Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney returned to the U.S. this week, after what the press deemed a ‘tumultuous’ overseas tour. Which tour they were watching, I’m not sure, because the former Massachusetts Governor held his own, exuded power and confidence, and managed to stand up for Israel, our most vital ally in the middle east.
Then again, these are the same reporters that would scream ridiculous questions to someone at a war memorial.
It’s not so much that Mitt Romney was campaigning abroad, as he was campaigning from abroad. After three-and-a-half years of President Obama’s weakness on the international scene, it was well done of Romney to show that he can stand up to the Palestinians without bowing to them.
The American president is often referred to as the ‘leader of the free world,’ a title that has come about due to American exceptionalism. Even with Occupy Wall Street whining that their degrees in underwater basket-weaving didn’t prepare them adequately for the workforce, the United States is the best country in the world to live in if you want to work hard to better yourself. We are freer and richer, we live longer, and I’m not sure if there’s been a study done or not, but I’d be willing to bet we eat more bacon and have more sex.
Given that America has so much heft in the world, it makes sense that a presidential candidate would travel abroad to meet with foreign dignitaries, and Americans should watch. Will he be proud of our country and represent accordingly, or will he apologize profusely for our prosperity? Will he stand by our allies, or insult them?
Besides, there’s an opportunity to gain some campaign cash while abroad, and ain’t nothin' wrong with that. America is a generous nation, and loyal to her allies. That’s why it was important for Romney to hit up Poland while in Europe. Poland is arguably the most successful westernized democracy from the former Soviet Union, and Obama has threatened that relationship. Mitt Romney was able to show good will to the Polish people, and tell them that as President of the United States, he will make sure we stand with them.
It behooves foreigners to donate to candidates they believe will make America better, because the world is a better place with America in it. American presidential candidates are smart to spend some time campaigning abroad, and I applaud Mitt Romney for doing it.
This post is part of a weekly conversation with our Moms Matter 2012 political bloggers. To see the original question and what the other writers have to say, see Should Mitt Romney Be Campaigning Abroad?
Image via the roving sheep/Flickr
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Comments 66
I don't agree with a lot of things conservatives put out there. But if you read the comments to Jenny's posts, the bashing is ridiculous. Disagree all you like, but when people just curse at her, or pull the liberal rhetoric drop and run - what does that bring to the conversation? People can disagree intelligently, by stating why they disagree and backing it up - without the insults and name calling. (You know, like "mindless" and "pod")
Hey, BeMyGuest, kindly leave me out of your bashing. I didn't say a thing to you. And seriously, read the majority of the comments on most of Jenny's blog posts. There is more trashing of her, her lifestyle, and her writing than there is about the topic that she writes about.
I hardly think that makes me a "conservative pod person"; just an observant reader.
And if you actually went back and read some of the things I've said on this board, you'd see that, yes, I do lean heavily toward the Conservative side, but I also lean heavily Libertarian. And occasionally, I actually agree with people like Procrastamom, who, by all indications, is a very passionate Liberal, and you wouldn't think we would have anything in common.
I don't think mindless pod people are capable of doing that, do you?
Hmm... When looking at international relations, you can't only look at the opinions of journalists within the US, but also what the rest of the world has said about the visits. It would be interesting for a blogger on this website to do a full coverage of all these opinions, not only the "america fuck yeah" rhetoric that is causing the US to consistently overevaluate their position and wealth in the world. Unfortunately, what Romney has managed to do when going abroad has been seen as a wealthy american looking down on others and thinking that he knows best and will tell them what they need to do. Obama is popular in the rest of the world because he has stopped acting pretentious and actually tries to use diplomacy, which is a lost art (an art that our own Stephen Harper has yet to master).
Procrasta I am so confused here. Romney said almost exactly what an English Newspaper had said two days before. How is this a gaffe? Of course, its his business, it is all of our business. We sent the best athlete's in the wold there and we want to keep them safe. All of us. Every country holding the Olympics is open to scrutiny. As far as the gaffe's go Obama has said way worse than this, my favorite was when Georgia was being attacked and he said both sides just needed to stop. Or how about all the things he's said when he thought his microphone was off. We are human being's and we all make mistakes. What I care about is who is going to fix the economy and Obama has made things worse. We own a small business and we are on the front lines, and we deal with people all over the world, and you know what the funny thing is Procrasta? The business people we deal with in Canada hate the current President. None of his supposed gaffe's could even come close to our current President's so this should be a non-issue. Can we stop talking about this useless crap and talk about fixing our country?