In an interview with Sheldon Adelson owned, pro-Netanyahu newspaper, Israel HaYom, Romney says

"The Arab Spring is not appropriately named. It has become a development of more concern and it occurred in part because of the reluctance on the part of various dictators to provide more freedom to their citizens. President [George W.] Bush urged [deposed Egyptian President] Hosni Mubarak to move toward a more democratic posture, but President Obama abandoned the freedom agenda and we are seeing today a whirlwind of tumult in the Middle East in part because these nations did not embrace the reforms that could have changed the course of their history, in a more peaceful manner."

[www.israelhayom.com]



If he has that much of a simple-minded (and confused) view of the various complex situations in the middle east, this guy has no business in the White House.

Huh ?

Damn.

Holy frick!

He's like the energizer bunny! He keep blowing, and blowing and blowing... and blowing...

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Unpaid Social Liaison

FREEDOM FRIES!

I'm looking forward to his next stop, when he will probably tell Polish jokes.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2012 01:10PM by $tevie.

Early in the Republican primary campaign I assessed Romney as being the kind of candidate that would say whatever needed to be said to get the nomination but that he is very smart and likely had sophisticated views about realpolitiks including foreign policy. As more and more time goes by I can see that my assessment of him having sophisticated notions of realpolitiks was a mistake - especially about foreign affairs.

It seems like Romney has put all that brain power towards ruthlessly pursuing winning the presidency and not particularly toward what it takes to actually be a good president. Look closely at his expressions as he was saying those things that got him into trouble. That's hubris driving an automaton of American campaign calculations.

Romney does know more about the American economic situation than he does foreign policy, but it's becoming more and more evident that he doesn't have sophistical realpolitiks about economic policy either - but instead makes his assessments by ideology. Maybe deep down he may have some sophisticated realpolitiks lying dormant during the campaign, but the way he has gone about winning the nomination in the environment with vociferous Tea Party Republican representatives in Congress, what realpolitiks he may have will be all but irrelevant - since they will be able to make sure he does what they want most of the time if he does become president.

NONE OF THIS WILL OVERSHADOW "YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!!!!





There. We got that out of the way.

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Ted King
That's hubris driving an automaton of American campaign calculations.

.

Great sentence.

He comes across as someone reading a script, not a person with strongly held convictions based on well-informed opinions. The M16 gaffe hasn't gotten as much attention, but I think that was his worst mistake, by far. Shows he really lacks judgement and understanding, he's trying to look "presidential" without a clue about what that means, as you said.
Romneytron.

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$tevie
I'm looking forward to his next stop, when he will probably tell Polish jokes.

That picture is going to give me bad dreams.

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Great sentence.

As well as,

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...it's becoming more and more evident that he doesn't have sophistical realpolitiks about economic policy either - but instead makes his assessments by ideology.

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beagledave
NONE OF THIS WILL OVERSHADOW "YOU DIDN'T BUILD THAT!!!!

There. We got that out of the way.

Be careful now. This is the correct usage.

You Didn't Build That^TM

>>sophisticated views about realpolitiks<<

Looks like you too are stuck in the 70s. Brezhnev died a few years ago.

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Ted King
Look closely at his expressions as he was saying those things that got him into trouble. That's hubris driving an automaton of American campaign calculations.

What's happening to Romney is that he is beginning to evolve into a caricature: "Mitt Romney is a blunderer". I don't happen to love the way we create these cartoon characters out of our politicians ("Al Gore is boring", "Bob Dole is old", "Gerald Ford is clumsy" etc.) but if it will help Obama I can live with it.

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"Stop thinking about art works as objects, and start thinking about them as triggers for experiences." ~ Brian Eno

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$tevie
What's happening to Romney is that he is beginning to evolve into a caricature: "Mitt Romney is a blunderer".

I don't like this either, but it's very difficult to ignore it. The man just seems to have no connection with the real people he wants to vote for him.

The 600 series Romneytron had rubber skin. We spotted them easy, but these are new. They look human... sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. I had to wait till he moved on the presidency before I could zero him.

I thought Romney was the only competent and sane candidate among the Klown Kar Republican field. I'm not sure about his competency anymore. I thought a Romney presidency would be OK with a Democratic House and Senate. Now I don't think so.

With the supreme threat that Obama represents to our way of life, every conservative politician and think-tanker should have been stepping forward to run, even reluctantly.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/27/2012 06:34PM by Acer.

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Dennis S
I thought Romney was the only competent and sane candidate among the Klown Kar Republican field.

You forgot Jon Huntsman, "The Governor who stands for sanity"

[www.youtube.com]

>>I thought a Romney presidency would be OK with a Democratic House and Senate. Now I don't think so.<<

Awww!

Thank God, Romney wasn't bowing to Saudi Princes or apologizing for America or embracing the Muslim Brotherhood in the interview.

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If you don't stand for something, you'll probably fall for anything.

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Pops

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$tevie
What's happening to Romney is that he is beginning to evolve into a caricature: "Mitt Romney is a blunderer".

I don't like this either, but it's very difficult to ignore it. The man just seems to have no connection with the real people he wants to vote for him.

Had Kerry had the acuity to do this early and often, we might have been spared a Bush II. NOT allowing yourself to be defined by the opposition has become the mantra of paid political @#$%&. Unfortunate but true.

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swampy
Thank God, Romney wasn't bowing to Saudi Princes or apologizing for America or embracing the Muslim Brotherhood in the interview.

Bowing seems to be a presidential tradition:







But I always say I'd rather have a president who bows to foreign leaders than one who makes out with them:

I thought you worldly libs wanted your leaders follow local customs.

Could be worse. Could have invaded a country under false pretenses. Talk about yer faux pas.

Good thing we have the "good war" still going.

[www.nytimes.com]

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At the fund-raiser on Monday, Mr. Romney talked favorably about Israel’s economy and gross domestic product.

“Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the G.D.P. in Israel? Eight percent,” he said. “You spend eight percent of G.D.P. on health care. You’re a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our G.D.P. on health care, 10 percentage points more. That gap, that 10 percent cost, compare that with the size of our military — our military which is 4 percent, 4 percent. Our gap with Israel is 10 points of G.D.P. We have to find ways — not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to fund and manage our health care costs.”

I wonder if this one is going to come back and bite him - Israel has a more socialistic medical care system than the U.S. With all the statistics he quotes it's obvious this wasn't an off-the-cuff comment. Does he not know how much more socialized the Israeli medical care system is than the U.S.? Did his staff screw up? Does he just not care about the implications of what he is saying beyond the calculated benefit he thinks he gets with respect to some electoral group at that particular moment?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2012 01:53PM by Ted King.

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Ted King
[www.nytimes.com]

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At the fund-raiser on Monday, Mr. Romney talked favorably about Israel’s economy and gross domestic product.

“Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the G.D.P. in Israel? Eight percent,” he said. “You spend eight percent of G.D.P. on health care. You’re a pretty healthy nation. We spend 18 percent of our G.D.P. on health care, 10 percentage points more. That gap, that 10 percent cost, compare that with the size of our military — our military which is 4 percent, 4 percent. Our gap with Israel is 10 points of G.D.P. We have to find ways — not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to fund and manage our health care costs.”

I wonder if this one is going to come back and bite him - Israel has a more socialistic medical care system than the U.S. With all the statistics he quotes it's obvious this wasn't an off-the-cuff comment. Does he not know how much more socialized the Israeli medical care system is than the U.S.? Did his staff screw up? Does he just not care about the implications of what he is saying beyond the calculated benefit he thinks he gets with respect to some electoral group at that particular moment?

That's really interesting. And so very Romney.
Coming from Gov. Romney of Romneycare it makes perfect sense, those were his stated goals in reforming healthcare in Mass. However coming from "we must repeal Obamacare" candidate Romney, it makes no sense that he would praise their system.
What exactly is his proposal for US healthcare, to replace the Obamacare he wants repealed. Has he proposed anything specific at all?

His Etch-a-Sketch didn't get shook enough.