Mitt Romney: U.S. near ‘profound economic misery’

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

SAN ANTONIO — Mitt Romney on Tuesday offered a dark, ominous assessment of America’s standing in the world, castigating President Obama for a foreign policy he described as dithering and suggesting that the nation’s mounting debt threatens its global security.

“We stand near the threshold of profound economic misery. Four more years on the same political path could prove disastrous,” Romney, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, said in an address before the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention. “Unfortunately, when we look around the world today, we see a muddled picture of American’s foreign policy and our power.”

With his 17-minute speech, Romney offered the clearest outlines of his views on foreign affairs since launching his second presidential bid in June. He told nearly 1,000 veterans assembled at the cavernous Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center that “we are united not only by our faith in America, but also our concern for America.”

“Have we ever had a president who was so eager to address the world with an apology on his lips and doubt in his heart?” Romney said. “He seems truly confused not only about America’s past but also about its future.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mitt-romney-us-near-profound-economic-misery/2011/08/30/gIQAocHrpJ_singlePage.html

---

Really? From the CEO of a company that laid off many striking workers? (""):

Now, Romney's decision to stay on the sidelines as his firm, Bain Capital, slashed jobs at the office supply manufacturer stands in marked contrast to his recent pledges to beleaguered auto workers in Michigan and textile workers in South Carolina to "fight to save every job."

Throughout his 15-year career at Bain Capital, which bought, sold, and merged dozens of companies, Romney had other chances to fight to save jobs, but didn't. His ultimate responsibility was to make money for Bain's investors, former partners said.

Much as he did when running for Massachusetts governor, Romney is now touting his business credentials as he campaigns for president, asserting that he helped create thousands of jobs as CEO of Bain. But a review of Bain's investments during Romney's tenure indicates that job growth was not a particular priority.

Romney's approach at Bain Capital was more reflective of the economic philosophy articulated by his opponent, John McCain: to acknowledge that some less efficient jobs will be lost and concentrate on creating new jobs with potential for higher growth.

[louis-t]

1. "near"?

Dumbass.

[dtexdem]

2. Mitt is so well buffered by his own affluence that he thinks the U.S. is only near it.

Whereas most realize that the U.S. is IN profound economic misery.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Sorry, Frat Boy, but Obama has been taking names and kicking ass

Just ask the military; they're amazed how much they can get done without political fallout because Bush isn't their President anymore. But why let a simple reality like that get in the way of your bullshit.

[BNJMN]

6. LOL! Hahaha, 'taking names and kicking asses' Oh! That's rich! Haw haw haw.

Holy snit, you really broke me up with that one.
'Taking names and kicking asses'? Obama?
Ha ah ah ah ah ah ah ha ha ha.

[BeyondGeography]

9. Talking about al Qaeda and terror groups

It should be obvious, even to you.

[BNJMN]

15. I thought the subject of this thread was the economy...

Sorry.

[BeyondGeography]

16. For example

One senior military official told The Washington Post that the Obama administration has given the green light for "things that the previous administration did not." Special operations commanders, the paper reports, have more direct access to the White House than they did under Bush. "We have a lot more access," a military official told the paper. "They are talking publicly much less but they are acting more. They are willing to get aggressive much more quickly."

According to the Post: "The clearest public description of the secret-war aspects of the doctrine came from White House counterterrorism director John O. Brennan. He said last week that the United States 'will not merely respond after the fact' of a terrorist attack but will 'take the fight to al-Qaeda and its extremist affiliates whether they plot and train in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and beyond.'"

http://www.thenation.com/blog/obamas-expanding-covert-wars

Re. the subject, this was a foreign policy speech. Try to read past the headline next time.

[BNJMN]

21. You've just been *I-G-N-O-R-E-D*. Have a good day!

[Dreamer Tatum]

17. What reality do you live in? nt

[BeyondGeography]

18. So you agree with Mitt that Obama's foreign policy has been weak and apologetic?

[Dreamer Tatum]

19. I disagree that Obama has been "taking names and kicking asses"

Unless you mean he plays a lot of Modern Warfare at night.

[BeyondGeography]

20. But he has

Ask Jeremy Scahill. Doesn't please him, BTW.

On this matter, my language should bring less disagreement out of you than Mitt's.

[BNJMN]

4. Oh nose, 'Mittens' may have to give up a million dollar house....or three? nt

[frazzled]

5. How unpresidential of him

Saying this kind of thing might be the politically expedient way to go, but suggesting that we "stand near the threshold of profound economic misery" is plain destructive. (He says this even though we're still the safest investment and the largest economy standing right now and while housing and unemployment, which are stabilizing at much too slow a rate, are extremely problematic, it's the Republicans who are standing in the way of solving these issues.)

Personally, I find it shocking that he would cast such a negative spin when confidence is half the problem in getting things going again.

Let's not even get into the foreign policy stuff, in which Obama (and Clinton) have pretty much excelled, recapturing our status in the world.

[wilt the stilt]

7. I hear there was a dog on a roof

that was in profound misery.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. I'm so sick of this overblown hand wringing over the debt.

I almost long for a Republican in the White House so we won't have to hear about it anymore, and go back to business as usual.

Well, not quite "almost". more like "not at all". I just wish they'd quit pretending they care about the debt and getting all these Tea Baggers upset about something they barely understand.

[Betty]

10. Says the man who fired people

So he could make a fortune selling the stripped down businesses he bought. they know all about profound economic misery. He is a pile of shit.

[No Elephants]

12. Gordon Gekko

[fascisthunter]

11. Thanks to Policies he supports... war, occupation, tax cuts for the wealthy...

...outsourcing jobs.... this man is nothing but a liar.

[No Elephants]

13. Mitts is just pissy because Perry became the frontrunner so fast.

[ShockediSay]

14. So THAT'S what 10+ years of Bushy tax cuts and deregulation of

Wall Street got us. That and a bunch of debt voted for by McConnell, Kantor, Boner & Co.

[SoapBox]

22. Mittens, you wouldn't know ‘profound economic misery’ if it kicked you in the ass.

...such a creep.

[tanyev]

23. The Romney family is doing just fine, though.

[BlueIdaho]

24. "Now watch me bulldoze my 12 million dollar mansion."

Elite and out of touch.

[CBHagman]

25. Crocodile tears.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but the press hasn't really touched on some of the clueless things Romney has been saying (for example, suggesting people who get health insurance through their jobs have no medical expenses beyond the deductible).