Mitt Romney's overseas tour

http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...act-of-visit/2012/07/30/gJQAFXJpJX_story.html

JERUSALEM — Mitt Romney held an intimate breakfast fundraiser here Monday with some of his campaign’s biggest benefactors, telling them about the spiritual impact his trip to Israel had had on him.

Seated around a U-shaped conference table with roughly 40 donors, with Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson immediately to his left, Romney said he was “overwhelmingly impressed with the hand of providence.”
 
Romney separately noted that Israel — which has universal health care — spends just 8 percent of its gross domestic product on health care, while the United States spends 18 percent. “We have to find ways,” he said, “not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to [fund] and manage our health-care costs.”

Yeah, let's maybe copy Israel's system! I'd like to have universal health care at a cost of 8% of GDP rather than our patchwork healthcare system that costs more than twice as much but doesn't even cover everybody!
 
So, do I have this right?

Romney is fundraising in Great Britain, Israel, and other places overseas, taking money from foreign donors. . .

Am I the only one who is troubled by this?
 
Yeah, let's maybe copy Israel's system! I'd like to have universal health care at a cost of 8% of GDP rather than our patchwork healthcare system that costs more than twice as much but doesn't even cover everybody!

Of course Israel's system depends in part on receiving a boatload of aid from the U.S.

_____

Speaking of Israel, I'd like to hear Romney comment on expansion of settlements.
 
Without donation disclosure, how can we know? How do we know he isn't taking money from foreign enemies of the United States?

He was originally going to ban the media from his fundraiser (going against pre-established protocol).

But apparently outcry has made him change his mind on that, too.

Which makes him 3 for 3 on backtracking this trip. So far, anyway.
 
So, do I have this right?

Romney is fundraising in Great Britain, Israel, and other places overseas, taking money from foreign donors. . .

Am I the only one who is troubled by this?

American citizen donors living overseas (although some may have dual nationality).

Accepting donations from non-American citizens would be illegal.
 
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American citizen donors living overseas (although some may have dual nationality).

Accepting donations from non-American citizens would be illegal.

Correct. But he could mention some of the super Pacs that he's not working with that support him.
 
Without donation disclosure, how can we know? How do we know he isn't taking money from foreign enemies of the United States?

Because there would be no point in going overseas if he wanted to do that. While london may have a certian ah expertise with regards to money laundering there is no need to actualy go there.

Looking at the countries on the list Israel was there because he needs to appear to support it, Poland because the population is more pro-US than most and the UK was probably there because it was traditional.
 
Fair enough. I thought there would be a sensible reason behind it, and thankyou for taking the time to point it out.

Turns out the accusation that Obama hates the UK because he took the bust of Churchill out of the White House is even dumber than I thought.

There are actually two busts of Churchill, both by the same sculptor, Sir Jacob Epstein. One bust was on personal loan to George W. Bush, and that one is now at the residence of the UK's ambassador to the US. The other bust is still right where it's always been.

In the White House.
 
Turns out the accusation that Obama hates the UK because he took the bust of Churchill out of the White House is even dumber than I thought.

There are actually two busts of Churchill, both by the same sculptor, Sir Jacob Epstein. One bust was on personal loan to George W. Bush, and that one is now at the residence of the UK's ambassador to the US. The other bust is still right where it's always been.

In the White House.

but.... but he replaced the bust he kicked out of the WH with one of Karl Marx. ;)
 
Of course Israel's system depends in part on receiving a boatload of aid from the U.S.

_____

Speaking of Israel, I'd like to hear Romney comment on expansion of settlements.

I think the main point is that people in Israel presumably like their universal healthcare. It's possible I have simply missed all of these times but why is it that Democrat and Republican candidates are not asked, whenever they put on one of their Israelier than thou routines, what they think of Israel's healthcare system?

Why is it that people like Michael Moore trot out the Cuban healthcare system and thereby shooting himself in both foots (i.e putting off the non-lunatic fringe of the Republican Party and making it easier to associate Moore and uhc with socialism), don't make more of the fact that every politician's favourite country has UHC?

Now, if you want to you can tie it to US aid although I would think that would be counterproductive from a strategic point of view given that by doing so you are already changing the subject (cue Twittering from Sarah Palin: "Obama's totally trying to Jew the Israelis!") and also you would be, in effect, arguing that it is expensive and unsustainable.

I agree though that it would be useful to hear what Romney has to say about the settlements. But then it would be useful for politicians of all stripes to be asked proper questions on actual issues instead of the relentless softballing they get from most of the US media.
 
Yeah, you do. No diplomacy == war. Sometimes diplomacy doesn't help, but several thousand years of experience have shown it is preferable to start with.
Obama's minions playing Chamberlain; yeah, great idea. Doing so well with Iran, and this time Israel gets a musroom cloud where Tel Aviv was sited.

And then we have the US & what's left of Israel (plus maybe the Brits) against Iran-Russia-China.
 
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Obama's minions playing Chamberlain; yeah, great idea. Doing so well with Iran, and this time Israel gets a musroom cloud where Tel Aviv was sited.

And then we have the US & what's left of Israel (plus maybe the Brits) against Iran-Russia-China.

Meanwhile, in the real world...

hahhahromney.jpg
 
Obama's minions playing Chamberlain; yeah, great idea.

Err carrying out the largest millitry buildup in history backed up with revolutionary battlefield technologies (where do you think chain home radar came from)? Has the entire US population been issued with gasmasks? Is the US about to go to war with one of the most powerful nations on earth because it invaded poland?

Its easy to attack Chamberlain until you consider that by modern standards his actions would be considered insanely militaristic.

Doing so well with Iran, and this time Israel gets a musroom cloud where Tel Aviv was sited.

And then we have the US & what's left of Israel (plus maybe the Brits) against Iran-Russia-China.

Err what? Look after Israel has responded by removing Iran from the map I can't see why the US would bother with it. Russia and china seem like rather random tangents.
 
Chamberlain bought BADLY needed time. Almost an entire year.

Have you any concept of how much better prepared the UK was in September 1939 over September 1938?

In early August 1938, the very first Spitfires went to a pair of squadrons, and if I recall they each received one a week.

Do you imagine that the RAF was ready for combat a month later?

And there were less than 100 Hurricanes as well.

Take on the Luftwaffe with the Glouster Gladiator and the Fairey Battle?

:dl:
 
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