Romney's remark wasn't a gaffe
E. Thomas McClanahanMitt Romney’s foreign trip was supposedly gaffe-filled. But from where I sit, the media coverage strained to make much ado about very little. Romney’s remarks about the London Olympics were impolite but hardly earth-shaking. There WERE aspects that were disconcerting.
The press is in a huff because a Romney staffer snapped at a reporter and said, “Kiss my ass.” Well, waa. It isn’t hard to blame him, given the snarky coverage.
But the bigger deal is the continuing hubub over Romney’s remarks about Palestinian culture. He noted that while Israel has prospered, the Palestinians have stagnated. “Culture makes all the difference,” he said.
Bull’s eye. The Palestinians have been trying to blow up Israelis for decades, and now they complain that the Israelis have stopped hiring them or buying whatever goods they produce. As John Podhoretz notes, American taxpayers have shoveled billions into the Palestinian Authority with little effect on the well-being of the average Palestinian. What they’ve built, according to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is not a functioning, prosperous state, but a “chronic kleptocracy.”
In an oped for National Review, Romney rightly refused to back away from his remarks. What accounts for prosperity “if not for culture?” he writes. Israel and the United States have freedom and it breeds prosperity. In the land controlled by the Palestinians, freedom is severely curtailed.
Some have argued that Romney’s remark was racist, but such differences in outcome have nothing to do with race. Romney: “The linkage between freedom and economic development has a universal applicability. One only has to look at the contrast between East and West Germany, and between North and South Korea for the starkest demonstrations of the meaning of freedom and the absence of freedom.”
At the root of this flap is the tendency of people on the left to avoid any mention of culture because it veers dangerously toward the forbidden zone of contemporary life. That is, it sounds “judgemental.” But if we can’t make judgements about such things, we can’t adequately diagnose the problems that hold back not only other societies, but our own. Romney was absolutely right: Culture makes all the difference.
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 3 weeks agoOf course, Mitt’s comments were not “racist”. Jews and Palestinians are both caucasian Semites.
It was insulting to the Palestinians. For one thing it equates politics with culture, and ignores other aspects. It is hard to hold Israel entirely blameless for the Palestinian economic plight. They are the Occupying Power.
And, claiming that Jews are “culturally superior” to others in the art of business and making money? Do we really want to go there? Seems that argument has carried a down-side.
Of course, history and culture have bearing on a nation’s successes. But so do a variety of other matters, like resources and kinship ties.
By the way, how about Mitt’s endorsement of the Israeli Universal Health Care Program — including it’s individual mandate. Of course, it works a lot more efficiently than our system can, since the Israelis have no “cultural predisposition” to allowing insurance companies and big pharma to soak their citizens.
Must be an Anglo-Saxon thing.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 3 weeks agoPhil. You question the Israeli history in business when compared to the Palestinians? Why not go there? You went there by saying it.
And you mentioned resources……I missed that Israel is rich in resources. Which ones?
Steven Fetter
66223
9 months, 3 weeks agoIsrael has produced more Nobel prize winners than all of the Arab countries combined. They have world class doctors, lawyers, physicists, and artists
The Palestinian culture nurtures suicide bombers, plane hijackers, and civillian mass murderers. When the NY towers fell, the culture permitted joyous street celebrations of the casualties.
Israel has had millions of people migrate into their country. All are permitted to practice their religion or even be agnostic.
The Palestinians citizens have had millions leave. There is no tolerance for any religion other than Islam. The rule of law is subservient to that of the Koran.
Culture does indeed make a difference in society.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 3 weeks agoA big ado was made about Romney’s comments on the Olympics security preparedness.
I noted that Lewis Diuguid thought that was a gaffe. Lewis lives here in Kansas City and is a liberal.
But what would someone think if he was a liberal, has spent much professional time recently in American news, but is a British citizen who has been in London lately.
It’s true, Piers Morgan came to Romney’s defense by not only saying Romney was right, but that this wasn’t a slip, Morgan said Romney was just noting what has been scathingly reported in the British press for several weeks.
Should we listen to liberal Americans on this subject? Or, should we listen to liberal Brits?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORySBilNy0
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 3 weeks agoIt will be sooooooooo good to once again have a leader who will say what is obvious without regard to the far-left’s lust for political correctness. The majority of the Muslim people live like crap and a large part of that is their own making—the truth hurts!
The PLO is an organization sucking off its own people so their leaders can stay in power. Arafat was offered peace and land and declined since a state-of-war keeps these maniacs in power. This is all kind of like the libs here sucking off the poor yet promising them to just trust the libs and everything will be just peachy keen….
Oh well, off to Chick-fil-A to celebrate National Chick-fil-A day!!!!!
Mark Hastert
9 months, 3 weeks agoI’m sure that Gov Romney was commenting on a business culture, not societal. He should have been more specific but he’s not good thinking on his feet (that’s because one or both of them are often in is mouth). The only good that came out of his trip was the loot he brought back.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that he’s not gonna allow more than the bare minimum debates or none at all if he can get away with it.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 3 weeks agoMark, you and I disagree on almost everything. Including every word you just wrote. What Romney did was to visit traditional American allies. Countries that have been greatly disrespected by Obama. Obama has favored Russia over Poland. Just ask Walesa. A man who actually earned his Nobel Peace Prize. Obama has favored Palestine over Israel. Obama has, for the most part, ignored Great Britain, sending unusable tapes of old movies to London, along with Churchill’s bust.
And by the way, Mark, I am not being “touchy touchy” when I object to being slandered by you. You said that what you wrote was very clear. It was. You said “What you and other’s (see Kent) refuse to acknowledge is that you’re beliefs are based in your particular religion and by attempting to legislate your religion you violate other’s rights to believe and practice anything different. You go practice your religion, let others practice their’s or practice none at all. Get it?”
You see, Mark? You put my name in that statement. You said that I attempt to legislate my religion. You don’t even know my religion. You only know that you don’t like me. Yet, you slandered me saying that I try to stop others from practicing religion differently that from my own. You don’t even know if I practice religion, do you. But you put my name in there anyway. So, to respond to you, yes I am very touchy, touchy about being slandered.
Mark Hastert
9 months, 3 weeks agoGov Romney blundered his way from country to country. He offended the Brits by questioning their openly readiness. It was a softball question, all he had to say was something nice. It’s not like David Cameron is a wild eyed Labor PM but even he was offended. Then it’s on to the Palestinians with ill-chosen words. He didn’t intend what others understood but, as I said he’s not good on his feet. I’ll respond to your rant in the other thread
Kent Mueller
9 months, 3 weeks agoMark, before you get all worked up about Romney’s Olympic comments. Let’s listen to what a liberal has to say. Yeah, a liberal who works the American news media and is a British citizen. He’s been in London for a few weeks, he just might know what he’s talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lORySBilNy0
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 3 weeks agoI am waiting for the far-left to berate the big 0 for telling the CIA to work in Syria to overthrow Assad.
I thought all you lefties simply abhorred the CIA doing these nasty clandestine operations? Oh, that’s right, this is jimmy II in action, so everything is a-ok including not enforcing LAWS. You libs are a hoot….
Mark Robertson
9 months, 3 weeks agoMost of the U.S. media is a joke. Romney had a great and even historic trip. Obama has made so many gaffes. Not only were most of them not mentioned, the media doesn’t even critique Obama’s many foreign trips on the whole. Of course it is a double standard. What it really is though is corruption. Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence.
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 3 weeks agoGosh, I assume by your silence on the subject that you all agree that we should stregthen and expand Obamacare so that it is more like the Israelicare that Mitt praised.
Or was that a gaffe?
Look, the Israelis have done a great deal of hard work to create a prosperous society — despite the nuttiness of their own religious fanatics. And, the benefited from a tradition of essentialy secular democracy (one that is being undermined by those same religious fanatics).
One might note, however, that Israel also benefited a great deal from American help — and ties both emotional and political so strong that American Presidents could (or must) overlook such minor detail as their intentional sabotage of the peace process by illegally stealing occupied territory to build settlements and attacking American naval craft, killing our sailors — oh, and an occasional American civilian murdered tryig to peacefully aid Palestinians.
Now, Palastinians have a gift for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory — and Arafat was no MLK and the PLO no NAACP — but the fact is that they are among the most educated, secular, Westernized Arabs. Given half the chance, the tend to do well. Problem is, right wing Israelis don’t want to give them haf a chance or half a country, either. And, that feeds the worst of the Palestinians.
This is not an easy problem — but those who claim to be friends of Israel but are unwilling to urge them to make peace, not apartments, do them no favor.
Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. Especially drunk with power.
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 3 weeks ago“Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. Especially drunk with power.”
Are you referring to the big 0’s trusted “advisors” here phil or someone else?
Kent Mueller
9 months, 2 weeks agoPhil, every time Israel has given in to Palestinian demands, the Palestinians backed off. No deal. Arafat was famous for that. If the Palestinians object to security checks maybe they shouldn’t have strapped so many bombs to their chests. If they don’t like a ship embargo, maybe they shouldn’t have received so many munitions and bombs in cartons labeled as food.
Phil Cardarella
9 months, 2 weeks agoOne of the other places that we should avoid going, Kent, is the area of “collective blood-guilt.” Sorta by definition, the Palestinians being occupied now have not been suicide bombers. Also, Arafat is dead.
As is Rabin — murdered by an Israeli Jew to sabotage the peace process.
As are those sailors of the USS Liberty. And the American teenager murdered by the Israeli troops who boarded an unarmed humanitarian aid ship and shot him in the head. Oddly enough, most friendly nations do not execute unarmed American civilians.
There is lots of blame to go around. But, those who support the Israeli government’s position of “might makes right” do the Israeli people no favor.
Kent Mueller
9 months, 2 weeks agoBut Phil, Israel’s might is the only reason it is alive.
Yes, those people you mentioned are dead. But you neglected to mention the Israeli athletes in Munich. Also, whether you believe them or not, both the US and Israel determined the USS Liberty attack was not intentional.
And if the “Palestinians being occupied now have not been suicide bombers” is true, isn’t that a testament to Israeli security that you seem to now want to exist?
George Hunsucker
Northland
9 months, 2 weeks agoAnd phil, you left out the daily rockets being shot into Israel.
I think Israel has been too nice to these people who are trying to KILL Israel citizens. What would America, under anyone but the big 0, do in this case????