JACK TAME REPORTS ON MITT ROMNEY’S FRUSTRATIONS WITH AMERICAN ENTITLEMENT MID GFC YEARS, WHERE A LONGTERM & SUSTAINED ECONOMIC REBUILD IS NEEDED

Obama appearing on The Letterman show: “My expectation is if you want to be president, you’ve got to work for everybody, not just for some” (Video: Worldwide Pants via BBC News).

American News: In the GFC years post rich people getting ridiculously richer, the middle classes were collapsed. Whoever doesn’t understand that, was most probably propped up by big sponsors or living offshore out of a Swiss bank. Anyway… the latest Romney vs Middle Class vs Obama debate is the big news story in NZ.

Watch Simon Dallow segue to New Zealand’s foreign correspondent Jack Tame and Jack’s coverage of the story from the USA.

Romney’s comments that 47% of Americans who support Obama “are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them,” Romney is recorded as saying. “They are people who live off government handouts and do not “care for their lives,” Romney added. He also said, “Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax.”

In an updated address on his comments, Romney said: “My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5 to 10 percent in the center that are independents,” he said to potential donors. The tape brought back memories of controversial remarks that then-candidate Barack Obama made at a fundraiser during his 2008 campaign when he said that white rural voters “cling to guns or religion.”

In a California press conference to fix his image, Romney said: “It’s not elegantly stated. Let me put it that way. I’m sure I could state it more clearly and in a more effective way than I did in a setting like that,” Romney said. However, he did not back away from his comments and said it was a message that he would continue to carry.

“Frankly, my discussion about lowering taxes isn’t as attractive to them and therefore I’m not likely to draw them into my campaign as those in the middle,” he said.

“This is really more about the political process of winning the election and of course I want to help all Americans have a bright and prosperous future and I’m convinced that the president’s approach has not done that and will not do that.”

Obama (on The Letterman Show said): Mr Romney was wrong to describe 47% of Americans as “victims”. Earlier, Mr Romney defended his remarks after secretly filmed video of a speech to donors became public.

He told Fox News he knew those “dependent on government” would not vote for him in November’s election. Mr Romney also decried the notion of government “redistribution”, calling it an “entirely foreign concept”.

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What do I think?: Well, being older, I think what Jack thinks of course.

Alright, here’s what I think:

1. In order for democracy to work, you need a strong opposition.

2. When fundraising, politicians say the darndest things, to get the rich sponsor on board. It’s not always right. Yet to take their words out of context (from the fundraising game) is also not entirely fair on Romney. As this video shows.

3. Most Mormon people, aren’t wealthy. Mr Romney may forget that, or he may not have been to church for a while to see. His religious context perhaps needs revisiting his spiritual community across the USA for a reality check. That could help.

What else do I think?

A different America: Almost 7 years ago when I got to the U.S, it is how Romney would like it to be. Yet when I left 18 months ago, it was no longer that America we all knew. The GFC had stripped the USA middle peeps right down. For that, Mr Romney needs to remind his sponsors of their work.

Obama’s approach is right for the majority of America right now. Yet Romney is not wrong either. In countries all over the world, a Nanny State mentality (albeit a very poor one) rose to power as the wealthy bared their teeth, turning on the middle class to increase wealth. This occurred all over the world, added by bankers and banking systems. A victim mentality was created by the rich, and politicians placed (or elected) to do the wealthy’s dirty week. Politicians became like the buffer for the wealthy between the majorities and the wealthy who increased their wealth during this period.

Moving forward: Most people admit that being in a ‘victim’ state is not good for the economy. Yet when the majority of people are struggling and can relate to struggle mid GFC years, they are no longer ‘victims’ as Romney claims, they are ‘just right,” as whatever they are feeling and thinking is the new majority consensus. This is what Romney and his friends haven’t caught themselves up on yet.

Yet Romney’s job (election next) will be to turn around the ‘Nanny State’ complex the wealthy created. He won’t be able to do it this election, as Obama is the right man to lead at this time. His tone of empathy is suited right, for where the US is at. The USA needs healing. Can Obama reinstill spirit back into the American people. Can the wealthy back off, and do more to restore the middle class over the next four years. That is America’s challenge.

In honesty: I am 100% in agreement with Obama’s tone heading into November 6th.

However, I am 200% in support of Romney‘s views in sounding a call to fix up America. Sort of in that “from this time forward,” manner. It shows that Romney’s gifts to want to lead the US out of a slump are strong. That should be commended. Those gifts are needed to rebuild the US too. Whether people paid tax or not in the US, everyone was paying tax in some way. Whether that be parents housing their children and children’s children. Or twenty-something or thirty-somethings postponing their weddings as they couldn’t afford to marry etc, and neighbors helping out neighbors, or family or friends – those with resources were investing in those around them (the State’s job) as unemployment continued to rise in the GFC years. Romney’s views on that don’t take into account the decency of many Americans who carried a lot to keep their own communities going.

I do support Romney’s views in part, as America overprinting money as the U.S is, is not sustainable. It’s a fake boost to a US economy that is not generating enough to repay it. The look is the US is consuming itself to death (meaning not generating enough to replace what’s being consumed), hence Romney’s chat being useful for the US to hear too.

My concern being an allly of the U.S from New Zealand is that not living within the USA now, yet being outside and looking in, it’s a lot easier to sense the USA’s apprehensions. In such times, the U.S has a tendancy to want to war against new territories to acquire the resources the U.S needs to sustain itself through conquest, stealth, acquistion via means of war, rather than via true creativity of growing the U.S economy.

So, Romney’s comments do have merit, as if he’s not listened to in part, another war will result somewhere for the US to make up the deficit. Or, civil war in the US will become a new trend.

As an ally of the U.S, if American doesn’t find a middle ground between Obama’s considered humanitarian realism as a leader whose tone is right to lead the USA humanely in what he says, vs Romney’s warning shot, reality check too, it does worry me for the USA.

The wealthy need to come out of retirement or semi-retirement and create the missing levels in the USA economy again. They need to invest back into their America. Rather than Romney asking the wealthy for money, he should be doing that yet also urging the wealthy to partner with him in reinvesting into employment creation areas in the USA. If Romney’s investment talks efforts went into the most supportive GOP areas, then he will have a chance of winning the election next, as well as demonstrating his heart (to fix up what he sees as ‘victims of an underproducing and juiced system’). Romney needs to lead a reformation of employment creation somehow. His backers need to realize one man can’t do the economic rebuild, they all must not only give money to elect a leader, but also must commit more to journey with him in the era of rebuilding the US economy. It really is going to take that degree of commitment from the entrepreneurial types of Americans and billionaires of the USA, to turn the US around.

If that helps add some ‘elegant’ realism to Romeny’s campaign vision, I add those thoughts too.

I still see Romney and Obama as twins. Simply because they both dance for the wealthy. So although they are at odds in the campaign game, the same concerns run through both of their paths, they just take differing views on the same issues. If not living in the US, people who aren’t absolutely conscious of the USA’s daily realities (I still am very conscious of them, though most aren’t outside the US), tend to do this.

1. What Obama says.

2. What Romney says.

3. Add both together, divide by 2

4. You have the common ground of where the USA’s current think tank is at.

If Romney and Obama can’t do this, then I guess outsiders will try and reflect that middle view back to both, to make America stronger.

Recap:

1. I agree with both leaders. Truth in what they both say.

2. Romney needs to see past taking the short term solution of a donation, vs, persuading the donor to be committed to the entire rebuild and get on board. How can he do that? Warren Buffet for example has done it with 92 billionaire types with his Trust committing to invest back into the USA in philanthropic ways. Romney needs a club like that, committed to his rebuild ideas in the long term if Romney can come up with a plan to rebuild the USA, beyond ‘welfare’ that is more sustainable.

It is a Mormon principle, to write down a vision, then build it. How the Mormon church grew. So, um yeah, Romney’s being a very lazy Mormon right now, in not providing that vision in writing for billionaire supporters to have a chance to say, “yeah, sign me up for the next ten years.” I’ll journey with you and co-build. The USA is at a point, where it needs that kind of degree of commitment.

Why I want the USA to be more like Romney’s reality check: I don’t want the USA (or any other ‘super power’ or conglomerate entities) chomping on South Pacific resources too much, all because consumption was the mentality and creation was too slow in happening.

We have our own rebuilds to do in NZ. We are not a charity for the US. We can work together with the US to make it more sustainable. Outside of that, we do not believe in being vampired. So, I like Romney’s views on making the culture of the USA less like a vampire to the rest of the world.

I also affirm, Obama’s stance heading into November 6th. It is a humane one. The strategy of both men should be, persuade entrepreneurs to invest more back into the US (time, money, nouse or all three) to create the sustainable economy America needs to rebuild again.

Oh, on Romney’s views on Palestine – I have had a Jewish name my entire life. I am Jewish-tolerant. Yet I 100% disagree on Romney’s ignorant views on Palestine as well as a lack of understanding how Peace works. From a Mormon perspective, “Prince of Peace” is another name for who? Right! Be more like that. There’s a church in California called Church on The Way Romney could perhaps visit (it’s not a Mormon Church). The Church bought a reservoir in Israel. The water from it, flows to both Palestinians and Israelis.

Both own the gift that the California church gave as a peace symbol to Israel and Palestine from their hearts as an expression of actively pursuing peace from the US, into a strife torn people, some Americans care about, more so than Romney does currently.  The peace project makes the Americans feel good everytime they hear reports of the Palestinians and Israelis living in peace from their reservoir they fund. It is miracle water.

On tax: Build the economy, and taxes will come back into the government coffers. Get rid of dishonesty or inequality from politicians policies, then the new honesty brings taxes back into the government coffers. The GOP are a tax deterrant with their policies, so Romney needs to walk carefully not harshly there.

What’s clear though is Mr Romney’s millionaire mentality, needs to give way somehow. You can’t be the US President this side of 15 years, if you’re in it for the money. That’s not what the job is about. So Mitt’s skills at creating millions for himself, great. Yet now it’s about not seeing money, but seeing rebuilt lives. Romney has not yet seen beyond Bernanke’s paper press ‘machine’. It’s only a machine printing paper money. Rebuilt lives, rebuilt communities. Sustainable jobs. Sustainable families. Sustainable happy people. That’s so much bigger than an ‘economy’. It’s about a new America beyond paper chasing. So how can Mitt have a vision of that America, like about now, and write it down and live it and get the right people together to build that vision? :)

ENDS.

(Oh, thanks Jack and Dave Letterman for the news).

To Obama and Romney – Harden up. Slap the right people. Be kind. Create jobs. And, all the best. :)

~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 19.9.12~