Did Romney Fan the Flames of US Hatred?

[Blue State Bandit]

It looks like someone over at DailyKos heard the same thing I did from Romney, and makes a pretty good argument for how Romney may not have only debased himself, and the Republican Party, but may have played into the hands of both sides of the extremists. His inartfull attack on our president may cost him more than the election, he may soon have blood on his hands.

The OP asks that you stand in the shoes of the Muslim protester as the story unfolded, and, well, ya just have to read it yourself.

1. The U.S. made a movie insulting Mohammad.
You don’t know that it was some whack job or fringe element. You don’t know that most Americans condemn this kind of thing. All you know is it’s on YouTube and it was Made in the U.S.A.

2. An American presidential candidate said the U.S. shouldn’t apologize.
You heard or read a U.S. presidential candidate say that we should not “Apologize for American values.” So the U.S. puts out a video insulting Mohamed, and an American presidential candidate says these are American values, and says we should not apologize?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/13/1131559/-Did-Romney-fan-the-flames

I appreciate the fact that Romney has shot himself in the foot on this one, and that the media is roundly pointing out the self-inflicted wound, but I think we are missing the larger, more volatile implications of his callus actions.

In the coming days, specifically after Friday prayers, there will be massive protests, and possible retalitory attacks on Americans throughout the world. If Americans are hurt this weekend, Romney will be, in part, responsible.

[pamela]

1. Yes and he should quit the race because of that.

He saw a volatile situation and decided to throw a little gasoline on it. Romney should apologize and admit that he is unfit for office.

[jillan]

2. Think about this - Diplomats in Syria were trying to diffuse the situation - Romney intervened.

Hillary was on top of the situation - Romney intervened.

The President of the United States was trying to deal with the situation - Romney intervened.


We had a fucking terrorist attack against Americans on foreign soil as a retaliation against the US capturing a top Al Qaeda official & retaliation against America after an anti-Muslim piece of garbage, which was written by a religious extremist in the US, was translated - and rather than help diffuse the situation & show leadership - HE INTERVENED! He divided the country and trashed the President of the United States while that President is trying to deal with the situation.

Hell yes - I hold Mitt Romney responsible for showing the world that it is okay to belittle the President of the United States.

[Blue State Bandit]

5. I hope Obama points this out in the debates. It will destroy the entire republican party's creds.

[central scrutinizer]

9. SOP for Repugs during an election - think Iran/hostage 1980

that is where October Surprise was first coined.

[gulliver]

3. Yup. He played right into the hands of the worst elements.

The idiot filmmaker and Islamic radicals should send Romney a thank you note. What a diplomacy genius he is.

[Blue State Bandit]

4. And the real kicker, It seems that the movies creators...

hate Mormons as well!

So not only does Romney not have the balls to stand up to his "Base", apparently his "Base" holds him in equal disdain.

[Lucy Goosey]

6. Yes, and worse: he did it deliberately, to undermine his President

He did it to score cheap political points at the expense of the President of the United States.

[Blue State Bandit]

18. Trading political points for American lives.

Unfit for president. Unfit for dog catcher. Unfit to pick up my dog's shit.

[reformist2]

7. Be careful, everyone.... this is a culture war issue the Repugs just love.

It doesn't matter how stupid or offensive the movie was - the issue is not Romney's opinion of the movie, it's the fact that on the day we were attacked Romney chose to attack the president instead of showing solidarity.

[Blue State Bandit]

14. And in the process, may have damned their children to another generation of war.

They won't be so gung-ho when their kids are drafted into service due to the world war their leaders stoked.

[Blue State Bandit]

8. Charlie Rangle called him a threat to NS over Russia...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021341827

...and now China is chiming in.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014229919

“If these mud-slinging tactics were to become U.S. government policies, a trade war would be very likely to break out between the world’s top two economies, which would be catastrophic enough to both sides and the already groaning global economy,” Xinhua’s Liu Chang writes. “For generations, China-bashing has been a cancer in U.S. electoral politics, seriously plaguing the relations between the two countries.”

The commentary also takes a shot at Romney’s wealth, declaring it “rather ironic that a considerable portion of this China-battering politician’s wealth was actually obtained by doing business with Chinese companies before he entered politics.”

Bring down the hammer!

[central scrutinizer]

10. but the China comment will energize his xenophobic base

"see, if he is pissing off the Chinese, he must be on the right track, unlike that appeasing Kenyan"

[Blue State Bandit]

12. But China does have a valid point.

Romney got rich off China, and now he blames them for our problems. He was the out-sourcer. China was just the shore he shipped our jobs off to.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. David Ignatius was on Tweety last night who said

that apparently, when the thousands of Bin Laden documents that were retrieved from his compound were analyzed, there were numerous comments that Bin Laden wrote expressing frustration that rather than broad-brush Islam, as Shrub, et. al. had done in the past, Obama specifically targeted Al Qaeda. And this forced Bin Laden to have to change his strategy because he could no longer rally the Islamic world when only his group was the focus.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/ns/msnbc-hardball_with_chris_matthews/

It takes 2 to tango and Rmoney + mideast extremists enhance their own statuses solely by generalizing their beefs to gain followers and power.

[Blue State Bandit]

13. The extremists on both sides are working in tandem...

... to drag the rest of us into a world war that will rival WWI and WWII combined. Whether there is collusion or not, they are both ultimately acting against the rest of the world.

There perspective propaganda campaigns feed into each other, dragging the world kicking and screaming into a violent conflict that will be impossible to quell.

[Blue State Bandit]

15. Bumping for coverage.

This is too volatile a situation to be overlooked

[Bucky]

16. He didn't help and he showed he wouldn't know how to handle it as president, but...

I don't see how his comments were relevant to the feelings on the Arab Street. I don't see the evidence to draw that conclusion. His statements heretofor have been ignorant and disengaged from reality, but not really focused on Islam.

[Blue State Bandit]

17. He gave the militants a propaganda tool, and showed a public division in the US.

This division will be seen as a weakness and will embolden them. If you put the 2 statements side by side, chronologically, it will be clear to the reader that the embassy was only trying to calm things down by distancing themselves, and the US from the film itself. Then Romney comes in and attacks the embassy and POTUS for "apologizing for our values", not mentioning the 1st amendment, and then doubling down the next day in person.

[Bucky]

19. I just don't see that rank and file troublemakers in the MidEast pay much attention to Mitt.

But I could be wrong. I'm just not seeing anyone display any evidence.

[Blue State Bandit]

20. The Imam's will ram it down there throat at Friday prayers.

All the rank and file will need is an American in a leadership position on the screen saying what he said. The Imam's and blogging extremists will fill in the blanks.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. That's a bit of broad-brushing

There are Imams who are like the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Fallwells but they represent a small minority. The problem ends up being the misinformation that gets spread to the apolitical populace. I think alot of the frustration is due to the increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and the harsh impact of that around the world. The religious "wars" tend to provide an outlet for expressing the frustration.

[Blue State Bandit]

22. Point well taken. It is those few extreme elements...

that will take advantage of the situation. But remember, it only takes a few zealots to to drag the rest of the world to hell.

The past few days prove that out quite clearly.

I would also like to point out, in an attempt to point out a light in the midst of this craziness, that on the appeal of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, the protests at Tahir Square have been predominantly peaceful.