Slip Ups of the Republican Candidate

Published in Jornal de Angola
(Angola) on 5 August 2012
by Faustino Henrique (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Elizabeth Woolley. Edited by Audrey Agot.
Every day the American presidential election campaign heightens in intensity and interest, with the Democrats and Republicans seeking support for election, in the case of Mitt Romney, or reelection for Barack Obama.

At this point, a wide variety of trump cards is being played. Mitt Romney has taken himself out of the country to give the impression that he is as prepared in foreign policy as his adversary. Barack Obama uses taxes as his weapon of choice.

The exchange of words over the accidental tax evasion of the Republican candidate started with the president, went to his Vice President Joseph Biden, and reached the Democrat Majority Leader in the Senate, veteran Congressman Harry Reid.

Mitt Romney has already defended himself. He swore that he pays his taxes every year and demanded an apology from the Democrats.

The foreign visit, rarely made in an electoral year by a U.S. presidential candidate, was yet another negative for the Romney campaign.

As the British press pointed out, the Republican's trip to Israel and England was a gift for Barack Obama.

After the slip ups committed during his international meanderings, the Republican candidate for the American presidency is still making a titanic effort to defeat the current occupant of the White House in November.

Mitt Romney, who wanted to spread the idea the he has a good understanding of the international situation, was unsuccessful in Israel and England. Although foreign politics holds little interest for the typical American voter, that doesn't make it less worrying that a candidate for the White House understands the intricacies of international politics so badly. It was unfortunate for Mitt Romney to say that the lack of development of the Palestinians compared to the Israelis was down to cultural factors.

Soon after, he infuriated the Palestinians by saying that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel, a delicate point that the international community doesn't support.

In England, one of his advisers implied that Romney’s Anglo-Saxon origins served for the U.S. and England to reinforce bilateral ties, which was a cause for mirth in the British press.

Another setback, this one by Romney himself, was to declare that England wasn’t prepared to organize the Olympic Games, which made the Daily Mail newspaper question who invited him to visit London. But not everything went badly for Mitt Romney, as the slow recovery of his country's economy (increased by unemployment figures) is important for him to reach his dream.

The job of replacing Barack Obama is not at all easy for the Republicans, although not impossible. Aside from the fact that most presidents have been reelected, and aside from fluctuations in the polls (some revealing a technical draw, others showing a Democrat lead), none indicate that Obama’s victory is a given.

Mitt Romney's campaign fund-raising, he himself an heir to a huge fortune, undermines the reelection prospects of his opponent. There are many who say that Obama is the first president to seek reelection who is going to be defeated by his opponent in funds raised. In this regard, Romney is, more or less, relaxed. His big challenge is now the selection of his vice president. Dick Cheney, who was vice president to George W. Bush, pressed him not to opt for Sarah Palin, Governor of the State of Alaska, chosen by John McCain in the 2008 elections. Among the names put forward as potential candidates for the job are Florida Senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Ohio Senator Rob Portman.*

What worries the Obama campaign most are the unemployment figures and the deceleration of the economy, as foreign policy is normally of less interest during the elections.

The Washington Post wrote that Barack Obama has to work hard to perform a feat that has not occurred since the Second World War: an American President being reelected with unemployment figures above 7.2 percent.

*Editor’s note: Since the original publication of this article, Republican Candidate Mitt Romney has selected Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice president.


A campanha para as eleições presidenciais norte-americanas aumenta de intensidade e de interesse diariamente, com democratas e republicanos a procurarem apoios para a eleição, no caso de Mitt Romney e de reeleição, no de Barack Obama.
Nesta altura, são utilizados os mais variados trunfos. Mitt Romne desloca-se ao estrangeiro para dar a entender que está tão preparado em política externa como o adversário. Obama Barack usa os impostos como arma de arremesso.
A troca de palavras sobre a eventual fuga de impostos do candidato republicano começou pelo Presidente, passou pelo seu vice, Joseph Biden, e estendeu-se ao líder da maioria democrata no Senado, o experimentado congressista Harry Reid.
Mitt Romney já se defendeu. Garantiu que paga anualmente os impostos e exigiu pedidos de desculpa aos democratas.
A visita ao estrangeiro, raramente feita em ano eleitoral por um candidato à Presidência dos Estados Unidos, constituiu mais uma desvantagem para a campanha de Romney.
Como salienta a imprensa britânica, a deslocação do republicano a Israel e a Inglaterra foi uma dádiva para Barack Obama.

Depois dos deslizes cometidos durante a digressão internacional, o candidato republicano às presidenciais norte-americanas continua a fazer um esforço titânico para vencer em Novembro o actual ocupante da Casa Branca.
Mitt Romney, que procurou transmitir a ideia que conhece bem a situação internacional, foi mal sucedido em Israel e em Inglaterra. Embora a política externa pouco interesse ao eleitor comum norte-americano, não deixa de ser preocupante que um candidato à Casa Branca conheça tão mal os meandros da política internacional. Mitt Romney foi infeliz ao dizer que o défice de desenvolvimento dos palestinos comparativamente aos israelitas se deve a questões culturais.
Logo a seguir enfureceu os palestinos ao afirmar que Jerusalém era a capital de Israel, um assunto delicado que a comunidade internacional não apoia.
Na Inglaterra, um dos seus assessores referiu que as origens anglo-saxónicas de Romney serviam para Estados Unidos e Inglaterra reforçarem os laços bilaterais, o que foi motivo de chacota por parte da imprensa britânica.
Outra inconveniência, esta do o próprio Romney, foi declarar que a Inglaterra não estava preparada para organizar os Jogos Olímpicos, o que levou ao jornal “Daily Mail” a perguntar quem é que o tinha convidado a visitar Londres. Mas nem tudo vai mal para Mitt Romney, pois a lenta recuperação da economia do seu país acrescida dos números do desemprego são trunfos importantes para o seu sonho.
A tarefa de substituir Barack Obama não é nada fácil para os republicanos, embora não seja impossível. Independentemente da maioria dos Presidentes terem sido reeleitos e das oscilações nas sondagens, umas a revelarem um empate técnico, outras a darem vantagem aos democratas, nada indica que Obama tenha a vitória assegurada.
As angariações de fundos para a campanha de Mitt Romney, ele próprio herdeiro de uma grande fortuna, abalam a recandidatura do adversário e são muitos os sectores que afirmam que Obama é o primeiro Presidente à procura da reeleição que vai ser batido pelo oponente em termos de dinheiro angariado.
Neste aspecto, Mitt Romney está, mais ou menos, descansado. O seu grande desafio é agora a escolha para a Vice-Presidência. Dick Cheney, que foi Vice-Presidente de George W. Bush, advertiu-o para não optar por Sarah Palin, governadora do estado do Alaska, escolhida por John McCain nas eleições de 2008.
Entre os nomes que são apresentados como potenciais candidatos ao cargo de Vice-Presidente constam os do senador pela Florida, Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, governador de Nova Jersei, Bobby Jindal, ex-governador de Louisiana, Paul Ryan, o congressista de Wisconsin, Tim Pawlenty, ex-governador de Minnesota e de Rob Portman, senador pelo Estado de Ohio.
O que mais preocupa a campanha de Obama são os números do desemprego e a desaceleração da economia porque a política externa costuma interessar muitos menos durante as eleições.
O jornal “Washington Post” escreveu que Barack Obama tem de se esforçar muito para realizar a proeza que não sucede desde a II Guerra Mundial: um Presidente norte-americano ser reeleito com o desemprego acima dos 7,2 por cento.
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