In a humorous but typical display of liberal double-think, a recent photo of Romney pumping gas has led to some mocking comments from liberals. As Noel Sheppard of Newsbusters.org notes, Brian Williams displayed the photo and commented, “You know the old expression ‘riding high in April?’ Well the rest of the lyric might as well be pumping your own gas in November.”

Back in December of 2011, while the Republican primary was still in full swing, the story was a bit different. Then it was liberals from NPR and the virulently anti-Israel Veteran’s News Now, showing photos of Romney filling his tour bus with fuel, mocking him for trying to look “middle class” and “common.”

Which is it? Is he truly an elite “trying” to look common? Perhaps he’s just a common guy who thought he was too big for his britches? Or, as most of America thinks, perhaps he’s a successful person who achieved success by leveraging his brains, talent, and ambition in the way most people do in this country. He’s a good person who worked hard and achieved success the old fashioned way; he earned it.

It’s this vast and thoughtless inconsistency on the part of so many liberals which bothers me more than anything else.

BEFORE THE ELECTION: “Romney is elite and out of touch; look at him trying to pump his own gas!”
AFTER THE ELECTION: “Look at that idiot Romney pumping his own gas; the loser!”

This is just a small example of the many inconsistencies aimed at Romney and other conservatives. We hear tales of those “good, middle-class” multimillionaire Democrats like John Edwards, Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and John Kerry, all of whom are worth either tens or hundreds of millions. It makes people like Paul Ryan and John Boehner, whose combined worth is far less than even a single Democrat I’ve listed, look positively destitute.

Yet the media obsesses over the wealth of conservatives and ignores that far more considerable wealth of liberal leaders in Washington. The media of course plays the same game with military experience, hyping the military credentials of Democrats and mocking the service of Republicans.

When Clinton ran against incumbent President Bush and then Senator Dole, military service meant nothing. When George HW Bush ran against Al Gore and then John Kerry, Bush’s service in the Air National Guard was seen as “dodging service in Viet Nam,” while Gore’s service as a reporter in Viet Nam and Kerry’s few weeks of service there were seen as “noble,” and “honorable,” and “decisive.” Then, of course, when Senator Obama ran against a Viet Nam veteran who not only served in Viet Nam but was captured and tortured by the enemy, military service meant nothing. Finally, when Romney ran against Obama, neither of whom served in the military, questions were asked regarding why Romney used his missionary work to “dodge the draft” and why none of his five sons had served. How convenient these double-standards can be!

So, for those who need help translating MSM-speak regarding these issues, I am posting a copy of a handy Quick Reference Guide used by liberals in the MSM to help them properly report on these topics.

CANDIDATE HAS NO MILITARY SERVICE
Democrat – No military service? Ignore it! Who cares anyway? Not us!
Republican – No military service? Were they eligible to serve in Viet Nam? If so, accuse them of somehow dodging the draft. Were they too young? Question the “hypocrisy” of favoring a strong military without ever having served in the military. If possible, accuse wives, children, and pets of never having served.

CANDIDATE HAS MILITARY SERVICE
Democrat – Any military service, including taking pictures and writing stories as a military correspondent is just awesome and noteworthy! If service is not impressive, say little other than the fact they served. If service is extensive, talk endlessly about every detail of their service.
Republican – Meh! No one cares.

WEALTH – $0 to $5 million
Democrat – Candidate is “honest,” “hard working,” “middle class,” “real,” “working class,” “salt of the earth,” “worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Republican – Candidate is “wealthy/rich/loaded,” “elite,” “out-of-touch,” “arrogant,” “impersonal,” “cold,” “uncaring,” “locks dogs in kennels on car roofs,” “stingy,” “out-of-touch,” “a cheat,” “tax dodger,” “hates women,” “hates minorities,” “hates immigrants,” “hates self for being rich,” “out-of-touch.”

WEALTH – $5 million to $15 million
Democrat – Candidate is “honest,” “hard working,” “middle class,” “real,” “working class,” “salt of the earth,” “worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Republican – Candidate is “wealthy/rich/loaded,” “elite,” “out-of-touch,” “arrogant,” “impersonal,” “cold,” “uncaring,” “locks dogs in kennels on car roofs,” “stingy,” “out-of-touch,” “a cheat,” “out-of-touch,” “tax dodger,” “hates women,” “hates minorities,” “hates immigrants,” “hates self for being rich,” “out-of-touch.”

WEALTH – $15 million to infinity
Democrat – Candidate is “honest,” “hard working,” “middle class,” “real,” “working class,” “salt of the earth,” “worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Republican – Candidate is “wealthy/rich/loaded,” “elite,” “out-of-touch,” “arrogant,” “impersonal,” “cold,” “uncaring,” “locks dogs in kennels on car roofs,” “stingy,” “out-of-touch,” “a cheat,” “out-of-touch” “tax dodger,” “hates women,” “hates minorities,” “hates immigrants,” “hates self for being rich,” “out-of-touch.”