Qu'est-ce que c'est ceci?

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

A new attack ad on GOP front runner Mitt Romney features a rather strange criticism. That he speaks French. (and speaks it rather poorly I may add. His accent is atrocious)

The ad compares him to John Kerry who was also attacked during the 2004 elections for speaking and 'looking' French. I just don't understand this type of criticism. How is speaking a second language a detriment? Would you not want your leader to be as educated as possible, to be able to converse freely with leaders of other countries in their native language to help ease misunderstandings? American politics frequently baffle me but this is one of the strangest things I have heard.

The ad also claims at the end that a moderate can not beat Obama. Again, I am confused by this and hope our American members can explain this to me. Would a moderate not have a better chance at this than someone to the far right? It seems to me that a moderate could pick up swing votes from those on the left who are dissatisfied with Obama far easier than one whose policies scare them.

And just for lols, 2% of Americans believe Mitt Romney's first name is Mittens. Which would be kind of awesome if true.

Comments

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

Mitt is actually his middle name.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

I love it when Al Sharpton refers to him as Willard.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Americans are fucking crazy. Next question.

[devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com]

I resemble that remark.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

The irony was when Romney make a crack at Jon Huntsman for speaking Mandarin at a Republican debate. I'd venture that's the first some in the audience ever heard it spoken. More irony: Romney was in France during his Vietnam war deferment (btw, none of his sons have ever served the United States military, unlike Jon Huntsman), and Romney has this long standing plan for becoming president [Democratic candidate X] wants to turn the US into another Europe. (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/02/27/document_shows_romneys_strategies/?page=full)

The ad also claims at the end that a moderate can not beat Obama

That's insane, since poll after poll in hypothetical match ups show the opposite. It's "Reagan Democrats" that decide the elections, and American voters are NOT pure ideologues like Libertarians or American Socialists.

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I thought the last claim was ridiculous, but again I thought maybe there was something I was missing. And what's with the hatred of second languages?

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Wait, in case the attack is coming from Gingrich, then he's the most disingenuous motherfucker in the world. Especially after he did this:



Horrible Spanish, btw.

And just for the lulz:

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I guess French is more snooty or something.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

This insanity is taking new levels and I wonder what new nuggets of crazy we'll see until the end of these elections. So now anyone who dares to utter a word in other language than "American", is un-American, therefore enemy to the nation, therefore unqualified to serve This Great Country (TM)?

Anti-intellectualism and hyper-jingoistic pseudo-patriotism being raised on a pedestal. WTF.

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

Pretty much. It seems a very strange thing to attack and I'm baffled by the anti-intellectualism coming out in this election cycle. Between this and the attacks on Obama's statement about providing a way for all students to go to college it just seems they're catering to an image of down-home, we don't trust those foreigners or liberal elitists base.

[nairiporter.livejournal.com]

Is this what the political discourse in the US usually looks like, or is this mostly because of the primaries?

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I would think it's always been this way, Kerry was attacked simply for looking French, whatever that means. Attack ads seem to be common there.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

So much with the "A language is a treasure and a window to the world". This is just so dumb that I'm struggling to find appropriate words in any of the 5 languages I speak. :-S

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

My first thought was 'c'est fou!'

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

He looked French? How does one look French? Is it perhaps something like this?

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

Mais oui, bien sûr!

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I never claimed that this meant Americans are dumb, I was in fact looking for an explanation to this ad since I truly don't understand why speaking a second language is a detriment. What fringe group would be attracted to this type of criticism?

Also, in catering to a specific group do they not run the risk of alienating another?

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

There's lots of interesting things going on in the GOP primary.

There's the obvious schadenfreude of the party who runs on attacking bureaucracy being so mired in red tape that the majority of their mainstream candidates can't get through the legal wrangling and lawsuits.

And there's the fact that if you went by what you heard, you'd think Romney would be the last person in the world to get the nomination. The guys pandering to the religious base, and most strongly pandering to the "facts are unimportant" birthers type are not winning. Yes Romney has done a lot, he'll say anything he thinks will get him ahead, but if those groups were really the majority of the Republican party, you'd think Romney would be the last choice ever.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Governmented mandated healthcare with tax payer funded abortions ahahahahahahahaha

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

this ad seems like a prank

[kardashev.livejournal.com]

"I just don't understand this type of criticism."

Well, of course you don't. You're from Canadiastan. You guys have got a whole province full of fondue eaters. :p

"Would you not want your leader to be as educated as possible..."

No, because knowledge is power. These fuckers have too much power already lol. Enough with all these fucking law school grads.

What we really need is for the public to be as educated as possible.

"American politics frequently baffle me but this is one of the strangest things I have heard."

Oh? Stick around because you ain't seen nothin' yet, toots.

"Would a moderate not have a better chance at this than someone to the far right? It seems to me that a moderate could pick up swing votes from those on the left who are dissatisfied with Obama far easier than one whose policies scare them."

It doesn't matter much either way. Most of our leaders are intellectual cowards who only care about getting elected. It's been like this forever. Mainly because most of us are a bunch of dumb spineless sheep.

In a democracy, you get the kind of government you deserve. Well...in America a fuckton of people can't locate their own country on a map, name the three branches of government, or balance a checkbook.

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

You can't get elected to higher office here without speaking French. Anything else is just a bonus.

Oh? Stick around because you ain't seen nothin' yet, toots.

I'm kind of considering filtering TP out when you guys get closer to the election ;o)

[montecristo.livejournal.com]

You have to love Newt Gingrich, if for no other reason than that he clearly exposes politics for the vulgar venality and petty vindictive abuse of power that it is.

[whak-hat.livejournal.com]

You might understand if you knew french politicians

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

I know French Canadian politicians, does that count?

Also, French Canadians have been among the best Prime Ministers we've ever had.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

The ad compares him to John Kerry who was also attacked during the 2004 elections for speaking and 'looking' French. I just don't understand this type of criticism. How is speaking a second language a detriment? Would you not want your leader to be as educated as possible, to be able to converse freely with leaders of other countries in their native language to help ease misunderstandings? American politics frequently baffle me but this is one of the strangest things I have heard.

The point is merely to contrast him with Kerry, which is a low blow but is really the only point. It's not the second language that's the problem - Bush was fluent in Spanish, after all - but the comparison with John Kerry in this case.

The ad also claims at the end that a moderate can not beat Obama. Again, I am confused by this and hope our American members can explain this to me. Would a moderate not have a better chance at this than someone to the far right? It seems to me that a moderate could pick up swing votes from those on the left who are dissatisfied with Obama far easier than one whose policies scare them.

Absolutely not. The problem is the belief that the center is in the middle of the right/left spectrum and not the middle of the US. There are two conservatives for every one liberal in the United States, which means that the "center," as it stands, is further to the right than where a moderate would sit.

This belief that only moderates can win is problematic because it doesn't really reflect that reality, and also assumes that elections were won because of it. Clinton benefited from a three way race in 1992, and only moderated himself after the Republicans swept into the House in 1994. Bush in 2000 ran and governed as a moderate, against someone who positioned himself as a moderate in 2000 in Al Gore. The left continues to believe Obama to be a moderate regardless of evidence when Obama was really a once-in-a-generation candidate that pulled from all sides. Meanwhile, McCain, who was always considered a moderate, got destroyed.

A good, principled conservative can win in the US. You don't need to be a moderate, you just need to be authentic. The concern is that Romney is not.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

There are two conservatives for every one liberal in the United States, which means that the "center," as it stands, is further to the right than where a moderate would sit.

[citation needed]

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Sacre bleu! If he can't beat Obama, he's got my vote!

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

There is no left in American politics. There is a centrist party (the Democrats) and a far right party (the Republicans).

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

It really is absurd. The French backed the US in the Revolutionary War and we might have lost the war of 1812 if it weren't for Jean Lafitte. Oh, and the French sold us about 1/3 of the US and gave us a kick ass statue back in 1886 that we proudly display in New York Harbor. We've had our tiffs, but France is one of the best friends America has ever had.

[foolsguinea.livejournal.com]

Found the whole intro in French here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyP2M0DTch8
OK, he does at least know the phonics. I heard him drop into a Yankee "r" once.

Am I to take it that Newt cited French works, but he didn't actually read them, he just pretended they said what he wanted--because his love for this country is so much!?

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Really, what's so hard about avoiding that Yankee "r" when speaking foreign languages? It's not like Yankees don't like imitating Spanish speech by dropping that hard "r" or something.

[malasadas.livejournal.com]

Okay, here's the thing.

Republican primaries are mostly winner takes all in delegates. So that means all a Not Romney has to do in S.C. Is eke out above everyone else to win all the delegates at stake and gain some ground. With SuperPAC money the Not Romneys are able to stay in even though Romney has them all bea in traditional fund raising. S.C.'s Republican base is not at all adverse to a little nativist sentiment and they are not enamoured of Romney to begin with so I figure someone is simply betting that this takes away voters from Romney without turning off many voters for the Not Romneys.

It's like George H W Bush's Willie Horton ad in 1988. He wasn't worried about pisssing off liberal voters. He wanted to strip away votes from Dukakis and did not think the ad would lose him anyone he already had.

[allhatnocattle.livejournal.com]

This art of successfully winning elections by pandering to the fringe goes back to Reagan. I don't think it's been repeated since.

Reagan went after and got the Christian block of voters. He appealed to church leaders, who then appealed to their congregations. And this Christian Conservative base has been coveted ever since.

But because today's numerous candidates are actively seek Christian conservatives, these voters loyalties are split. Unlike the 1980's there's no Christian Conservative block any more, meaning in Reagan's time if you get one, you got them all. The Tea Party was one attempt to have them all under one tent, but the idea is being abandoned because it's simply not herding all the sheep like they had hoped. It's almost like we had the PC's and Reform splitting the right vote. In America, they are all under that GOP banner.

So when they pander to the anti-French type republicans, they secure a small wedge of anti-intellectuals. It's chipping away to get at the prize inside.

[luvdovz.livejournal.com]

You would expect that a nation of immigrants would be more welcoming to various cultures and languages, but what do I know.

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

Simple answer: anti-intellectualism is as rampant in the GOP as hyper-nationalism and xenophobia.
Multi-linguals are too educated, have betrayed the mother-tongue, and can't be trusted because not only are they different but they can speak with other furrinurz.