind me of the Clinton smoked dope in college 'scandal'.

The history of the journalists involved or Obama is irrelevant.

The possible fact that a presidential candidate owned and potentially wore a Michigan State Trooper's uniform to disguise his identity is the issue here. There is no logical or legal reason that I can think of for one to own an authentic police uniform if one is not a police officer.

**LoneLictor**

Orlanth wrote:Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Student pranks are student pranks, particularly for first years, they have little effect on how one lives the rest of ones life.

I suppose the journalists involved with this story were virginal freshmen who studied hard and stayed away from booze, girls and parties. Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this. Remind me of the Clinton smoked dope in college 'scandal'.

I love your logic.

Multi people who knew Romney revealed something bad about him THEREFORE they're just Obama's stooges.

And I love the unfortunate implication involved that Romney is infallible.

**Kid_Kyoto**

Orlanth wrote:Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Hey! Barry promised me $10 if I posted the story here, after all everyone knows te election will be settled in the central battleground of 40k message boards.

Especially with British posters.

**d-usa**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Orlanth wrote:Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Hey! Barry promised me $10 if I posted the story here, after all everyone knows te election will be settled in the central battleground of 40k message boards.

Especially with British posters.

Never underestimate the power of the British vote.

**Slarg232**

LoneLictor wrote:
Orlanth wrote:Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Student pranks are student pranks, particularly for first years, they have little effect on how one lives the rest of ones life.

I suppose the journalists involved with this story were virginal freshmen who studied hard and stayed away from booze, girls and parties. Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this. Remind me of the Clinton smoked dope in college 'scandal'.

I love your logic.

Multi people who knew Romney revealed something bad about him THEREFORE they're just Obama's stooges.

And I love the unfortunate implication involved that Romney is infallible.

It's election season, they ALL have people who find dirt.

**dogma**

Orlanth wrote:
Student pranks are student pranks, particularly for first years, they have little effect on how one lives the rest of ones life.

Wait, really?

Someone has never touched a hallucinogen.

Orlanth wrote:
I suppose the journalists involved with this story were virginal freshmen who studied hard and stayed away from booze, girls and parties. Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this. Remind me of the Clinton smoked dope in college 'scandal'.

I agree that this story is stupid, it plays to a general ignorance of reality, but your response does the same.

**hotsauceman1**

Romney has alot of stuff to rag on him right now for. LEts not get petty about the past.

**Orlanth**

dogma wrote:
Orlanth wrote:
Student pranks are student pranks, particularly for first years, they have little effect on how one lives the rest of ones life.

Wait, really?

Someone has never touched a hallucinogen.

Your point is?

dogma wrote:
Orlanth wrote:
I suppose the journalists involved with this story were virginal freshmen who studied hard and stayed away from booze, girls and parties. Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this. Remind me of the Clinton smoked dope in college 'scandal'.

I agree that this story is stupid, it plays to a general ignorance of reality, but your response does the same.

You think I am being literal about the journalists? Where is my 'ignorance of reality' if you agree the story is blown out of proportion, I am curious to know.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Orlanth wrote:Obama has been keeping his stooges busy I see. Nice bit of muckraking there.

Hey! Barry promised me $10 if I posted the story here, after all everyone knows te election will be settled in the central battleground of 40k message boards.

Especially with British posters.

Haven't you had you have opinions on China and North Korea. Do you vote there?

LoneLictor wrote:
And I love the unfortunate implication involved that Romney is infallible.

If enough people thought Romney infallible he would be a dangerous man.
Where is this implication that he is infallible anyway, in fact those who defend him defend his humanity and fallibility or we wouldn't be using those words.

The debate should be based on who can run a country of 300+ million people with a nuclear arsenal and a very big economy and deficit. Not who did what in their teen years.

**Grey Templar**

If this is bad, my Smeagol stunt at summer camp would doom me for sure

**dogma**

Orlanth wrote:
Your point is?

Student pranks often influence the rest of your life.

Orlanth wrote:
You think I am being literal about the journalists? Where is my 'ignorance of reality' if you agree the story is blown out of proportion, I am curious to know.

Where to start.

First, you assumed sarcasm is carried by text, then got mad when someone didn't pick it up.
Second, you used "assume" in order to try and push burden to me. Worthy, but not smart because it was so transparent.
Third, well, ignorance of reality was shown by the above.

**Orlanth**

dogma wrote:

Where to start.

Start by not assuming on the emotional state of the writer of a post. It may help you to be way off mark less often.

dogma wrote:
First, you assumed sarcasm is carried by text, then got mad when someone didn't pick it up.

Well it can be. In this case it was: Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this.
It helps to be clear when being sarcastic, hence the extra sentence.

Point in relation to the above. I wasn't getting mad. I was merely curious as to the reason for your critique. Sometimes you make points like this just for lulz, other times you have something insightful to say. Were you a nicer person there would be a fair bit to learn from you, even so I still don't think your a lost cause, hence these questions.

dogma wrote:
Second, you used "assume" in order to try and push burden to me. Worthy, but not smart because it was so transparent.

That might make sense if I actually used the word "assume" in my reply to you. Try again.
What burden am i pressing to you? I don't like to do that, mostly because if I don't get a quick answer from you I am at risk of a thorough trolling.

dogma wrote:
Third, well, ignorance of reality was shown by the above.

You haven't answered the question, and the above didn't help your argument. If you don't have an answer and that was just a snipe just say so and move on.

**infinite_array**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:I would enjoy it more if we didn't have to live with the results...

Which is why I'll be spending the latter half of my senior year in Rome. You know, test the waters and all that.

**Asherian Command**

Grey Templar wrote:If this is bad, my Smeagol stunt at summer camp would doom me for sure

Your screwed.
Big difference between an Officer and the Creature that owned the ring.

**dogma**

Orlanth wrote:
Start by not assuming on the emotional state of the writer of a post. It may help you to be way off mark less often.

Indeed, I do not assume sarcasm.

Orlanth wrote:
Well it can be. In this case it was: Journalist types somehow always seem to be when it comes to digging up trash like this.
It helps to be clear when being sarcastic, hence the extra sentence.

It does help, thank you for the italics. They nicely illustrate what is not meant.

Orlanth wrote:
That might make sense if I actually used the word "assume" in my reply to you. Try again.

Introduction of appropriate terminology.

Orlanth wrote:
What burden am i pressing to you? I don't like to do that, mostly because if I don't get a quick answer from you I am at risk of a thorough trolling.

First: burden of proof.
Second: funny that you think my honest responses are trolling.

Orlanth wrote:
You haven't answered the question, and the above didn't help your argument. If you don't have an answer and that was just a snipe just say so and move on.

I think you're emotionally engaged with arguments on the internet.

**Orlanth**

dogma wrote:
Orlanth wrote:
Your point is?

Student pranks often influence the rest of your life.

If you do something dangerous and get injured or something illegal and are arrested at the time, or if you troll a black footballer on Twitter in full vierw of PC lobbyists, you can be in trouble with the law or at risk to ones health.

However to dig up crap like that for a grown man decades later because they are running for office is petty. Students often do many of the below:
Perform pranks, chase the wrong partners for unsafe relationships, drink too much, smoke weed, drive unsafely and throw up in fountains etc.
Furthermore a large minority if not most students end up doing something illegal, be it pirate downloading, consuming contraband, underage drinking, prank calls etc. Many of these crimes are technically serious.

Are they all permanently unfit for public office or high profile jobs. No that is a grossly unfair assumption to make, especially if these antics stop.

I remember at uni I was 'framed' for a vicious act of ?vandalism? on the Isle of Wight. IIRC it involved abuse of a a stolen farm ostrich. Police with a tabloid journalist quietly in tow turned up to question me in the campus building. Technically very serious, worse than the police, if the story could run I would be in big trouble but the pranksters knew I had such a cast iron alibi (plenty of people to attest I was a student in another city at the time) that it was safe. Technically that was a serious crime to misreport that, and several misdemeanours. I almost didn't see the joke, especially when I recognised that one of the arrest party was a journalist along for the ride disappointed he didn't have a nice story that would make me an in-print pariah.

**SlaveToDorkness**

Hmmm... Mitt must have a better chance than I thought if the Lefties are rolling out this bs this early.

**Orlanth**

dogma wrote:

First: burden of proof.
Second: funny that you think my honest responses are trolling.

Sad that I might have to go by past history. I don't like to make character assumptions, but you have been rather openly unpleasant in the past, less now though.
I am not accusing you of trolling, yet. I am commenting on your track record of conversations with me in the past. Which is why I was after a quick response and out before the thread turns nasty. On that note this is my last thread ob that issue on this thread. Respond how you will to this post, from now on I will only comment on-topic.

dogma wrote:
I think you're emotionally engaged with arguments on the internet.

You think? In fact by responding to you and keeping my cool I prove my restraint. You know you have tested me.
You have on many occassion in the past used undisguised personal insults against my person, if that isnt emotionally engaged what is. Furthermore I never responded in kind, which proved restraint.
I am not emotionless, that much is true, but who would want to be, yet I do not let my feelings get the better of me to a degree that it warrants commentary. I prefer to reason things out frankly.
No dogma, I have proven time and again not be be emotionally charged when posting. Thankyou for helping me with that I suppose.

I will add to your credit you are far better behaved than last year, and you do have a lot of insights into many things. Hence my questions.

**sebster**

I just find it kind of weird this never came up in any of Romney's previous election campaigns. I mean, he's run in the Republican primary a bunch of times, so you'd think it would have come up there. And was it ever mentioned when he previously ran for Governor? Odd.

Not that it really matters. I mean 'male teenager shows poor judgement and undertakes risky prank then goes on to become very conservative, boring adult' is not exactly a new story.

**Orlanth**

SlaveToDorkness wrote:Hmmm... Mitt must have a better chance than I thought if the Lefties are rolling out this bs this early.

Obama started his whole campaign early, so journalists favourable to his cause are working early also. Being reelected is kind of important to a president, but hasnt he got a job to do? Shouldnt he wait until the opposition has a candidate before refocusing from the country to himself.
I think this sums up Obama, he always was a chancer; doing the job is way less important than getting the job.

In some respects Obama is making a smart move, albeit a highly selfish one by starting early. The opposition cannot really counter until they have chosen their candidate to speak for them, and any unopposed argument sounds stronger than one an opinion is voiced against, almost irrespective of the strength of those opinions.

Still independent of this I dont think Romney has too much of a chance, which is a pity, Obama is not a popular president, its a good year for an upcoming republican to run for office. Its never good news when a nation is stuck with a mediocre leader for want of anyone better.

**Grey Templar**

IDK, Mitts pretty much got the nomination in the bag. Which is fortunate for him because he can start running the real campaign.

**Melissia**

Orlanth wrote:Obama started his whole campaign early, so journalists favourable to his cause are working early also. Being reelected is kind of important to a president, but hasnt he got a job to do? Shouldnt he wait until the opposition has a candidate before refocusing from the country to himself.

They do.

**Orlanth**

sebster wrote:I just find it kind of weird this never came up in any of Romney's previous election campaigns. I mean, he's run in the Republican primary a bunch of times, so you'd think it would have come up there. And was it ever mentioned when he previously ran for Governor? Odd.

Its in someones interest to look real deep, chase down a life history and look for anything. Journalists could have done all this by themselves, that is true, but it is also possible that official files that should be confidential were opened to allow them to find people for comment who previously could not be found.

I personally know someone who faced this, a Scottish politician and a very rare one: one who couldn't and still can't be bought. I will not name names, and I am attempting to make no parallels to Romney here.
Anyway a powerful lobbyist who was baulked by him because his proposals were looked at at face value rather than under the table decided to dig up dirt on him. He used agencies and encouraged journalists to go through went through his entire life history. It rather impressed one who had not come across a politician with so little to hide, as it is rather unusual, and even made a parting comment that IIRC " don't worry about anyone finding dirt on you, we tried and are convinced there isnt any". I heard that some papers refused to carry the stories that attempt to smear him, there were more than a few nasty stories going about which the journalists silently rejected along the way which could have been printed if worded as a third person report.
Admittedly this case was about a very rare type of person, but it is heartening to know that the honest politician is not a myth.

**AustonT**

sebster wrote:I just find it kind of weird this never came up in any of Romney's previous election campaigns. I mean, he's run in the Republican primary a bunch of times, so you'd think it would have come up there. And was it ever mentioned when he previously ran for Governor? Odd.

Not that it really matters. I mean 'male teenager shows poor judgement and undertakes risky prank then goes on to become very conservative, boring adult' is not exactly a new story.

I'm sure it probably did come up before and it was as big a deal then as it is now. I don't know if previously running in the 2008 primary counts as "A bunch of times" though.
What I really wonder is what the larger reaction to this is, I'm sure here on Dakka the battle lines are drawn, and *yawn* much like spelling errors I'm sure we all couldn't really care less but we pretend to because neither of the candidates is bothering to be sensational this week.