Slip Ups of the Republican Candidate

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.