"Mitt Romney provokes Palestinian outrage; Leaders call his words on Israeli culture racist" by Matt Viser | Globe Staff, July 30, 2012
JERUSALEM — Mitt Romney ignited a firestorm of criticism from Palestinian leaders on Monday morning when he told a group of top-level donors here that Israelis’ culture had helped them become more economically successful than the Palestinians.
Umm, it was more than Palestinian leaders; it was anyone anywhere in the world who is conscious and has a functioning brain.
And he already insulted the Palestinians with his comments about the opening of the Olympic games, so I guess Mitt made it a two-fer (and counting?).
Noting that Israel’s gross domestic product per person is about $21,000, compared with that of Palestinians, “which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,’’ Romney said at the fund-raising event.
He did not mention the impact of border-crossing restrictions on movement of goods and people that Israel has imposed on the Palestinians. “As I . . . consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things,” Romney said.
Yeah, crime syndicates are pretty powerful.
Palestinian leaders quickly called the comments racist, harmful to the peace process, and blind to the effects of Israeli control over border crossings in the West Bank and Gaza.
I took it that way, was deeply offended (me, a Catholic Pole), and wonder if it is a willful blindness.
“Today he referred to us as an inferior culture, when he said that Israelis have double our GDP,” said Saeb Erekat, a top Palestinian negotiator with the Israelis. “I’ve never heard such a racist statement from any Israeli. Yes, we have a conflict with the Israelis. But we never go down this road of racism.”
Wow. Mitt could be a uniter!
Btw, didn't we already go through all this with Gingrich?
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, also criticized Romney, saying in an interview: “You cannot compare the economy of a people who are in occupation — who don’t control exit points, who don’t control all of our land — to an economy in Israel that gets billions and billions of American dollars.”
Those are YOUR TAX DOLLARS, Americans -- as you must endure austerity here at home.
Nothing like the austerity that Palestinians endure, but you're getting there, America, you are getting there. Think foreclosure crisis, homelessness, hunger -- it's the future. But hey, banks, oil companies, and well-connected corporations continue to do fine so what's the fu$$?
Romney’s campaign said his comments were being taken out of context and pointed out that he had also referred to the gaps of unequal wealth between other neighboring countries. In his comments, he compared not only the Israeli and Palestinian economic gap, but similar disparities between Chile and Ecuador, and Mexico and the United States.
Isn't that classic? He is ONE of the ARCHITECTS of the INEQUALITY with his ravenou$ private equity firm he founded!
The campaign later distributed a full transcript of the remarks, something it rarely does for its fund-raisers. It did not respond to Palestinians’ specific criticism that Romney had overlooked the harmful impact on the Palestinian economy of the border restrictions.
It is called DAMAGE CONTROL, but then again MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE WROTE the paragraph, 'eh?
The controversy marked the second time in the past week that Romney has upset foreigners with critical remarks....
During the remarks at the Jerusalem fund-raiser, Romney referred to two books — “Guns, Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond, and “The Wealth and Poverty of Nations” by Harvard emeritus professor David Landes. Landes’s book, he noted, made points about economic vitality and how “culture makes all the difference.”
I read the first one in college many years ago.
Romney underestimated the gap between Israeli and Palestinian gross domestic product per capita, according to World Bank data. Its 2011 figures put the ratio at more than 15 to 1, not 2 to 1.
James Zogby, the founder and president of the Arab-American Institute, said Romney’s comparison of the economies of Israel and the Palestinians played into stereotypical perceptions of Arab culture as backward and unable to adapt and thrive in a modern world.
He was just being himself.
In the United States, according to census data analyzed by the institute, both the Israeli- and Palestinian-American populations claim higher income and education levels than the population at large.
Romney’s comments also elicited a response from the White House....
Romney’s trip here focused on praising Israel and the American relationship with it. He rarely mentioned Palestinians in his remarks and met with only one Palestinian leader while he was here.
Who he insulted by noting all the nation's carrying their flags to a man with no nation.
He also emphatically referred to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, something that Palestinians contest. In making the comment, Romney broke with decades of US diplomacy.
He didn't just pucker-up, he buried his face between the cheeks.
At home, Romney’s comments won him the backing of the Anti-Defamation League.
“In terms of Jewish culture allowing us to be more successful, there is a real emphasis on education, on hard work and self-reliance,” said ADL national director Abraham H. Foxman. “If you read United Nations reports on the Arab world, part of the problem is culture. If there was universal education, if there was less conflict, they’d be more prosperous.”
I wrote Oh My God in the margin of my newspaper, readers.
Well, well, well, it is now apparent that the benign-sounding ADL is nothing but a front for Jewish supremacism and hate. How sad.
Related: ADL - America's Most Powerful Hate Group
ADL - World's Largest Hate Group
The ADL's hate crimes legislation
The ADL Hates Our Freedoms
Abe just proved it.
As for self-reliance, I want the BILLIONS upon BILLIONS the AmeriKan taxpayer has been forced to fork over back, thank you.
One conclusion of a 2010 UN human development report on the occupied Palestinian territory was that “cultural beliefs and practices that lead to the marginalization of women, elderly and young people, the disabled, Bedouin and other minority groups must be challenged.”
I'll bet I know what would improve their situation. Bombing them.
So what did the Palestinians do, hand over their economy to the private central banks like all us in the West?
But the report also attributed much of Palestinians’ economic struggle to the “multifaceted system of occupation employed by the state of Israel,” noting that “Israel controls Palestinian air space, territorial waters, natural resources, movement and the macro-economic instruments that enable economic autonomy.”
In other words, the PITIFUL LITTLE PATCHES of LAND the Palestinians scratch a living out of are HUGE OUTDOOR PRISONS, or OPEN-AIR CONCENTRATION CAMPS if you prefer the unvarnished truth.
In Tampa, Arizona Senator John McCain, a prominent Romney surrogate, appeared to give Romney the benefit of the doubt, saying the “facts of the booming Israeli economy has to do with the kind of government that the Israeli people have freely and democratically elected, which has given them a very prosperous country,” he said.
So what went wrong in AmeriKa, John?
Romney’s comments came as he capped off a trip to Israel by holding a fund-raiser at the King David Hotel, raising more than $1 million from about 45 donors.
That's all he got from the billionaires of Israel? A measly million?
“I am overwhelmingly impressed with the hand of providence, whenever it chooses to apply itself, and also the greatness of the human spirit, and how individuals who reach for greatness and have purpose above themselves are able to build and accomplish things that could only be done by a species created in the image of God,” Romney said. “I come to this place, therefore, with a sense of profound humility, as I look around here at great people who’ve accomplished a great thing, and also a sense of spiritual connection, acknowledging the hand of providence in establishing this place and making it a holy city.”
Oh, HE STUCK HIS HEAD WAY, WAY UP ISRAEL'S ANAL CANAL!
The fund-raiser included several donors who live in Israel and emerged impressed.
Talk about spin!
“It was like a CEO breaking out a new product as opposed to philosophizing about different ways to skin a cat,” said Shmuel Wasserman, a venture capitalist who lives in Israel but is originally from New Jersey. “Clearly he has the wherewithal to, if I would put it in business terms, take an undervalued asset and return it to its former luster.”
You ANTI-FELINE!!!
Related(?): There's More Than One Way to Skin a Jew
“This was a love-fest,” said Philip Rosen, a New York lawyer who has a home in Jerusalem and helped organize the fund-raiser.
Yeah, I can see that. Mitt was on his knees and the Israelis were lined up for... oh, never mind.
“A success,” declared Spencer Zwick, Romney’s finance chairman, as he left the fund-raising event....
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Related: Adelson shows how billionaires can buy a seat on the world stage
Mitt Romney’s tax returns: Can we judge leaders by how much they give?
And I should know something about being the butt of prejudice, for I'm an Amerikan and yet an ethnic Pole by ancestry with the funky name that doesn't hide it. That's why I'm anonymous here. I don't need some drug-addled kook coming to my house and unloading a magazine clip of bullets.
"Poland’s Lech Walesa backs Romney, but Solidarity won’t" by Kasie Hunt | Associated Press, July 31, 2012
GDANSK, Poland — Solidarity characterized Romney as being hostile to unions and against labor rights.
He i$n't?
It emphasized that the organization had no role in organizing Romney’s visit and expressed support for American labor groups.
The Romney campaign hopes Walesa’s backing will influence Catholics and labor union members in the United States.
Pfft!
But Representative Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio, told reporters the Polish visit ‘‘is nothing more than a superficial diversion and a desperate attempt to pander to Polish Americans and Catholics across our country.’’
Also see: Slow Saturday Special: MIC Captures Marcy Kaptur
See why party doesn't really matter when it comes to the USraeli war machine?
Romney ‘‘in particular cited Poland’s sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan.’’
You lost guys over that lie, too?
The group also discussed the European economic crisis and efforts to build up democracy in neighboring countries.
Romney laid a wreath at a memorial in Gdansk, honoring Polish soldiers at the spot where they battled invading German soldiers in the first engagement of World War II in Europe. He has said in the past that President Obama has been too timid in dealing with Poland’s historic enemy, Russia....
Didn't they liberate the death cam... never mind.
Poland sees missile defense as a way to guard against a possible return of Russian aggression, and it eagerly agreed to the missile shield proposed by President George W. Bush.
Or it could be used to launch an offensive against Russia.
Btw, only the government eagerly agreed; the people of Poland -- as are people everywhere -- are opposed to war.
The announcement by the Obama White House that it would not move forward with the plan came on Sept. 17, 2009, 70 years to the day after the Soviet Union invaded Poland, two weeks after Nazi Germany attacked from the West.
I knew they would be worked in somehow.
A month later, Vice President Joe Biden said the United States would proceed with a smaller project on the same basic schedule. But there is concern that the missile system may not be deployed because of uncertainty about budget cuts.
I'll bet they will find some money for that.
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Governor, governor, a question if I may....
"Romney aide reprimands reporters for asking questions in Warsaw" by Callum Borchers | Globe Correspondent, July 31, 2012
Tension between Mitt Romney’s campaign and the press corps traveling with him abroad boiled over Tuesday in Poland, with reporters complaining about a lack of interview access and a Romney spokesman telling the journalists to “kiss my [expletive].”
The campaign corrects the stuff anyway so who cares?
Footage of the exchange shows reporters shouting questions at Romney as he was leaving the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw.
“Governor Romney, do you have a statement for the Palestinians?” one reporter shouted....
Romney ignored the questions and strode to his motorcade....
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What he saw on his way to the car:
Poland Greets Romney With Huge Ron Paul Banner
Turns out us Polackish people are pretty smart, hanh??!!
Unlike Mitt the IDIOT!
"In a twist, Romney lauds Israeli health care system" by Matt Viser | Globe Staff, August 01, 2012
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney’s praise for the Israeli health care system, made near the end of his foreign trip, followed him as he returned home Tuesday, raising eyebrows because he lauded a system that has more government control than the Obama health law Romney so strenuously faults.
Look, the fellatio has really gotten to be too much, man.
Romney, speaking to donors Monday, commented on how Israel — a “pretty healthy nation” — spends far less on health care than the United States does. Israel’s success in controlling costs is often attributed to the heavy role of its government and a requirement that everyone have coverage, some of the same qualities Romney condemns in the health law President Obama signed.
“We have to find ways, not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to finally manage our health care costs,” Romney said during the fund-raiser at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.
Romney’s praise for Israel’s health care system was greeted with some surprise.
“We’re laughing — for a Republican to praise the Israeli health care system, which is managed care, universal coverage, with no small amount of federal government control and oversight,” said Karen Feinstein, president and chief executive of the Pennsylvania-based Jewish Healthcare Foundation, which has been studying the differences between the Israeli and US health care systems.
And keep reading Americans, to see the tremendous quality of Israeli care.
The comments are yet another example of an off-message moment during a six-day foreign trip that tested Romney’s diplomatic skills, and frayed the nerves of some of his campaign aides.
Romney did not praise all aspects of the Israeli health care system, focusing mostly on its ability to keep costs low....
Health care and left-leaning bloggers Tuesday were all too eager to explain to the candidate the cost-saving lesson he should take from the Israelis: more government regulation is sometimes a good thing.
Romney’s campaign said it was a stretch to view his comments as praising the entire Israeli health care system, saying he was simply commenting on its lower costs and was criticizing the US system more than he was praising the Israeli one....
He never got off that message.
Israel’s national health care system, created in 1995, provides universal coverage by requiring citizens to join one of four competing insurance plans that, by law, have to provide certain base-level services. The plans cannot reject customers because of preexisting conditions.
The nonprofits that provide the plans receive funding through the state’s graduated income tax. There are some out-of-pocket payments, such as visits to specialists and pharmaceuticals, and the plans do not cover dental or eye care....
In Israel, health care there is treated more as a right, like education, he said, and is not driven by business....
There are some downsides to the Israeli health care system, which could be some reasons why the costs are lower.
Remember, America, this is WHAT AWAITS YOU as the U.S. heads down the path of global payments to cut costs.
The country’s hospitals — many of which are government-owned and operated — are often over capacity, which means patients are routinely kept on gurneys in hallways or in waiting rooms. For nonemergency procedures, such as a hip replacement, patients may have to wait several months.
But the system focuses closely on preventive care, and Israel has one of the highest life-expectancy rates in the world....
I think it is because of the organ-harvesting operation, don't you?
On Tuesday, for example, Romney was hoping to end his three-country trip with a speech in Warsaw that highlighted Polish-American ties, the “enduring spirit” of the Polish people, and the country’s improving economy.
But his speech was temporarily overshadowed by one of Romney’s aides, who reprimanded reporters for shouting questions at Romney as he walked to his car after a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw.
“Kiss my [expletive]. This is a holy site for the Polish people,” said Rick Gorka, a campaign spokesman. “Show some respect.”
“Shove it,” Gorka told one reporter. Gorka, who was a spokesman for Charlie Baker, a Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate, later apologized.
(I'm sorry, but I chuckled. I never mind it when someone hollers back at the press)
Reporters were attempting to get Romney to respond to his remark Monday about how Israeli culture helped make Israelis more prosperous than Palestinians, and whether he thought his gaffes were overshadowing his trip. Although Romney did several network television interviews during his trip — and spoke with two Israeli newspapers — he has not fielded questions from the traveling press corps since Thursday, when he took three questions outside of London’s 10 Downing Street.
“I realize that there will be some in the Fourth Estate, or in whichever estate, who are far more interested in finding something to write about that is unrelated to the economy, to geopolitics, to the threat of war, to the reality of conflict in Afghanistan today, to a nuclearization of Iran,” Romney told Fox News’s Carl Cameron on Tuesday. “They’ll instead try to find anything else to divert from the fact that these last four years have been tough years for our country.”
That's their job, and seriously, it is the Fourth Estate (was Mitt trying to imply they are Fifth Column?), so quit being a real idiot.
Btw, where is that report on the Israeli spy ring, Carl?
On Tuesday, Romney’s campaign sought to shift gears, stoking anew speculation over his vice presidential pick — and when it will be announced....
Now who is DIVERTING?!!
The choice seems unlikely to be announced this week....
Word is now he is going to name Dick Cheney to the ticket!
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I won't be back until tomorrow, readers, because I have a basketball game to play tonight. Ironically, there is a black kid that plays with us whom I love. Not only playing with him (not so much against him because he is a difference-maker and a factor), but sitting around and talking to him. Maybe he thinks I'm a racist, but it is not my policies and world design that has led to the troubles of blacks all across the planet.
Hey, I may be an "anti-Semite" in some eyes, too, but I'm sure as hell not a supremacist. Every individual life has its own value, no matter what identities you want to attach to the unique organism that you and I are, dear readers.
