By now, most everyone has heard Romney’s latest stupid remark:
“I was thinking this morning as I prepared to come into this room of a discussion I had across the country in the United States about my perceptions about differences between countries,” Romney told a group of high-dollar donors at a fundraiser in Jerusalem’s King David Hotel. “As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality.”
And the inaccuracies of it as pointed out by AP:
“Romney actually got the numbers very wrong: Israel’s GDP per capita was $31,000 in 2011 and Palestinians’ per capita GDP was just $1,500. Romney at no point mentioned that the Palestinian territories have for decades been occupied without sovereign control, where residents face significant restrictions on movement and employment.”
The District of Columbia has a GDP per capita of $174,000, higher than any state in the union. Is it any wonder he wants to move there – that’s where the “culture” is.
And now Romney and his band are off to Poland! I can just imagine what he might say about Warsaw.
Solidarity is distancing itself and one group in Gdansk chanted for Obama in Romney’s presence.
That is a good thing, no?
Today, our tax dollars fund the Muslim Brotherhood, who vows for the destruction of Israel. Yet, the GDP variance between Israel and the PLO is worse than what Mitt suggested. What does that tell you? The PLO leaders hoard all the monies, while their people live in poverty. If the PLO stopped firing missiles or sending homicide bombers into Israel, perhaps they can move more freely. Better yet, drop the religious crap and get rid of your leaders.
It was a pretty strange endorsement. It is pretty clear that Walesa knows absolutely nothing about Romney or his policy positions. He is just not Obama, who Walesa has a grudge against.
In any case, I don’t think this “endorsement” will have any impact on the Polish American electorate, but it is one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal international tour. Romney was hoping to show that he has foreign policy and diplomatic chops to give himself some credibility in those areas. He clearly failed to do that.
From what I can tell Walesa invited Romney, not sure that he endorsed him. You’ll need to cite both that our tax dollars fund the MB and that they support the destruction of Israel. Your views and information on the PLO seem to be almost 20 years out of date, and they have generally not had a religious focus, but rather nationalistic.
Who is running the show over there?
Like it or not, the Egyptians had elections and now have a government (if the military will allow it). The world (including Israel and US) has to deal with whatever antipathy the democratic majority in Egypt have towards Israel . Crude and ignorant racism, such as that on display from Mr. Romney, is likely to make it significantly harder to bring long-term sustainable peace to the region.
Meanwhile, Solidarity pointedly did NOT embrace or encourage Mr. Romney’s pandering. Not satisfied with his racist comments in Israel (and those of his staff in the UK), Mr. Romney wrapped up with plain old pandering to his (white) Polish-American potential voters at home.
Finally, just because it’s so delicious, press secretary Rick Gorka told a group of reports to “Kiss my a**” and “shove it” — at a Polish holy site (their tomb of the unknown soldier) no less. Later reports say that Mr. Gorka actually DID offer an apology for this latest gaffe.
That’s what happens when you throw the Polish people under the bus by giving up a missile defense shield, in exchange for nothing.
http://abcnews.go.com/politics/t/blogEntry?id=16886671
This tour is what happens when you put an utterly incompetent and unprepared candidate into the world’s eye.
“Kiss my a**” — from a PRESS SECRETARY (who is supposed to know better).
The nomination of this bozo is an embarrassment to America, the GOP, and every American.
Romney’s irony-challenged press secretary tells the press
“Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect.”
Sets a new benchmark for “classy.”
from the Catholic News Service:
Barcelona, Spain, May 21, 2009 / 09:59 am (CNA).- Nobel Peace Prize laureate and ex-president of Poland, Lech Walesa, said in Spain this week he would have resigned as president “twenty times” before signing a law that would allow abortion in his country.
Walesa made his statements during the Europe Forum together with Miguel Duran of Spain, who is running for a spot in the European Parliament.
The former Polish president explained he would “never” agree with a law that allows abortion because he cannot accept “the killing of innocents,” although he did recognize that no woman ever wants to “kill her child,” but rather is usually motivated by “other situations.”
Don’t be so sure Walesa likes Romney’s politics.
Walsea is a socially conservative, arch Catholic, arch anti-Soviet and anti-Russia figure. Fairly chummy with noted non-liberals Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. And as Dan pointed out this is squarely about missile defense and their shared view that Russia is the biggest geopolitical threat, a view not shared outside of Eastern Europe. Also having seen the Bush administrations proposal up close when I was at State I can assure you the equipment was outdated to begin with. As for votes, outside of a few districts on the North and West Sides here in Chicago the Polish vote doesn’t count for much. And I do not suspect Obama to lose Chicago anytime soon.
Hasn’t USAREUR standardized their Patriot batteries with the PAC-2/GEM? Or were the Poles to base something else? Do you remember?