Mitt Romney's First Campaign Speech Against Obama
Will it ever end? Probably not. Once again a Republican presidential hopeful is accusing a Democrat of being soft on (what else?) national security.
Today it was Mitt Romney's turn to sing from the old hymnal at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, where he announced that President Obama is imperiling America's freedoms by speaking too... freely. His cynical speech in defense of idealism, which is designed to appeal to the base, showed the extent to which the GOP remains trapped in a Cold War narrative of America as the righteous redeemer, one that only needs to increase defense spending constantly in order to save the rest of the globe.
Romney began his remarks by complaining that Obama recently went on an international "tour of apology." According to Romney, "with all that is transpiring in the world, in Iran, North Korea, Georgia, Somalia, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, this is the time for strength and confidence, not for apologizing to America's critics."
But Obama's obvious point was that America could only exercise its moral strength by facing up to its past shortcomings, which Romney is unwilling to acknowledge in the first place. There is a fascinating contradiction between the savior impulse that Romney espouses and the refusal to recognize that most of the globe turned its back on America because of the insalubrious and shameful conduct of the Bush administration. Instead, Romney concluded with a description of America as the "hope of the world."
Yes, yes, yes. But what does it add up to? As Romney spelled it out, America should be spending lots more on defense -- isn't the $527 billion that Obama is devoting to the defense budget in 2009 enough? -- and most particularly on missile defense.
Perhaps most troubling, however, was Romney's simplistic approach to dividing the world neatly into four kinds of powers. First comes America, which embodies freedom. Then comes China, which supports free enterprise and authoritarianism. Next is Russia, whose power derives not from industry but energy. According to Romney, "They seek to control the energy of the world..." But how would Russia successfully control Middle East oil?
Romney finished, of course, with "the Jihadists" who are out to turn the clock back to the Middle Ages for everyone else. This is straight out of George W. Bush's rhetoric about taking the fight to "the terrorists," which camouflaged the fact that there is no one terrorist grouping; rather, America and other countries are threatened by a variety of groups and individuals. But as Romney's speech indicates, he doesn't seem any more interested. at least for now, in doing nuance than during the 2008 campaign.
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Nothing new here folks. As a liberal, I had hopes Mitt was a cut above the cast of conservative characters but he's a shrill too. I say cling to your ideology but tell the truth. Not everyone lives in some backwater town without access to the internet and one channel that tunes into Fox News. Obama has increased the defense budget. Mitt is saying increase defense spending but where is the fiscal responsibility in that especially in light of the damage no-bid contracts have done to the defense program.
"Don't hate - appreciate."
Did Mitt Romney ever hear that expression. As a retired school teacher from the inner city, I have adopted Obama as my "honorary" student. His trips abroad reflect all of the values and beliefs I attempted to teach my students - that hidden curriculum behind what's printed on my 77 to 83 page syllabi which I dutifully submitted to various administrators - the only curriculum that really matters.
As such I am proud and overjoyed at Obama's tireless efforts to set the record straight after 8 years of ignorance, arrogance, cruelty and stupidity - reflected by the GOP also by Mitt Romney's stupid and arrogant remarks.
To borrow an old inner city term, Mitt is a "hata" - just like the spiteful little girls who didn't get to be cheer leaders.
You know I was all for Mitt Romney at some point years ago, now I have lost all faith in him, associating the the Neocon's will never get him enough support to be the candidate for the republican party or any place in the America that is evolving. Romney's speech given during the 08 campaign at the Bush library was all I need to know that he is really out of touch with the people of this country. They are still trying to hijack the christian right, by telling them they have the right to legislate their beliefs when in fact that sole purpose for the Constitution was to allow people of all beliefs to practice what they believe. I like to tell my New born friends, if you can legislate you must educate, which they dont' want to do either, American children are being dumbed down. Enough of this nonsense, if you don't believe that this country has been so radically corrupt for the last 100 years then get different job, but get our of politics.
The GOP needs to find a reasonable position and spokesperson for it's new face. They then must build a grass roots operation fashioned after the Gov. Dean example. Mitt Romney is not that person.
Mitt says Obama is soft on national security. I do NOT agree. This Pres is just trying to repair some of the damage BUSh / Cheney left- with their preemtive Iraq War and dictator like control. This is simply just the same old GOP smears / lies. The GOP is desperate to get POWER / CONTROL BACK..as they've had from Reagan in 1980 / Bush Sr 80-84 then - W for 8 long years - 6 of those with a GOP
congress ! Firstly - Mr Romney needs to denounce the GOP policy of deregulation that Reagan / Bush / W left us with- that led to this meltdown. Only then might I take him seriously. Folks-If we fall for their propaganda AGAIN - we will deserve what we get. More of what they gave us for 20 long years .
I say-Never again will I fall for lies and B S of the powerful money interests -greedy Wall St CEO's /
Corp owned media. NEVER !! I will fact check @ www.factcheck.org
Cheney goes on TV lying -undermining this Pres and OUR safety. He has already changed his tune- over the last month or two. Some moderate Repubs have now denouinced what Cheney is now saying about Obama. FOX will NOT cover that story. bet on it .
You make many accusations without backing them up with any examples or evidence. The latest polls show that the majority of voters are now independents, fed up with both parties.
Now I'll make some unsupported general accusations. The members of Congress are expert at making political decisions that ensure their reelections, even if those decisions are detrimental to the country. As far as making economic decisions, a five-year old with a piggy bank might do better. When it comes to economics, Congress, Obama, Bush, etc are just plain stupid.
As far as national security goes, it is the responsibility of the President to keep us safe. Obama is now desperately trying to back off of some of the policies he advocated and enacted, Gitmo being one of them...he's learning. Too bad we couldn't have had a better experienced choice last November.
MEMO: To Mitt Romney
Your wasting your money again...your not baptist so Dobson WILL NEVER allow you, or a Catholic, or a Jew on a National GOP Ticket. Denounce your Morman faith, join the Southern Baptist and your the man!
Seems like the hope of the world would lift it's lamp beside the golden door, not build a wall to keep out them durn latins.
While I am for the most part a liberal kind of voter, I have plenty of appreciation for conservative perspective particularly when voiced by intelligent and informed people who have legitimate concerns...sorta like the way I drive; prudently with my foot on the gas pedal so I'll actually go somewhere but a keen appreciation for the fact that I also have a brake and steering wheel as part of my fully functional suite of options to operate safely. To hear Mitt Romney go on about responsibility is just plain funny because I can't help but conjur up his comparing himself to JFK. We can all see that his haircut and priveledge birth are obvious paralells, but then he went on to talk about how his religious beliefs would guide him...and that's when the hilarity began. It's obvious he has either never read or listened to Kennedy or has simply decided to subvert it all, appropriating the Kennedy mystique even though the most mysterious aspect is that he can get some ignoramuses to "see it" the way he says it is. I hope he keeps running because the laughs never end when he has re-packaged reality...of course, he seriously defends the epileptic delusions of the founder of the Mormon church and its subsequent and craven quest for political power. Hold on to your holy underwear...Xenu is just around the corner.
Mitt Romney cannot win a Republican primary, period. Reason--the GOP base of evangelicals believe that the Mormon church is a cult and will vote against him for that reason alone. The uneducated, white base of the Republican party is full of fear and are easily exploited.
This is the same false narrative liberals always put out. The Republicans/Conservatives are a bunch of white redneck easily led yahoos. I know that James Dobson isn't the only leader of white evangelicals but he came right out and said he'd have no problem supporting Romney during the primaries even though his theology is different.
It's the people on your side that sound full of fear. The very title of this article proves it: "Mitt Romney's First Campaign Speech Against Obama." If he was some crazy cult member that couldn't win a Republican primary, you guys wouldn't be so afraid of him. http://theclosetconservative.com
CLOSETCONSERVATIVE,your problem is the truth hurts.let me inform you and
all you uneducated dense GOP supporters,all my life the only thing you have offered America in order to get their vote is LESS TAXES FOR THE RICH,AND MORE TAX
FOR THE POOR/MIDDLE CLASS,then there's your FEAR TACTICS.
Anyone who is a TRUE CHRISTIAN,if against OBORTION,would be against
MURDER period.That includes WARS against others who you deam worth killing.
SO DON'T ANY OF YOU HYPOCRITES MENTION CHRISTIAN AGAIN.YOU WOULDN'T
KNOW ONE IF IT SLAPPED YOU IN THE FACE.
your dulisional! 3 weeks ago in a national interview James Dodson said, "The Republican party need to continue to PURITY itself' (ONLY BORN-AGAIN POLITICIANS), "and move forward with our Objective of a THEOGRATIC GOVERNMENT"...that is RELIGIOUS STATE controlled by the southern baptist..
TALK ABOUT voilations of the Constitution...a THEOCRATIC STATE!
closet I'm an Independant. NO party loyality for me. I simply looked at what 20 years of GOP power ( Reagan / Bush / W ) has done to the US. Not afraid of Romney one bit.
But NO Repub will get my vote until they have the guts to admit that - GOP policies of deregulation of banks / Wall St led to this meltdown.
Otherwise- Romney and the far right will keep up their elite policies that hurt average
folks . Obama was left with a massive mess- he's been in power 4 1/2 months.
GOP 20 years in power VS Obama 4 1/2 short months
Think about it.
The far right GOP extremists ARE similar to a a cult - Mormon or not. They want NO moderates in their party. That alone makes them extreme. Romney is another rich boy born with a silver spoon in his mouth- and I want NO more of that .
The GOP are at 21 % - t rying for 15 % . ( Pawlenty or Newt might run in 2012 ) .
I'm still waiting for either of them to denounce the GOP policies since Reagan - that planted
the seeds to this meltdown. I want accountability !!
Mitt, you go girl - make sure you recite each and every trite phrase from the GOP playbook - throw in the part about lower taxes, smaller government, less welfare, and stronger national defense and hope that no one remembers George W. Bush who had the same lines and spent like a drunken sailor.
You can also hope that no one will remember that like your buddy, Dick Cheney, you too managed to defer your way around the Vietnam war. Small wonder that you have become such a fearsome warrior in your later years - you avoided it when it was your turn so now you can send other people's children into harm's way - of course, none of the other people will be anyone you know or golf with.
Don't let anyone remind your supporters that every policy statement you made as governor of Massachusetts - you completely FLIP-FLOPPED on when you ran in 2008. Tell us again your stand on abortion or gay rights when you were running for governor and just what were they when you ran against John McCain for the GOP nomination?
I hope the GOP does nominate this poseur - I can see the convention - all the television cameras outside the building, an empty limousine pulls up to the front and Mitt Romney gets out.
Yes, get tough with our enemies, just don't ask anyone in my family to volunteer.
What era does Romney think we're in? I just don't get how more military spending and a belicose foreign policy is supposed to keep us safe in this day and age.
He just seems like a religious game show host who's trying to sell us something we don't need.
I am not a Republican, but I would vote for Mitt Romney in a second!
Hillplus?
WHY?
Good for you, you will get your chance in the GOP primary (you will have to register GOP). I doubt he makes it out of the primaries, however.
O really, what part of the GNOP talking points hooked you hillplus? Lower taxes?....smaller government?...the scary terrorist rhetoric?...was it Romney's hair?......talk to me hillplus, you've gotta snap out of it.
The "insalubrious" and shameful conduct of the Bush administration. Instead, Romney concluded with a description of America as the "hope of the world."
Insalubrious is defined as not conducive to health. What's more conducive to health of our citizens than protecting them from another 9/11 style attack? All it takes is for a Conservative to tell something the way it its as opposed to how liberals want us to think of it to get them kicking and screaming.
Obama die hards know that, current poll numbers notwithstanding, the buyers' remorse has set in. More and more Republican primary voters are wishing Mitt had been the nominee, and will be quite comfortable voting for him the next time around. Democrats will desert President Obama the next time around if he continues tanking the economy with more socialist takeovers. http://theclosetconservative.com
"All it takes is for a Conservative to tell something the way it its as opposed to how liberals want us to think of it to get them kicking and screaming."
Disagreeing with republicans is not "kicking and screaming" by any standard definition of that expression. You just can't deal with being disagreed with so you deride any word of dissent against you.
"Obama die hards know that, current poll numbers notwithstanding, the buyers' remorse has set in. More and more Republican primary voters are wishing Mitt had been the nominee, and will be quite comfortable voting for him the next time around."
Saying things like that over and over won't make them true.
"Democrats will desert President Obama the next time around if he continues tanking the economy with more socialist takeovers."
Maybe it should be Democrats who speak for what Democrats will do, not someone like you who obviously doesn't have a clue about why your republican party was soundly THUMPED. That "socialist" label that you clones have been trotting out hasn't stuck, no matter how many times you try to apply it. Measures that you refer to as "socialist" wouldn't have been necessary if Georgie and Dick hadn't run our economy into the ground for eight years. You might have amnesia about the past eight years, but the majority of voting Americans who voted in a legal, free and fair election for President Barack Obama don't.
Why do you people hate America so much?
"Disagreeing with republicans is not "kicking and screaming" by any standard definition of that expression. You just can't deal with being disagreed with so you deride any word of dissent against you."
It is when your side trots out the usual bag of insults and ad hominem attacks. It isn't our side that's trying to stifle dissent. It's the Democrats.
The Obama die hards have a set standard. If it works, they'll give Obama an A, if it doesn't, they'll give Bush an F. (To paraphrase Dennis Miller)
The socialist label wouldn't be a problem for Democrats if there was so substance to it. Government can only put money ito the economy by borrowing or printing it. The other way is by increasing tax rates to confiscatory levels. And yes, that is socialist policy. Free market conservatives believe lowering tax rates will increase private sector investment will actually help more people. If not for the socialist time bomb of sub-prime mortgages forced on us by liberals, we wouldn't have had our economy run into the ground.
"Why do you people hate America so much?" Please be serious. Having serious philosophical differences hardly qualifies as hating America. http://theclosetconservative.com
Overcat: "Maybe it should be Democrats who speak for what Democrats will do..."What has this entire blog been about if not Democrats/Progressives/Liberals (whatever you call yourself today) ranting about what they believe Republicans did, didn't do, who should run or not, and what Republicans will do.....????
BTW, it's no longer a "socialist" label that I would apply to the BO administration....it's more like a Marxist, fascist administration. More damage has been done to the United States in 4-1/2 months along with a tripling of the debt, than President Bush did in eight years!
The amnesia is on your part.....it wasn't until the Dems took over in 2006 that things began changing. Up to that point, you all were filling your pockets with money, working -- remember the 4% unemployment -- but candidate BO kept up the fear-mongering and "I'll do this and that diferently....hope and change". Oh yeh, all same Bush policies on handling the war are now in place by BO....eavesdropping, spying, military tribunals, still flip-flopping on Gitmo, escalating the Afghan war, no Afghan exit policy.... on and on! Let's see how long BO keeps you safe here and abroad with his kissing the enemy'sbutt....let's see how long he and the Feds keep printing money for more and more entitlements and stiffing more and more workers while folks like you spend their time on blogs instead of working and revising history.
Just wondering - who was president on 9/10???????
President Bush was in office on 9/10.
My question to you: Who was President in 1993 during the first attack on the World Trade Center? How about the Khobar Towers, or the U.S.S. Cole. Who had African countries offering Bin Laden up on a silver platter but didn't take him? http://theclosetconservative.com
Jacob are you deliberately ignorant of the history of Islam and muslims...
Islam is worse that just a 6th century war declared on humanity till time ends..It is comparable to the decepetion of Eve as stated in 2 Corinthians 11 -4,14..
Allah is not the God of Abraham ..He is the imposter posing as the God of Abraham...Historically he is the ancient moon god named Sin... and in reality he is the god of death...
He will soon say to Americans "bow down and worship me as the god (of Abraham) and I will give you the world " (in jihad)...What will be your answer????
The left has already surrendered....All they need to do now is say the shahada...and they will
You HAVE to be kidding!
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