Romney explains 'culture' remark, blames media for bad Press

[maddezmom]

Source: CNN

6 minutes ago
Romney explains 'culture' remark, blames media for bad press
(CNN) – Mitt Romney said Tuesday he wasn't denigrating the culture of Palestinians when he suggested at a fund-raiser that Israel's culture played a role in its economic success.

Romney's comments, made Monday, drew sharp criticism from Palestinian leaders, who blasted them as "racist.

I'm not speaking about, did not speak about, the Palestinian culture, or the decisions made in their economy," Romney clarified in an interview with Fox News. "That's an interesting topic that deserves scholarly analysis, but I actually didn't address that. I certainly don't plan to address that during my campaign. Instead, I will point out, the choices a society makes have a profound impact on the economy and the vitality of that society."

On Monday, Romney made a comparison between the per capita GDPs of Israel and Palestinian-controlled areas at a high-dollar fund-raiser in central Jerusalem.



Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/31/romney-explains-culture-remark-blames-media-for-bad-press/

---

Mitt Romney's 2 Favorite Books That Explain America—and the World

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/07/mitt-romneys-2-favorite-books-that-explain-america-and-the-world/260519/

[liberal N proud]

1. He continually makes remarks and continually backs out of those same remarks.

The media he is blaming allows him to continue to do this.

Who's the chump?

[get the red out]

2. He just implied the Palestinians have a shitty culture

He didn't come right out and SAY it or anything. LOL.

[XemaSab]

27. While at the same time implying that

those Jews sure are good with money.

[get the red out]

32. Takes talent

It takes talent to even insult the "side" you're trying to support.

[emulatorloo]

3. Yeah, the Press made me say and do all those stupid things.

[ewagner]

4. That different?

I think he just implied the same, exact thing......he said...what he said...e.g. Palestinians make bad choices....

the press is going to let him get away with it?

[wordpix]

9. next headline: Rmoney Says Palestinians Make Bad Choices

[freeplessinseattle]

31. seriously! how is that any different? if anything it's more insulting! n/t

[leftyohiolib]

5. he's always blaming someone else - the media is the chump here but they making cash out of it so

they dont care

[uppityperson]

6. If you have to keep explaining what you say after you say it, maybe you aren't the spokesperson you

think you are or that should be representing others?

[tularetom]

7. I don't think his "explanation" helped him all that much

"Instead, I will point out, the choices a society makes have a profound impact on the economy and the vitality of that society."

IOW, the Palestinians made their some stupid choices and they have nobody else to blame for the fact that those stupid choices have negatively affected their citizens.

That may go over well with Sheldon Adelson and some other fat cats, but it looks like hell to the rest of the world. And he doesn't have to impress Adelson since he's already gotten a bazillion bucks from him.

[Botany]

8. Sarah Palin word salad w/ better grammar

" I'm not speaking about, did not speak about, the Palestinian culture, or the decisions made
in their economy," Romney clarified in an interview with Fox News. "That's an interesting
topic that deserves scholarly analysis, but I actually didn't address that. I certainly don't
plan to address that during my campaign. Instead, I will point out, the choices a society
makes have a profound impact on the economy and the vitality of that society."

[Tracer]

34. Or, as Jonathan Capehart said the other day ...

"He just tossed some croutons on that word salad".

(slightly paraphrased)

[indypaul]

10. Romney implies that "vulture capitalism" is culture?

This writer does not equate the misery caused by the loss of jobs
and industry to communities of this nation, in any respect, to be
referred to as culture.

[aquart]

25. A vulture eats the dead.

A vampire steals the vital force of the living. Romney destroyed the living.

Romney practices vampire capitalism.

[KansDem]

11. CNN again, covering for Mitt...

When they're not covering his ass, they're kissing it...

[Caeser67]

12. The So-Called Media

Continues to let this Man lie and retract, he never pays for his insults. Typical spoiled, rich Man behavior.

[nolabear]

13. "I didn't say what I said and I'll say it again!"

OY.

[lunatica]

21. "But whatever I said I'll stand by it."

[The Stranger]

14. Why does CNN put "racist" in quotation marks?

Even Romney now agrees that the remarks were racist.

[matt819]

15. Isn't that like. . .

blaming your shoes for stepping in shit?

[SoapBox]

16. Oh good gawd...what an idiot

Mittens you are a total moron.

It's ALWAYS someone else's fault, for your fast mouth...always.

And then you don't even have the balls to own it.

Flip-flopp'n...Etch-a-Sketch'n...liar...creep...wimp...loser........I need more words.

[Third Doctor]

17. so his ignorance

is the media's fault? Typical repub.

[starroute]

18. Is this a "depends on what the meaning of 'is' is" moment -- or is he just dumb?

He says that he's "not speaking about the Palestinian culture or the decisions made in their economy."

Instead, he's pointing out that "the choices a society makes ... have a profound effect on the economy."

In other words, he insists he's not talking about either culture or economics -- but just about "choices." And not the kinds of choices that individuals make about things like purchases or employment, which can have a cumulative economic effect, but the choices "a society" as a whole makes.

Whatever the hell that means.

So is he operating at some very high level of abstract hair-splitting here? Is "choices" one more of those Christianoid or Randist dog-whistles thus us innocent lefties can't decipher? Or is he just stupid beyond all recognition?


On edit: Another possibility just occurred to me. Maybe he's referring to the persistent claim that the Palestinians had any number of opportunities to have a state of their own but blew all of them. (See, for example http://www.mitchellbard.com/articles/palstate.html) And that if they had just played ball, foreign investment and prosperity would have followed.

Well, it's a theory. But then where does the Providence part fit in?

[Igel]

29. "Culture."

He's hairsplitting definitions. He's not so much backing down as muddying the waters.

For a lot of people it's the 4 Fs: food, fashion, folklore, festivals. To say somebody has a lousy culture is an insult because they're all equal. I don't like masakhan, but then again, I don't like pickled herring either. Islam and Buddhism and Xianity each has variants that allow cut-throat prosperity; both have variants that say we should all quit our jobs and hie to a monastery.

For me culture is inheritance laws, response to oppression, social trust, freedom of speech, family size, value of education, religious liberty, role of women, that kind of thing: The intifada was a choice, for example, as was valuing martyrdom.

Borders were open through Israel in the '90s. Economy was expanding rapidly. Intifada and suicide bombings happened; the borders closed. Economy was flushed. Choice, consequence. They didn't choose the consequence, but we don't usually get to do so.

People take issue with saying "culture." But few would say that how society treats women, how society provides (or doesn't provide) education, how society distributes opportunity or values freedom of speech have nothing at all to do with prosperity. Many are hogtied by their words.


"Providence" is another way of saying "luck." Your choice: Random events or God's working out his inscrutable plan. Natural gas deposits, for example. Water. Trifids.

[JBoy]

19. What a wimp. Take ownership of your own ideas and words, FFS.

[lunatica]

20. Romney has done more apologizing for America than Obama ever would.

[tawadi]

22. Oh yes, that's it, blame the media

That always works out so well for candidates.

[Evasporque]

23. Rmoney shits on white carpet...blames carpet....nt

[Javaman]

24. first he fucks up then he sucks up. that is his "style".

what a jackass.

[TomCADem]

26. Could the Over $3 Billion Annually In US Foreign Aid Also Be A Factor?

I guess we can't talk about foreign Aid and socialized health care, so what about cultural superiority?

[yellowcanine]

28. "the choices a society makes" How exactly is that better than saying it is the culture?

Now he makes the Palestinians sound like a wayward teenager.

[Igel]

30. More precise.

And, for many, less clear.

[President T Toilet]

33. Dog Whistle Politics

If there is one thing that Mitt and gang have mastered and that is "dog whistle" politics. He can't come right and say the Palenstinians are terrorists, but to those who think they are the "dog whistle" was loud and clear when he mentioned "culture". The Republicans are doing the same thing here with Obama. If you listen closely to much of the rhetoric they are definitaley pandering to the repooplican racist base.