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grantcart

(53,061 posts)
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:12 PM Jul 2012

Romney on England: "It is a small island . . doesn't make things. . the world wants to buy".

Last edited Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:11 PM - Edit history (1)



On edit: Just for fun I emailed this to the Guardian writer who wrote about Romney's other gaffes.




As reported by the Political Wire





http://politicalwire.com/


Romney wrote, in his book, No Apology:

"England is just a small island. Its roads and houses are small. With few exceptions, it doesn't make things that people in the rest of the world want to buy. And if it hadn't been separated from the continent by water, it almost certainly would have been lost to Hitler's ambitions."





I made a prediction that the President's campaign would be leaking little tid bits, and wonder if this is one of them.

Remember Mitt, No Apologies now.
180 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Romney on England: "It is a small island . . doesn't make things. . the world wants to buy". (Original Post) grantcart Jul 2012 OP
OMG Rosa Luxemburg Jul 2012 #1
And to think Mitt went there to show off his foreign policy skills. I guess he did. bulloney Jul 2012 #66
God, I love England. I love London. Fuck Romney. roguevalley Jul 2012 #118
Their trees...not the right size. TwilightGardener Jul 2012 #2
yes I did spill my water over my keyboard on that one. grantcart Jul 2012 #3
omfg... lol Coexist Jul 2012 #6
spit take TeamPooka Jul 2012 #19
. myrna minx Jul 2012 #34
Good lord. DURHAM D Jul 2012 #4
. ProSense Jul 2012 #5
Wow! SunsetDreams Jul 2012 #7
Surely this cannot be true. mainer Jul 2012 #8
When you're flying over at 36,000 feet, they do look small nichomachus Jul 2012 #10
and as was pointed out up thread, their trees are not the right height. grantcart Jul 2012 #13
And when you are descending down through the fog, RebelOne Jul 2012 #55
when you live like he does, iamthebandfanman Jul 2012 #142
He could malaise Jul 2012 #18
Well, certainly not ALL of them. MissMarple Jul 2012 #41
Small houses like Downton Abbey, and all those other Jane Austin Jul 2012 #82
Lord Grantham would appear to be quite plebeian to Mittens. nt mentalsolstice Jul 2012 #101
Not all of them certainly but I did notice 4th law of robotics Jul 2012 #141
It's true. enlightenment Jul 2012 #154
And this idiot wants to be our chief diplomat and foriegn policy maker??? CaliforniaPeggy Jul 2012 #9
Breaking News: Mitt Romney buys the UK, plans to use it as his own private island. JoePhilly Jul 2012 #11
Bulldozes all the small houses to make room for one large compound. "That Buckingham place... Moonwalk Jul 2012 #164
Peeve: who cares if the rest of the world wants to buy their stuff? arcane1 Jul 2012 #12
"Compete globally" means TBF Jul 2012 #30
Oh my JustAnotherGen Jul 2012 #14
The FLOTUS will be her usual gracious, intelligent and elegant hifiguy Jul 2012 #40
She can't get there fast enough! JustAnotherGen Jul 2012 #53
Face It England: He's Just Not That Into You otohara Jul 2012 #89
Yet the tailors... awoke_in_2003 Jul 2012 #143
When Candidate Obama went there in '08 Rozlee Jul 2012 #74
Reminds me of Randy Newman's parody song "Short People" AnotherMother4Peace Jul 2012 #15
and their health care system, worse than Socialism Motown_Johnny Jul 2012 #16
Well, now Aerows Jul 2012 #17
England is not an island Enrique Jul 2012 #20
Mitt, Learn the difference between England, Britain, and UK... JaneQPublic Jul 2012 #25
That was my first reaction. libinnyandia Jul 2012 #45
If England is an island... NYC Liberal Jul 2012 #50
Scotland is just a suburb. /nt localroger Jul 2012 #86
Right. It's only half an island JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2012 #137
Wow! just Wow! madinmaryland Jul 2012 #21
I'm waiting for him to say Aerows Jul 2012 #22
This guy is a disaster! Gregorian Jul 2012 #23
I'm surprised he doesn't chastise them for driving on the wrong side of the road... KansDem Jul 2012 #24
They don't. GetRidOfThem Jul 2012 #111
And the front seat passenger gets the steering wheel JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2012 #136
Good grief. How embarrassing. PotatoChip Jul 2012 #26
So wrong on many counts. mwooldri Jul 2012 #27
Well... 14thColony Jul 2012 #52
lol! eShirl Jul 2012 #112
Rumor is he wants to tear down England and install a car elevator. Hassin Bin Sober Jul 2012 #28
Mitt the twit! Raster Jul 2012 #29
"Small houses! Small Roads! It's a nation of Hobbits!" mainer Jul 2012 #31
LOL lillypaddle Jul 2012 #97
Sounds like heaven! Marrah_G Jul 2012 #123
Like the Hobbits, they saved our collective ass. sarge43 Jul 2012 #133
Can I just say, as a Brit, and on behalf of my dead grandfather, sibelian Jul 2012 #157
Thank you. sarge43 Jul 2012 #173
They make stuff I want to buy. ForgoTheConsequence Jul 2012 #32
I think beer and ale. AlinPA Jul 2012 #42
Fish and chips Aerows Jul 2012 #69
Don't forget the mushy peas! spiderpig Jul 2012 #178
I hate peas Aerows Jul 2012 #179
Their music, too. Fawke Em Jul 2012 #48
good point! ForgoTheConsequence Jul 2012 #75
And we buy books by their authors treestar Jul 2012 #98
And popular titles, too--like, oh, let me see-- tblue37 Jul 2012 #170
For the ladies: LUSH UK, where it all began, plus Boden which has the most adorable clothes. n/t progressivebydesign Jul 2012 #60
They made stuff I've bought FOR YEARS. BEATLES music, for one. calimary Jul 2012 #96
And my MINI mentalsolstice Jul 2012 #105
And I simply couldn't do without my William and Kate tea towels! smirkymonkey Jul 2012 #113
Aga Six- Four REP Jul 2012 #114
DR Harris and Truefitt & Hill... awoke_in_2003 Jul 2012 #144
For the past 50 years, they've done TV comedy 300 times better than Americans. HughBeaumont Jul 2012 #150
England and Scotland make some of the finest audio components in the world. Elwood P Dowd Jul 2012 #156
Those little homes have no lifts for their car parks! JBoy Jul 2012 #33
No words, just... ailsagirl Jul 2012 #35
He also says if not for divide by continent Hitler would have prevailed! WI_DEM Jul 2012 #36
Given the military situation in 1939-40, I'm not sure Hitler wouldn't have taken the country, hughee99 Jul 2012 #68
So , if not for the Atlantic Ocean , the US would still be British colonies ? pkdu Jul 2012 #127
Or it could be that Brits stuck around to fight for their country instead of going on missions! SunSeeker Jul 2012 #130
That is probably true 4th law of robotics Jul 2012 #160
not the right size . . . that's his ocd thing bigtree Jul 2012 #37
I am starting to speculate about his obsession with vanlassie Jul 2012 #124
I guess Romney never bought phonograph records during his youth aint_no_life_nowhere Jul 2012 #38
Percy Faith was from England? Jeff In Milwaukee Jul 2012 #39
He was probably listening to Perry Como XemaSab Jul 2012 #102
knr Douglas Carpenter Jul 2012 #43
Mr Diplomacy... HooptieWagon Jul 2012 #44
Mitt is clearly referring to England post-1066. You know, the year when coalition_unwilling Jul 2012 #46
Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? Bobbie Jo Jul 2012 #47
Perfect comparison! JNelson6563 Jul 2012 #54
why would he write crap like that? Liberal_in_LA Jul 2012 #49
I wonder if he has the stones to admit it was ghostwritten?? Blue_Tires Jul 2012 #168
England is lucky that a body of water separates them from Romney's ambitions. Erose999 Jul 2012 #51
Yeah, but you can't run for King. hifiguy Jul 2012 #57
I don't think Romney would be above playing the game of thrones though.... I mean the Mormons could Erose999 Jul 2012 #138
Not so much a "leak." It's in GoogleBooks for anyone to read. Here's more: Chiyo-chichi Jul 2012 #56
but the only people to have read the book are opposiiton researchers Viking12 Jul 2012 #71
Fair enough. Chiyo-chichi Jul 2012 #73
Mitt the Twit is really a gift that keeps on giving, isn't he? alphafemale Jul 2012 #58
To be fair, every country's houses are small compared to his 11,000 sinkingfeeling Jul 2012 #59
Oh come on, he lived in his son's basement... SunSeeker Jul 2012 #131
There houses are so small, they even can't fit car elevators JPZenger Jul 2012 #159
I just posted that quote on the Telegraph's comment section - I suggest we all post this quote on Douglas Carpenter Jul 2012 #61
Mitt should have hired a plagiarist like GW did to write his book... Kalidurga Jul 2012 #62
K & R OmahaBlueDog Jul 2012 #63
Don't want to buy? Hell, they make something I NEED to buy: Newcastle Brown Ale mikeytherat Jul 2012 #64
Duzy Award material in this thread! northoftheborder Jul 2012 #65
grantcart Diclotican Jul 2012 #67
what an idiot. fishwax Jul 2012 #70
Another thing England makes that the world wants to buy: dressage saddles! Chiyo-chichi Jul 2012 #72
What? No dentistry gaff yet? longship Jul 2012 #76
So, if Romney wins . . . war with England? tclambert Jul 2012 #77
Does this idiot have any idea of English pride in weathering the blitz? Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2012 #78
No, he has no idea... awoke_in_2003 Jul 2012 #145
Hitler declaring war on us made that decision for us. Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2012 #169
Yep... awoke_in_2003 Jul 2012 #172
Not to mention the ambitions of the Right who wanted to Assassinate FDR. Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2012 #174
geeze that's bad Whisp Jul 2012 #79
This message was self-deleted by its author allan01 Jul 2012 #80
re:Romney on England: "It is a small island . . doesn't make things. . the world wants to buy". allan01 Jul 2012 #81
Ah yes, chickenhawk Romney thinks he's Mendocino Jul 2012 #83
As long as he promises to protect the island of England from the Soviet Union, tclambert Jul 2012 #84
Romney staff offended their British hosts DearAbby Jul 2012 #85
oh my...how embarrassing limpyhobbler Jul 2012 #87
Amazing. I hope the Guardian picks it up. Vinca Jul 2012 #88
Well, Romney should certainly be an expert on putting out things no one wants to buy... n/t gkhouston Jul 2012 #90
Hey Mitt--what language did you write your book in? panader0 Jul 2012 #91
Here it is in context Courtesy Flush Jul 2012 #92
Well, it has been 200 years Spirochete Jul 2012 #93
The quote's been picked up by other sites and spread via twitter Iterate Jul 2012 #94
I have emailed to the Guardian. grantcart Jul 2012 #100
What is going on with this man? wendylaroux Jul 2012 #95
he wants to win CountAllVotes Jul 2012 #99
It's that CEO mentality talking. He's the chief executive. So might as well say "king." calimary Jul 2012 #106
They don't say y'all or like cheesy grits in England. Initech Jul 2012 #103
Was he hoping that Hitler invaded England? Rosa Luxemburg Jul 2012 #104
He's with the Koch family, check out this by Thom Hartmann on MM & V. Devastating: freshwest Jul 2012 #108
it's very worrying Rosa Luxemburg Jul 2012 #110
OMG this quote should be posted on the UK board. It would be delicious to hear them go at Mittens! freshwest Jul 2012 #107
Watch his approval rating among Republican voters shoot up nxylas Jul 2012 #109
OMG!! I just saw this on The Ed Show! Grantcart sure is spreading it around! LOL! DippyDem Jul 2012 #115
Dear England Deb Jul 2012 #116
that ones gonna leave a mark 90-percent Jul 2012 #117
Mitt would've got the Hershey Squirts every time the air raid siren went off NBachers Jul 2012 #125
The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Monty Python, Shakespeare, and too many thespians to mention... peacebird Jul 2012 #119
"Old Europe" moondust Jul 2012 #120
Don't diss on Marshall Amps Mitwit Phlem Jul 2012 #121
Better amps are still made in the UK. harmonicon Jul 2012 #134
I bought a Marshall 100 watt stack in London in 1968 aint_no_life_nowhere Jul 2012 #153
It depends on the specific amp model and year as well. harmonicon Jul 2012 #155
Unfortunately, I experienced a financial crisis in about 1980 aint_no_life_nowhere Jul 2012 #161
I'm sorry to hear that. harmonicon Jul 2012 #162
It is nuts aint_no_life_nowhere Jul 2012 #163
I wish I would have had musicians in my family to give me some guidance at that time. harmonicon Jul 2012 #166
Yes Phlem Jul 2012 #175
Hiwatt and Vox too. Erose999 Jul 2012 #139
Back in the day I had a Vox Berkeley II with a Beatle bottom. xtraxritical Jul 2012 #165
And yet........ Smilo Jul 2012 #122
They also make the best jet engines in the business Populist_Prole Jul 2012 #126
That is bloody insulting as fuck!! and-justice-for-all Jul 2012 #128
I certainly want to buy a Dallas Rangemaster and the chair that Christine Keeler sat in Tom Ripley Jul 2012 #129
"...doesn't make things. . the world wants to buy". Raster Jul 2012 #132
Does Gov. Romney even know that England is NOT an island? It is located on one of the British Isles Douglas Carpenter Jul 2012 #135
I am reminded of Sarah Palin's comment about the "country" of Africa. nt tblue37 Jul 2012 #171
The quote is now mentioned in a ForeignPolicy blog! Iterate Jul 2012 #140
I'm gonna hear about this all week from my English friends! agentS Jul 2012 #146
That racist quote about Obama from RMoney's aide last week- I certainly believe it now! agentS Jul 2012 #147
I am hoping that Mitt's visit to Poland produces something classic Walk away Jul 2012 #148
Bain Companies in England Betty Jo Jul 2012 #149
So, in a nutshell: malthaussen Jul 2012 #151
Oh now THAT'S funny slackmaster Jul 2012 #152
And while Britain was fighting Hitler, your family was....? JPZenger Jul 2012 #158
I'll take a half-dozen of these, please: Blue_Tires Jul 2012 #167
He must have got a shock watching the Olympic Ceremony Londoncalling Jul 2012 #176
He's an educated man who thinks the rest of the world is made up of idiots. undeterred Jul 2012 #177
I don't understand why he'd go out of his way to insult a long time ally like that. Marr Jul 2012 #180

mainer

(12,010 posts)
8. Surely this cannot be true.
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:19 PM
Jul 2012

Small roads? Small houses? He couldn't really have said that!

Could he?!!

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
55. And when you are descending down through the fog,
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:19 PM
Jul 2012

which always seems to be there, you cannot see just how big London is. Been there, done that and it is far from a little island.

 

4th law of robotics

(6,801 posts)
141. Not all of them certainly but I did notice
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 09:39 AM
Jul 2012

from my travels to europe that the houses and roads there are noticeably smaller.

Not surprising since they cram more people in to less space than we do.

enlightenment

(8,830 posts)
154. It's true.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:37 PM
Jul 2012

The smallest in Europe, on average, in home space built since 2003 (this is a 2011 study) and tiny compared to the average in the US. Furniture tends to be smaller; not as massively overbuilt and the available space is designed to be utilized efficiently. People in homes tend to spend time in the same rooms at the same time, too. Extra space is a very American concept - just because we have it doesn't mean it's necessary.

As for smaller roads; yes, many of their roads are 'smaller' - they have smaller vehicles, overall. And comprehensive, efficient public transport that minimizes the need for a vehicle at all for many people. I spend a lot of time in the UK and rarely feel like I'm being cramped or don't have enough space (rush hour on the London tube is a different story, I'll grant, but nothing is perfect).



The largest square is the US; the smallest is the UK.
US: 2,300sf
Australia: 2,217sf
Denmark: 1,475sf
France: 1,216sf
Spain: 1,044sf
Ireland: 947sf
UK: 818sf

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/average-home-sizes-around-the-151738

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,181 posts)
9. And this idiot wants to be our chief diplomat and foriegn policy maker???
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:20 PM
Jul 2012

How to piss off your closest ally, casually!

Moonwalk

(2,322 posts)
164. Bulldozes all the small houses to make room for one large compound. "That Buckingham place...
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 01:52 PM
Jul 2012

...was large enough for a guest house," Mitt says, "but it was just too old. It had to go."

 

arcane1

(38,613 posts)
12. Peeve: who cares if the rest of the world wants to buy their stuff?
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:23 PM
Jul 2012

I've never understood this whole "compete globally" nonsense.

TBF

(31,892 posts)
30. "Compete globally" means
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:45 PM
Jul 2012

wealthy capitalists buy up everything of value in the world to resell at a profit. If you can't get something legally, you send in your army to secure it for you. Luckily England will likely remain off Romney's radar because he sees nothing useful there.

JustAnotherGen

(31,631 posts)
14. Oh my
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:24 PM
Jul 2012

Michelle Obama is walking into a mess when she gets there! This guy is such an idiot. He oughta be ashamed of himself.

And I hope they let her tell the press - because the British press WILL ask about it - "For the first time in a long time, I'm ashamed of America."

 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
40. The FLOTUS will be her usual gracious, intelligent and elegant
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:00 PM
Jul 2012

self. And the British press will eat it up and praise her to the moon. Probably contrasting her with Mittwit in the process. It will be to laugh.

 

otohara

(24,135 posts)
89. Face It England: He's Just Not That Into You
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:47 PM
Jul 2012

translation: and he/Ann have never found anything they'd like to buy from England.

Rozlee

(2,529 posts)
74. When Candidate Obama went there in '08
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:53 PM
Jul 2012

He was greeted as a rock star. Throughout the U.K., he was met by swooning enthusiastic crowds in the tens of thousands and even, at one place, by 200,000. I take it poor Mitts' visit is a bit more toned down. Well, at least the Brit comedians are having a field day.

AnotherMother4Peace

(4,224 posts)
15. Reminds me of Randy Newman's parody song "Short People"
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:25 PM
Jul 2012

Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
To live
They got little hands
Little eyes
They walk around
Tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet
Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People`Round here
Short People are just the same
As you and I
(A Fool Such As I)
All men are brothers

JaneQPublic

(7,113 posts)
25. Mitt, Learn the difference between England, Britain, and UK...
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:42 PM
Jul 2012

Right after you learn the difference between USSR and Russia.

JustABozoOnThisBus

(23,266 posts)
137. Right. It's only half an island
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 07:09 AM
Jul 2012

... like Haiti.

I'm sure Romney didn't write any book. He probably just gave a nod to someone who wrote a check to the actual author. And if the book causes any waves, he will deny authorship. The actual author will find himself looking up at the undercarriage of a bus.

 

Aerows

(39,961 posts)
22. I'm waiting for him to say
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:34 PM
Jul 2012

an "adviser" said that, and he doesn't really believe it, even though his name is on the cover.

It's not like he ever thought that.

An asshole that won't take responsibility for being an asshole on purpose is infinitely worse than an asshole by accident or an asshole on purpose that owns up to it.

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
23. This guy is a disaster!
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:38 PM
Jul 2012

No Mitt, you'd have to go back to the days of England that you would love to see America go to in order to see the gross opulence that you are alluding to. When a chateau was really a chateau, and servants were really servants.

Mitt is GROSS and BOORISH!

PotatoChip

(3,186 posts)
26. Good grief. How embarrassing.
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:42 PM
Jul 2012

This man better not get anywhere near the Presidency.

8 years of Shrub-style gaffes were more then enough.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
27. So wrong on many counts.
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:44 PM
Jul 2012

England is on an island that most people refer to as Great Britain. England has a land border (shock horror!) with two other nations.

Small houses? Compared to what? The roads are "adequate". Last I heard England had a rail passenger service that works. Kind of. And though not much gets made here anymore there are plenty of people in the rest of the world willing to buy stuff in the City of London.

And if the island of Great Britain was still attached to the European continent (in the land sense), the whole of history would be very different. The Romans would have marched over here. We might have been part of a larger France. Who knows? That's an alternative reality.

14thColony

(1,515 posts)
52. Well...
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:14 PM
Jul 2012

While he is a moron, we do have the least living space per person in Europe. At least according to the most reputable source I know: QI.

Beyond that he's a moron of course.

mainer

(12,010 posts)
31. "Small houses! Small Roads! It's a nation of Hobbits!"
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:49 PM
Jul 2012

"Teeny people who don't do anything productive but drink and make merry all day!"

Well, he might as well have said it.

sarge43

(28,935 posts)
133. Like the Hobbits, they saved our collective ass.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 05:43 AM
Jul 2012

At a terrible cost, they held the line. We owe them more than we can ever repay.

Romney is an ugly fraction of a man. My apologies to men.

sibelian

(7,804 posts)
157. Can I just say, as a Brit, and on behalf of my dead grandfather,
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:49 PM
Jul 2012

That you are the first American I have EVER heard say something like this and it means more to me than I can say.

Thank you.

sarge43

(28,935 posts)
173. Thank you.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 05:23 PM
Jul 2012

I'm sorry you haven't heard more Americans say thank you. We aren't all Romneys (thank God) and many of us do recognize the debt we owe. Not only your country's valiant defense, also law, language, literature and so much more.

You all have a great Olympic Games.

ForgoTheConsequence

(4,846 posts)
75. good point!
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:58 PM
Jul 2012

Romney doesn't strike me as a fan of The Who or the Stones though. Bet he couldn't name a single song.

tblue37

(64,860 posts)
170. And popular titles, too--like, oh, let me see--
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 04:57 PM
Jul 2012

the Harry Potter series!

And many of our most successful TV shows are just cheap copies of better versions that were first made in England.

calimary

(80,521 posts)
96. They made stuff I've bought FOR YEARS. BEATLES music, for one.
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 06:14 PM
Jul 2012

The entire "British Invasion" in rock music in the '60s, along with Yardley of London cosmetics (I bought nothing BUT their eye makeup for years!), and Mary Quant and Jean Shrimpton who practically LIVED on American magazine covers for years, and Twiggy. All losers nobody ever heard of or was interested in, 'eh? Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, Burberry UK, Philip Treacy and those crazy much-talked-about hats. John Galliano.

Then, too, the MG (my first car, bought used and loved for years), Jaguar, Rolls Royce - the car AND the engines that power huge machinery and aircraft, Austins, the Mini-Coopers, Land Rovers, the Lotus, and more, and let's not forget the Aston Martin.

Which brings us to the arts. How 'bout the guy who drove those Aston Martins - James Bond. Gee, that was a nothing dead-end brand that nobody was interested in buying, wasn't it? The BBC and all those dramas and comedies. Mr. Bean etc. Nope, not buying any of those, are we? Monty Python - naaaah. Useless boring uninteresting failures for sure. Absolutely Fabulous? Adele? Another bunch of nobodies. From Charlie Chaplin to Alfred Hitchcock to Cary Grant to BOB HOPE. Yep, he was born in Britain, and his real first name was Leslie. Elizabeth Taylor. Hell, half the rock world is British in origin. Sean Connery, with or without 007. Colin Firth. Patrick Stewart. Emma Thompson. Kenneth Branagh (one of the best actors EVER), Alan Rickman (another one of the best actors EVER) - and speaking of which, Harry Potter Et Al. Yeah, that was a big wash-out, wasn't it - in both book stores AND theaters. Nobody gave a damn about anything some J.K. Rowling wrote, did they? And let's not forget that complete loser Will Shakespeare...

Oh yeah, and never mind that our top TV shows were all Americanized versions of BRITISH television, whether it was "All in the Family" or "American Idol." Those were BRITISH inventions.

Yeah the Brits. They got NOTHIN'. NOTHING of interest. Nobody even pays attention to those boring stuffy British royal weddings either. Nobody tuned in for any of that. Americans don't give a shit about all that pageantry. That's why nobody ever goes over as tourists to visit London or Stonehenge or Stratford-on-Avon or that big-ass Holy Grail of Golf in Scotland where tom delay and all his little friends just HAD to go on an expensive freebie junket, or anything that they got in trouble for back home. Or Irish linen, English Breakfast tea and Earl Grey tea, Irish Breakfast tea (they should all hold their tongues in romneyland, what with their teabagger bits - where do they think THAT originated???), crumpets, scones and other high tea delights, plaid, heather, English lavender and English roses, corgis, cheddar cheese, and more. The ENTIRE UK, including Ireland and Scotland and Wales. And the Empire that spawned US Americans OURSELVES!!!

WHAT AN ARROGANT ASSHOLE romney IS!!!!!! And his arrogant smug snooty wife, too. They're the quintessential Mr. and Mrs. Ugly American, if anybody ever was. Hey shitty mitty - you think Obama was going from country to country "apologizing" for America? I've got BIG news for you, asshole - we're ALL going to be going around the world apologizing for America if YOU somehow manage to buy your way into the White House.

Your cash ain't nothin' but TRASH. Just like YOU.

mentalsolstice

(4,452 posts)
105. And my MINI
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 06:43 PM
Jul 2012

I know it's now German engineered, but it's still British built. For as long as I can drive, I don't want to drive anything else...just wish they would start shipping the diesel model over here.

HughBeaumont

(24,461 posts)
150. For the past 50 years, they've done TV comedy 300 times better than Americans.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:09 PM
Jul 2012

A killer stream of awesomeness from the mid 60s to the 2010s.

Elwood P Dowd

(11,443 posts)
156. England and Scotland make some of the finest audio components in the world.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:45 PM
Jul 2012

Quad, Linn Sondek, Creek, Rega, Spendor, Tannoy, Exposure, and Goldring just to name a few.

JBoy

(8,021 posts)
33. Those little homes have no lifts for their car parks!
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:50 PM
Jul 2012

And the British don't enjoy making blokes redundant!

hughee99

(16,113 posts)
68. Given the military situation in 1939-40, I'm not sure Hitler wouldn't have taken the country,
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:45 PM
Jul 2012

of course, if it weren't for the divide, they probably wouldn't have been spending so much of their military budget on their navy for centuries, so who knows what the situation would have looked like.

pkdu

(3,977 posts)
127. So , if not for the Atlantic Ocean , the US would still be British colonies ?
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:35 AM
Jul 2012

The man is an idiot with aHarvard degree

 

4th law of robotics

(6,801 posts)
160. That is probably true
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 01:09 PM
Jul 2012

The brits greatest victory at that point in the war was Dunkirk, a major evacuation.

The german army had just wiped out the much larger french forces with ease.

It's doubtful, with a land connection that Britain would have been able to hold back the Huns. They just barely managed as is.

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
38. I guess Romney never bought phonograph records during his youth
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 03:58 PM
Jul 2012

The greatest music during the '60s was coming from that little island.

 

coalition_unwilling

(14,180 posts)
46. Mitt is clearly referring to England post-1066. You know, the year when
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:07 PM
Jul 2012

Old Europe got all up in the Anglo-Saxons' grill?

JNelson6563

(28,151 posts)
54. Perfect comparison!
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:15 PM
Jul 2012

And yes, special kind of arrogance.

I look at it this way, the Brits will love us all the more when we re-elect President Obama.

The US & UK~BFFs and stuff.

Julie

Erose999

(5,624 posts)
138. I don't think Romney would be above playing the game of thrones though.... I mean the Mormons could
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 09:20 AM
Jul 2012

probably posthumously baptize Henry VIII and make some sort of claim for the throne. I think this whole "Romney goes to London" thing is just his way of sizing up his chances.

Chiyo-chichi

(3,557 posts)
56. Not so much a "leak." It's in GoogleBooks for anyone to read. Here's more:
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:21 PM
Jul 2012

Last edited Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:06 PM - Edit history (1)

http://books.google.com/books?id=PDpBpo5CVB4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=mitt+romney+no+apology&source=bl&ots=wGt5MR7o4i&sig=9O7kL5HZdlFWWfYQh4IfwUr_EzM&hl=en&src=bmrr&sa=X&ei=jKYRUPSQAoTerAHcwYHoCQ&ved=0CD4Q6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=mitt%20romney%20no%20apology&f=false

"China, Spain, Britain, and the Ottomans expressly or effectively retreated behind barriers to foreign trade, each convinced that competition had made them weaker. Their retreat from the marketplace of ideas and their retreat from the marketplace of goods inevitable led the their retreat from the pinnacle of leadership.” (40-41)

“…the British culture of order, organization, and rigid structure—once assets in Britain’s conquest of nations in the undeveloped world—may have prevented it from developing the risk-taking approach and entrepreneurialism critical in free markets. Culture did indeed make a difference.” (41)

“The history of leading nations that have fallen has even more to teach us, however, perhaps at a more fundamental level. In the face of evident decline, why do nations fail to act? Are there cases where nations instead have acted to halt their decline? What accounts for the difference between the two? The answers to these questions may be the most instructive because they can suggest a course of vigilance in the modern world very different from that of the Ottomans, the Spanish, the Portuguese, or even the British.” (42)

So... according to Mitt... Britain has retreated from the marketplace of ideas, they are risk-averse and are not entrepreneurial because of their rigid structure and culture, and they are a fallen nation.

Viking12

(6,012 posts)
71. but the only people to have read the book are opposiiton researchers
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:48 PM
Jul 2012

so the information is kind of like a secret

Douglas Carpenter

(20,226 posts)
61. I just posted that quote on the Telegraph's comment section - I suggest we all post this quote on
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:27 PM
Jul 2012

the comment sections of all the British newspapers and tabloids that are carrying stories about Romney. Let this story clobber Romney while he is sojourning in the U.K.

Kalidurga

(14,177 posts)
62. Mitt should have hired a plagiarist like GW did to write his book...
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 04:28 PM
Jul 2012

it might not have had so many gaffes.

 

Spitfire of ATJ

(32,723 posts)
78. Does this idiot have any idea of English pride in weathering the blitz?
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:04 PM
Jul 2012

They were hit by bombs that took out whole blocks of buildings back when "blockbuster" wasn't a summer movie or a video rental store.



Romney would have cut a deal with Hitler to buy and sell England for quick buck.
 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
145. No, he has no idea...
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 11:37 AM
Jul 2012

like many other deluded Americans, he likes to think that we swooped in like Underdog and saved the day. The Brits fought like hell until we decided to pull our heads out and join the fight.

 

awoke_in_2003

(34,582 posts)
172. Yep...
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 05:19 PM
Jul 2012

we probably wouldn't have jumped in had he not. We would have been happy just sitting back and making money on Lend/Lease

 

Spitfire of ATJ

(32,723 posts)
174. Not to mention the ambitions of the Right who wanted to Assassinate FDR.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 09:08 PM
Jul 2012

That bonehead play set them back 100 years.

There's a general sense of urgency on their part. That's the only thing that explains how blatant they have been. Between SuperPacs and offering the the Tea Party as a solution to their draining the world's treasury.

Maybe they're just so far behind the times that they never got the memo about a digital age and they think that if it doesn't make it to the 6 O'clock News then it never happened.

 

Whisp

(24,096 posts)
79. geeze that's bad
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:04 PM
Jul 2012

reminds me of a kid in school that didn't study and had to make something up on the spot.
what a doofus

Response to grantcart (Original post)

Mendocino

(7,417 posts)
83. Ah yes, chickenhawk Romney thinks he's
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:19 PM
Jul 2012

an expert on war, based on his extensive experiences avoiding it.

tclambert

(11,077 posts)
84. As long as he promises to protect the island of England from the Soviet Union,
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:23 PM
Jul 2012

he'll have all that diplomacy stuff mastered.

DearAbby

(12,461 posts)
85. Romney staff offended their British hosts
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 05:27 PM
Jul 2012

by tossing a quarter at a local historian, to pay for a rat to gnaw that thing off her face.


Spirochete

(5,264 posts)
93. Well, it has been 200 years
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 06:00 PM
Jul 2012

since we've had a war with GB. We're liable to be in another one by the time Numbnuts is done over there. What a knob!


CountAllVotes

(20,849 posts)
99. he wants to win
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 06:19 PM
Jul 2012

... not lose ...

He is not a practical candidate.

Soon others will see this aspect of this idiot. *sigh*

calimary

(80,521 posts)
106. It's that CEO mentality talking. He's the chief executive. So might as well say "king."
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 06:49 PM
Jul 2012

The latter day version of absolute monarch as a "captain of industry." To whom everyone beneath him (and as CEO, that means EVERYONE is beneath him) bows and scrapes.

The CEO's word is law and no one questions it, especially since he likes firing people who serve him.

That alone leaves him extremely ill-equipped to be a public servant, which the President of the United States is.

freshwest

(53,661 posts)
108. He's with the Koch family, check out this by Thom Hartmann on MM & V. Devastating:
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 06:57 PM
Jul 2012
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1017&pid=44227

The transcript is there in addition to the video. Yes, Romney would have probably thought it be best if Hitler won, just like the Koch family. It's laid out so plain, it's mind boggling.

nxylas

(6,440 posts)
109. Watch his approval rating among Republican voters shoot up
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 07:02 PM
Jul 2012

"He sure showed those foreigners who's boss, ah hyuck hyuck".

90-percent

(6,817 posts)
117. that ones gonna leave a mark
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 09:19 PM
Jul 2012

"And if it hadn't been separated from the continent by water, it almost certainly would have been lost to Hitler's ambitions"

Just how ignorant can one man be? The entire British populations character and resolve was tested by Hitler and they beat him. By sheer guts and bravery and valor and determination. And an exceptionally wise and cagey Franklin Roosevelt. Churchill was pretty brilliant, also.

To attribute their WW2 victory merely to the English Channel is one hell of an insult to all British people and their forefathers.

I hope this gaffe has legs and longevity.

And remind me never to ask Mitt to help me with my history term papers.

-90% jimmy

NBachers

(16,967 posts)
125. Mitt would've got the Hershey Squirts every time the air raid siren went off
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 11:43 PM
Jul 2012

Nobody sings it like Dame Vera Lynn:

peacebird

(14,195 posts)
119. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Monty Python, Shakespeare, and too many thespians to mention...
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 09:48 PM
Jul 2012

Nah, that little island produces nothing people want to buy.....

Phlem

(6,323 posts)
121. Don't diss on Marshall Amps Mitwit
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 11:04 PM
Jul 2012

Maybe they aren't made there anymore but it was the birthplace.

man what moran!

-p

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
134. Better amps are still made in the UK.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 05:53 AM
Jul 2012

I have a friend from Australia who came here specifically so that he could make guitar amps. Check out Matamp and Hayden. They both blow Marshall out of the water. Laney still makes some of their amps in the UK as well. There are other companies I'm forgetting as well, of course.

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
153. I bought a Marshall 100 watt stack in London in 1968
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:25 PM
Jul 2012

at the Rose Morris Showroom on Shaftesbury Avenue. Great amp. I listened to pretty much all the amps they had including the sounds I heard from groups using them live in clubs and I thought Marshalls just had that crisp, crunchy sound like Hendrix got that you couldn't get with any other amp. I tried Laney, Orange, Hi-Watt, Sound City, Wem and I couldn't get that Marshall sound from anything else. The Vox AC 30 was a cool amp for its crisp crystalline sound and portability but it just didn't do it either. I had a U.S. made Sunn with two cabinets and that didn't give me that sound either, although Hendrix went through a period of using Sunn amps instead of Marshalls. I guess it depends on what sound texture you like.

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
155. It depends on the specific amp model and year as well.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:42 PM
Jul 2012

Some of those companies used the same manufacturers at times, some manufacturers switched factories, etc. I know that early Orange amps were made by Matamp, and I think there was some overlap between Orange and Marshall at some point, as far as manufacturing goes.

Do you still have that Marshall? I hope for your sake you do.

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
161. Unfortunately, I experienced a financial crisis in about 1980
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 01:25 PM
Jul 2012

and I had no choice but to sell the Sunn stack, the Marshall stack, along with a pre-CBS strat and telecaster, 1961 Gibson ES 335, vintage Gibson Les Paul Special with the P-90s, and vintage Epiphone Broadway. I even had to get rid of my beautiful 1960 Jaguar Mark II 3.8 sedan. I had no idea that collectors would one day put these things out of reach. They were very affordable when I originally bought them. The store in London gladly took 6 crisp $100 bills US for the Marshall stack when I bought it new.

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
162. I'm sorry to hear that.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 01:42 PM
Jul 2012

The pricing of vintage instruments has become insane.

When I was first getting into music in the late 80's and early 90's, 70's and early 80's Fenders were seen as junk and were still really affordable. Now those same guitars are sought-after. It used to be that people wanted pre-CBS or nothing. Now, pre-CBS fenders are out of the price-range of even most pro musicians, unless they're of the wealthy sort.

aint_no_life_nowhere

(21,925 posts)
163. It is nuts
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 01:49 PM
Jul 2012

I paid $100 for the used pre-CBS telecaster when I bought it at a music store in Georgia in 1966. Good guitar. It wasn't considered collectible back then. Back then, a high school kid mowing lawns could afford a real good guitar. Nowadays, a kid mowing lawns can afford a piece of crap made in China.

harmonicon

(12,008 posts)
166. I wish I would have had musicians in my family to give me some guidance at that time.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 02:08 PM
Jul 2012

My first bass I got in '89 was a piece of crap made in who-knows-where. By the time I replaced it a year or two later, one tuner was falling apart, and it had serious gouges in the frets. Still, that bass - a Kramer - isn't worth squat now. For about that same price, I could have got a 10 year old USA fender, which would be worth double to triple now. *sigh* live and learn.

I really want a new guitar now, but I'm holding out until I can afford the vintage gibson that I really want, because I know that it won't go down in value, and if it's lasted 50 years, it will last 50 more just fine. Neither are likely true of many new guitars.

Phlem

(6,323 posts)
175. Yes
Sat Jul 28, 2012, 12:40 AM
Jul 2012

but I'v never heard of those so I'll have to check them out, Yeay! Like a kid in a toy store. I bought Marshall DSL100 JCM 2000 A while ago and it sits on a Laney top cab. It is just sweet, even w/o effects!

I'm clueless as to where they were manufactured.



-p

 

xtraxritical

(3,576 posts)
165. Back in the day I had a Vox Berkeley II with a Beatle bottom.
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 02:05 PM
Jul 2012

The bottom had 4 - "12s and 2 midrange horns. This along with a Gibson SG standard. I could retire on that stuff now!

Smilo

(1,944 posts)
122. And yet........
Thu Jul 26, 2012, 11:18 PM
Jul 2012

he is quite happy to take their money.

Romney, has any Brit called you a wanker yet? Because they should.

Populist_Prole

(5,364 posts)
126. They also make the best jet engines in the business
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:26 AM
Jul 2012
Thousands of airliners flying with Rolls Royce engines. Rugged and reliable.


and-justice-for-all

(14,765 posts)
128. That is bloody insulting as fuck!!
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 01:19 AM
Jul 2012

I hope that gets sent across the pond for them to print so they can show the citizens what are repuke fuckwads are saying about them.

Douglas Carpenter

(20,226 posts)
135. Does Gov. Romney even know that England is NOT an island? It is located on one of the British Isles
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 06:11 AM
Jul 2012

which it shares with Wales and Scotland. There is no island of England. If this was an innocent comment by a tourist stumbling around Piccadilly Circus - it would be a forgivable faux pas. But this geographic ignorance in a book written by the potential leader of the free world?

Iterate

(3,020 posts)
140. The quote is now mentioned in a ForeignPolicy blog!
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 09:38 AM
Jul 2012

"Romney book: Britain is a tiny island that makes stuff nobody wants"

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/26/romney_book_britain_is_a_tiny_island_that_makes_stuff_nobody_wants

A gaffe seldom has legs or lasting impact in an election, but such an idiotic and easily refuted claim written by a candidate is a whole 'nother animal riding on the roof. "No Apology" just makes him known as proudly careless, incompetent, and willfully dumb.

agentS

(1,325 posts)
146. I'm gonna hear about this all week from my English friends!
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 11:45 AM
Jul 2012

Thanks Mr Rmoney, for once again making Americans look bad.
The book is called "no apology?". Should be called "no brains".

No wonder the English think he's an asshole. He can't write worth a damn and act polite in public.

Walk away

(9,494 posts)
148. I am hoping that Mitt's visit to Poland produces something classic
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 11:56 AM
Jul 2012

I'll be disappointed if there isn't a little verbal slapstick!

 

Betty Jo

(66 posts)
149. Bain Companies in England
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:07 PM
Jul 2012

How much money is Romey/Ann/Blind Trusts etc making from all of the Bain properties in England? It is very time consuming to try to figure all this out.Romeny needs to once and for all list all of the companies he has monetary interests in all over the world.

malthaussen

(17,024 posts)
151. So, in a nutshell:
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:20 PM
Jul 2012

"Ann and I really appreciate our Anglo-Saxon heritage. Oh, and by the way: you suck."

-- Mal

JPZenger

(6,819 posts)
158. And while Britain was fighting Hitler, your family was....?
Fri Jul 27, 2012, 12:53 PM
Jul 2012

When Britain and the Commonwealth Nations were standing up alone to Hitler during 1940-41, where was Romney's family? Weren't they hiding out in Mexico so they could have a few wives?

Londoncalling

(66 posts)
176. He must have got a shock watching the Olympic Ceremony
Sat Jul 28, 2012, 08:27 AM
Jul 2012

He clearly didn't realise GB is the country of the Industrial Revolution...He saw a country with innovaction, creativity, culture, tolerance, that is self-mocking, humourous with Conservatives that want to legalise Gay Marriage and support Obama, because they think Mitt is a dim wit.

undeterred

(34,658 posts)
177. He's an educated man who thinks the rest of the world is made up of idiots.
Sat Jul 28, 2012, 10:42 AM
Jul 2012

So while he is dumbing things down for us, he only makes himself look like a fool.

 

Marr

(20,317 posts)
180. I don't understand why he'd go out of his way to insult a long time ally like that.
Sat Jul 28, 2012, 06:32 PM
Jul 2012

Surely he could pursue the support of his knuckledragging supporters without insulting friends.

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