We need government to protect us from people like Mitt Romney.

In 2009, as it was organizing, promoting and explaining how non-partisan the Tea Party was, Fox News adopted a simple talking point.

The Fox Effect describes that Fox’s Bill Sammon instructed his staff to call any suggestion of a buy-in federal health care plan a “government option”. Basically, never call it a “public option”. Why?

Republican polling expert Frank Luntz finds that people dislike the word “government”.

Americans generally love Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, the military, monuments, bridges, libraries, universities, hospitals, etc. But they don’t like the word “government”, even after under-regulated and non-policed Wall Street and the financial sector crashed our economy, forcing the government to rush in and prevent a Great Depression.

Even people on government aid don’t like the word “government”.

Why? George W. Bush didn’t help. But it’s a loaded word, designed to sound onerous and confusing. (That’s why I’m directing you all to use “public” whenever possible.)

When it comes Mitt as a candidate, the response universally is “Feh.” So he needs an enemy: “government“.

Let’s look at Mitt Romney’s upsides:

He’s rich.

He’s handsome.

Likes to brag that he hasn’t spent his career in Washington DC. (Well, Mitt, that is what happens when you lose elections.)

Up to 51% of this country hates the word “government” when the economy isn’t growing.

He’s willing to say whatever he needs to become President and will repeat lies well after they have been debunked.

Yes. Mitt Romney is willing to lie, to distort, to defame. Steve Benen describes Mitt’s adoption of Karl Rove’s trademarked move as the “The rubber-glue phenomenon“. Rachel Maddow says “It’s kind of his only trick.” Benjy Sarlin describes it as “I Know You Are, But What Am I?”

Mitt Romney’s only hope is that people don’t value anything about words but their immediate emotional value and their repetition. It’s a safe bet. But it’s a bet against the American people.

It’s same kind of bet Mitt made when he outsourced jobs and let his money be shifted to foreign banks. It’s the same bet he wants to make when lowering taxes on the richest again as he cuts the public programs that made us great.

If you’re betting on America 100% of the time, you certainly aren’t Mitt Romney.

Mitt can never admit the problem: his lust for power that enables him to toss all convictions aside to pursuit of power just isn’t attractive. But he won’t give up.

I blame the government.

The way it keeps rejecting Mitt Romney makes him want it more and more. And he’s sure women are going to come around to him because some of his wife’s best friends are women.

But, sorry, Mitt. Notice how you’re up against tall dark and handsome? That’s because you’re the world’s most perfect Baxter.

[CC image by Dave Delay]