MITT HOSTILITY
By David Vance On July 28th, 2012As you know, Mitt Romney has visited the UK. The media he has received has been almost universally hostile. That is not in the least surprising. ALL the major UK political parties are pro-Obama (yes, even and perhaps particularly the “Conservatives”) and our media still carries a torch for President Hubris. So Romney had no chance. I can only imagine the “welcome” Sarah Palin would attract from our biased media.
The fact of the matter is that Romney went about it the wrong way. He should have played the Obama game – celebrated multiculturalism, grovelled to US enemies, apologised for America, endorsed socialism, praised Islam. That way he would have won plaudits from one and all.
Of course in doing so, he would also have abandoned any vestige of that which is Conservative. David Cameron sets the standard for that. Well done Mitt for speaking a little truth but over here, fingers are in ears and we just don’t to hear you.
//ALL the major UK political parties are pro-Obama (yes, even and perhaps particularly the “Conservatives”) //
That should be no surprise. Whoever represents the Republican party obviously can’t be popular outside the US (apart, of course, from Israel). If R had distanced himself from his party’s miserable track record, it might be different. But he continues its war-mongering rhetoric, and that in itself awakens memories of GoP policies that brought the world those unwinnable wars and that took the lives of around 600 young Englishmen.
The GoP is the party of unilateralism and that loves to break international law.
And they wonder why they’re unpopular abroad?
“The GoP is the party of unilateralism and that loves to break international law.”
There’s nothing they can teach Obama and the Democrats about that. Since 2008 the wars have explanded, Obama has attacked more countries than GWB did, signed off on more military and financial aid to Israel than GWB and spread the practice of killing huge numbers of civilians by drones.
Romney has been kicked in the head by UK media largely because of some astonishingly clumsy and undiplomatic public statements about London’s alleged lack of preparation. You don’t do that to a friend. He’s been criticized by many on all sides here too.
I mentioned this over on the Olympics thread.
The Mitt Rommney that David is defending here is the same guy who, when chief of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City in 2002 (30th anniversary of the attack), didn’t provide any commemoration of the killings of the Israeli athletes, and even refused when called upon by Jewish groups to do so.
Now, of course, when the games are in leftist London, it’s fair game to criticise the lack of a commemoration (40th anniversary), and Mitt can safely make pious sounds about the need for some commemoration when his eye is fixed firmly on that “Jewish vote”
This is all just too transparent, and another example of how talk is cheap with Romney.
= 30th anniversary of the attack on Israeli athletes in Munich
” talk is cheap with Romney”
Indeed. Whoever said that after he speaks he should be given 15 minutes to rebut himself was right.
UK politicians and media were mildly hostile to Romney because he made stupid and insulting remarks. Yet more reason why he is not fit to be President of the US. He confirms the stereotype of the ugly American abroad.
The stupidity of politicians never ceases to amaze me, but it could be that it’s because they are stupid that they are selected to be politicians. But why are they so stupid along with the people who elect them? It is now known that the intelligence of developed countries as measured by IQ is declining though much of that could be caused by importations of the 3rd-world.
But there could also be something in the water:
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action;jsessionid=5C98A897B69464FD44D98698EE9FC4A1?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1104912
Background: Although fluoride may cause neurotoxicity in animal models and acute fluoride poisoning causes neurotoxicity in adults, very little is known of its effects on children’s neurodevelopment.
Conclusions: The results support the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment. Future research should include detailed individual-level information on prenatal exposure, neurobehavioral performance, and covariates for adjustment.
The UK doesn’t like Mitt….so what.
Mitt didn’t grovel and he had the temerity to wonder aloud in an interview if London was ready for the Olympics…so what.
I watched the Opening Ceremonies and did think that he and Ann looked mighty Presidential when the camera panned over to them…even NBC couldn’t hide this fact.
A manufactured row about nothing from which few people come out with any credit.
– Romney was bowled a slow one and missed the opportunity to give Britain a kiss with some criticisms that are so mild that’re not at all critical.
– The MSM on both sides of the Atlantic made something out of nothing.
– Cameron unwisely had a dig back.
– Boris Johnson is Boris Johnson and can’t help flapping his mouth sometimes.
The truth is most Britons have no idea who Romney is or what he said. Those of us who did think he was out of order must have missed the last seven years when we all predicted disaster and chaos ourselves.
Most of all, some American conservatives are becoming extremely touchy and need to chill out instead of believing wht the press tells them about other people. Heavyweight conservative blogs like hotair covered it and filled the threads with hundreds of GOP voters widely insulting us “Brits” for our bad teeth, our bad food, our panty-wearing ways, our sore butts from having them kicked out 200 years ago, our language which would be German if it wasn’t for Americans yadda yadda yadda …
If that’s what our “friends” think over there, they can go screw themselves.
Diplomacy counts.
Romney made an error that was nearly impossible to make. An own goal when he was the only guy on the pitch.
You would never say this against an adversary- a China lets say, a few days before the Beijing Olympics were to start. It is impossible to consider.
But why on earth say it at the worst possible moment , against a friend who is a little bit nervous that thry’ve got it all right, just as the hugely complex world event is about to begin?
A cardboard cut-out can look ‘Presidential’ to the imbecilic electorate and, in fact, that’s all it takes – looking ‘Presidential’.
“If that’s what our “friends” think over there, they can go screw themselves.”
exactly. and right back at ya.
A little healthy disregard for being superficially “liked” all the time would do the world a bit of good, I think.
This is what happens when a chap forgets to pack his magic underpants.
The fact of the matter is that Romney went about it the wrong way.
No, the fact of the matter is that Romney put his foot in his mouth. Not just the gaffe about London and the games, but disclosing that he had been briefed by MI6. But he has a history of hostility to Britain and has made disparaging and stupid remarks in the past, so this is no surprise.
When you are visiting a country, you are supposed to avoid insulting it in public. Maybe Romney has learned this lesson now, the hard way.
Cameron nailed it when he pointed out that organising the games in London was totally different from organinsing the games in Salt Lake City.
Cameron’s bitchslapping of Romney actually went over very well here
Basically you just don’t land in someone else’s country at an important time for them and effectively insult them. He was trying to show he knew what was going on, it came across as if he hasn’t a clue. It was daft, and I bet he knows it now. I found it surprising and insulting. I found myself thinking: “Who does he think he is?” Americans of all hues would have felt the same way if the situation was reversed.
Romney’s an arrogant, statist ass. The GOP presidential presumptive, a man of Mexican heritage, polygamous ancestry and practicing Mormon cultist, took this UK trip to show off his cultured cufflinks.
Seems he did a fine job of showing his respect for our special relationship in his obligatory, pre-presidential book, No Apology.
For a man who was supposed to repair the gaffe ridden damages (non-existent it seems considering Obama and Cameron’s simpatico relationship) with our most important ally by a classy show of gracious statesmanship, he certainly stepped right in it.
The major conservative American blogs who bothered to cover Romney’s disastrous trip, as Pete rightly noted (seriously, go read how the American tea party wing of the GOP thinks of you people) were full of nothing but bile and contempt for the British people.
I was embarrassed and appalled by the level of ignorant vitriol expressed by thousands of conservative Americans who felt disrespected by foreign criticism of their politician.
There’s an old saying in America, first issued by Democrats around the Jimmy Carter era;
I feel that way about the current incarnation of the GOP and their unbelievably ignorant, angry, frightened, hypocritical, warmongering, parochial tea party drones.
I don’t understand or identify with people who completely reject everyone and everything that fails to fit their narrow, blindingly righteous (and yes, holy roller religious) American flag-wrapped box, then cheerily top it all off with an insultingly hubristic bow.
I’m sure Rod Liddle, one of my favourite columnists, won’t mind me quoting from his piece in today’s Sunday Times. It’s headlined “Watch out, world, here comes the Romneyshambles.”
I don’t understand or identify with people who completely reject everyone and everything that fails to fit their narrow, blindingly righteous (and yes, holy roller religious) American flag-wrapped box, then cheerily top it all off with an insultingly hubristic bow.
Well said Daphne. You nailed it.
Reagan said that about the Democratic Party, to which he once belonged.
Hang on a minute.
I still say that Romney’s remarks about the Olympics aren’t worthy of anyone’s knickers getting in a twist. But if we’re talking undiplomatic gaffes, then Daphne’s excerpt from Romney’s book is certainly that:
If Sarah Palin had written those words she’d have been well hoisted, in part out of ignorance. Maybe Mitt Romney has forgotten his years in France, a country not noted for its 8-lane highways and overly generous urban space either. Then again, he might just compare everywhere with the Hamptons, or wherever he lives.
For starters GB is the ninth largest island on the planet.
Its the opposite of small.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894529_1894528_1894518,00.html
Reqgan said that way back in 1962
Cripes, is that the famous mormon yarmulk?!
I’m at Lincoln Center. Malachy Mc Court poked fun at Mitt. but he also made fun of St Patrick…he gave a brief history of Ireland and said…”We had a perfectly good Pagan society and then a man named Patrick came along and xxxucked everything up.” Joe Hurley and the Jets coming up.
JeTs = gEnts of course…iPad spell check bah!
Malachy McCourt used to have a radio program in NYC that my mother listened to.
He has been around for ages. he has more hair on his eyebrows than most men have on their head. He and his brother Alfie are hawking their books but good heartedly and they have fine singing voices. Frank is sorely missed. They’re at most New York Irish events….
Irish Rock Review on now