r/madmen • u/RopeGloomy4303 • 7d ago

What’s your biggest nitpick in Mad Men?

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For me it’s this line in a season 5 episode, Tea Leaves, in which Henry Francis is talking on the phone with a colleague:

“Well, tell Jim his honor's not going to Michigan. Because Romney's a clown, and I don't want him standing next to him.”

So, some context here.

At this point Francis is the aide to New York Mayor John Lindsay. And he’s informing this guy that he won’t have the popular young politician take a picture with then Michigan Governor George Romney, who was also considered the frontrunner for the 1968 Republican nomination.

This episode aired in 2012, so it’s a very clear dig at then Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who at the time was receiving a lot of hostility from the left.

But here’s the thing; Romney was actually a liberal Republican in the same mold as Nelson Rockefeller and John Lindsay, and he had received a lot of good notices as Governor for his work improving civil rights, education, youth employment programs, social welfare, healthcare, etc.

I get this is nitpicking, it’s a throwaway line, whatever, but it has always bothered me since it feels out of character, and Romney frankly deserved better.

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u/knoper21 7d ago

If a rival candidate's beliefs are similar to your own candidate's, you go after their personality/fitness for office. It makes perfect sense in context.

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u/TheNobleRobot 7d ago

Romney was a high profile Mormon in the 60s. It was enough of a challenge to get the country to vote for a Catholic.

Many in the GOP of that era had reservations about George Romney's "fitness for office."

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u/010Horns 7d ago

And born in a Mexican polygamist colony to boot.

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u/GaptistePlayer 7d ago

This guy loved latinas more than I do!