On an edition of “Ill Doctrine,” released Friday, September 28, hip hop philosopher and social critic Jay Smooth asked exactly how much longer we’re all supposed to pretend that the Republican presidential candidate, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) is anything other than an overbearing jerk.

“I have a question,” said Smooth, after a video clip of Ann Romney telling Jay Leno that Mitt Romney always turns the water heater off when he leaves the house to save money, but then forgets to turn it back on.

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“It’s a serious question,” he continued. “Why is it that every time Mitt Romney’s family talks about Mitt Romney, they always tell stories that make him sound like a dick? I mean, I’m not judging and I’m sure he is a loving husband and father, I’m not judging him as a person. But I’m just saying, whenever his family talks about his family life, they always wind up making him sound like someone you’d never once want in your house, much less the White House.”

Citing the notorious story of roof-strapped Seamus the dog, which the family volunteered as a parable demonstrating Mitt’s coolness under fire, as well as depictions of Mitt the “wacky prankster, that really made him sound like a bullying, mean-spirited creepy guy,” and then the “whole series of anecdotes” about how Romney is so cheap that he tries to deny his family “the basic creature comforts,” Smooth asked when people are just going to come out and admit that Mitt isn’t “quaint” or “folksy,” but really just “kind of a jerk.”

No matter how hard they try to spin it that the Romney family thinks about issues like family budgeting and the shouldering of expenses, telling these stories about the governor’s legendary cheapness, said Smooth, never going to come off like “JJ’s dad from ‘Good Times,'” but instead, “more like Montgomery Burns, because that’s who he is.”

To the Romney family, Smooth cautions that they can try as much as they like to humanize their husband and father, but to most people, he will always remain “a really weird rich dude that nobody can relate to.”

“And you really need to make peace with that,” he tells them. “Because in about six weeks, he’s gonna start spending a lot of time at home.”

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Watch the video, embedded via Vimeo, below:

Ill Doctrine: What is the Polite Way to Tell Mitt Romney’s Family That We Think He’s a Weirdo? from ANIMALNewYork.com on Vimeo.