Ohhh, the populism. It would be kind of precious, if it weren’t so maddening. The fact that ads like this, another one from Priorities USA, even exist means that they must appeal to somebody out there in this crazy ol’ mixed-up universe of ours — which displeases me to no end.

Once again, Priorities: What, exactly, is your point supposed to be? In the same vein as the ‘Mitt Romney more or less killed a woman’ ad, they aren’t advancing any actual policies, just denigrating Mitt Romney on the basis of… well, as Allahpundit has pointed out, it seems like they’re just against layoffs on principle. Apparently, closing down unprofitable factories is the height of immorality rather than, you know, an engine for economic growth or whatever.

Believe it or not, though, there’s actually a pretty good reason that steelworkers make steel, and businessmen manage businesses. It’s because everybody wants to make money, and people set out to perform the specialized jobs at which they are skilled. All jobs and businesses have a shelf life, whether they be buggy-whip makers or automobile manufacturers, and part of the task of people who pursue careers like Mitt Romney’s is to be good at determining what that shelf life is. And yes, it can cause individuals real material pain in the short term, but everybody is better off in the long term.