(The Root) -- Mitt Romney is being a bad conservative, say conservatives. Since the Romney tapes have hit the mainstream, writers on the right are just flabbergasted.

The Weekly Standard:
These appear to be the words of somebody who doesn't understand American conservatism and its relationship to the American idea. Conservatives don't believe in economic determinism. Conservatives know -- and explain why -- their economic policies will help the poor, as well as senior citizens, working families, and our troops who pay no income taxes. Conservatives realize that the Republican party is not the party of people who want to be rich, it's the party of people who want to be free.

Also ...

The American Conservative:
I thought I was the only theocon Romney had lost, or just about lost, with his 47 percent talk. Guess not. May this be an indication that Romney has inadvertently done a good thing for American politics: brought back economics as a pressing moral concern for religious conservatives.

Oh, and ...

The Wall Street Journal:
This is not how big leaders talk, it's how shallow campaign operatives talk: They slice and dice the electorate like that, they see everything as determined by this interest or that. They're usually young enough and dumb enough that nobody holds it against them, but they don't know anything. They don't know much about America.

So Mitt Romney's belief system isn't what conservatives actually believe? That's interesting, since that's what a lot of people believe conservatives believe. And how do you explain the conservatives who have come out to defend Romney's disdain for half of America?

This all falls right in line with the GOP brand in 2012. So to all of you conservatives who are bothered by your representation via the GOP presidential candidate: Maybe if you didn't let your party and its message get hijacked by dangerously misinformed pundits and ignorant politicians, you might have a leg to stand on.

Sorry, Republicans. This is your brand. When you yell about makers and takers, trickle-down and taking your government back, this is what people in your own party will simplify, amplify and run on.

Elon James White is a writer and satirist and host of the award-winning video and radio series This Week in Blackness. Listen Monday to Thursday at TWIB.FM and subscribe on iTunes. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr.

Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.

(The Root) -- So this happened.

From CBS News:

A movie attacking Islam's prophet Muhammad sparked assaults on U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday. A Libyan security official reported an American was shot to death as protesters burned the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and in Cairo, protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy walls and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner.

Then ...

From the U.S. Embassy in Cairo:

The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. 

Then ...

From Reuters:

"I'm outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi," Romney said in a statement.

"It's disgraceful that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks," he said.

Then ...

From the Washington Post:

U.S. Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed Tuesday in an assault on the American consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, the White House said.

So Mitt Romney wanted to make President Obama look bad by attacking an unapproved statement that didn't come from President Obama. A statement that wasn't wrong in its message; it just didn't condemn the attacks as Romney thought it should. Forget the fact that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement doing just that at the same time Romney was weighing in. So Romney -- before he knows an ambassador is dead, thereby highlighting the crassness of this move -- criticizes Obama.

As of this morning, the Romney campaign says it stands by its critique. In the press conference that followed, Romney said that the White House stood by the Cairo Embassy statement -- then within two sentences said the White House tried to distance itself. Romney claims that the embassy statement apologizes for American ideals. So attacking religious beliefs is an American ideal now, Mr. Romney? I thought you'd be especially against that.

The Republican nominee for president tried to politicize attacks on Americans, as opposed to standing with his president and country. Romney thought it best to continue with his campaign's perpetual "othering" of President Obama. The underlying messages behind his comments are clear: Obama sympathizes with Muslims. He's apologizing for America. This is why he's a problem. Yet Mr. Romney couldn't wait 12 hours to find out exactly what happened before stepping in the proverbial international poop.

While taking questions at the press conference this morning, he threw incredible amounts of double talk about what actually happened, all while continually pushing the "Obama apologizes" narrative. With so much happening across the world, we as a nation need more than ever to be diplomatic and to think first and not get froggy simply because it might benefit us in the immediate future.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Mitt Romney to be the leader of the free world.

Elon James White is a writer and satirist and host of the award-winning video and radio series This Week in Blackness. Listen Monday to Thursday at TWIB.FM and subscribe on iTunes. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Tumblr.

Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.