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News & ArtsThursday, July 26, 2012
2012 London Mayor Calls Out Mitt Romney In Front of Tens of Thousands of Cheering Londoners
Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Jul 26, 2012 at 12:27 PM
Holy shit. At the Olympic torch-lighting ceremony, London Mayor Boris Johnson publicly and excitedly called bullshit on Mitt Romney. Here's what he said:
I hear there's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we're ready. Are we ready? Are we ready? Yes we are!
This is a must-watch video. The quote itself doesn't convey the power of the moment; it feels like the biggest pro-wrestling match in the history of the world, with Johnson playing Hulk Hogan and Romney standing in for the Iron Sheik. You have to go watch it on the BBC. The relevant moment starts about forty seconds in. Man, good thing Romney's got that Anglo-Saxon heritage; otherwise, he'd really be fucking up this trip. Daily Kos has more about Romney fucking up, including a series of Tweets by the Daily Mail's political editor that is really quite unbelievable:
1
Love how Romney's been prefacing this trip by saying how he's not going to put down the US while in a foreign country (like Obama supposedly did (not)). Yeah, just insult the country you're visiting instead, Mitt. Great job.
3
Wow, already falling right on his face with foreign affairs.
Not even out of the fucking gate yet.
Not even out of the fucking gate yet.
4
The UK press isn't very pleased.
(Or, if we're talking Anglo-Saxon usage, the UK pressaren't very pleased.)
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/0…
(Or, if we're talking Anglo-Saxon usage, the UK pressaren't very pleased.)
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/0…
5
And, might I add, Johnson is one of the leading lights of young conservatism there. Romney is getting dissed by his own supposed allies, now. Delightful.
7
@5, conservatives in Britian are more like the Democrats here. That's how screwed up the GOP in this country has become.
8
@7, I know. But it's harder for the Right here to shrug off the Conservative Party than the NAACP.
9
"The geiger counter of olympomania is going to go zoink! Off the scale!"
that's my favorite quote from the video. and "the transport system is ready!"
that's my favorite quote from the video. and "the transport system is ready!"
11
I think I've figured it out. After months and months of campaigning in the primaries against Buchmann, Cain, Perry, Gingrich, and Paul, one of the lesson he walked away with was;
"The more stupid things you say, the more you insult other nations, the more the Republican base will love you."
Another was, "It is still the 80s" Hence Romney's conviction that the Soviet Union is still our greatest threat. Though this one works for the 1880s as well. Hence the Republican belief the wealthy create jobs like Carnegie* did and not simply move money around like Romney did.
1880s, 1980s nothing in between, nothing before or after. That is today's Republican party world view n version of reality. So sad for a once grand old party.
*yo Koch brothers, do something useful like build a bunch of public libraries or a turnpike or something. Quit pissing on America and telling us it is raining.
"The more stupid things you say, the more you insult other nations, the more the Republican base will love you."
Another was, "It is still the 80s" Hence Romney's conviction that the Soviet Union is still our greatest threat. Though this one works for the 1880s as well. Hence the Republican belief the wealthy create jobs like Carnegie* did and not simply move money around like Romney did.
1880s, 1980s nothing in between, nothing before or after. That is today's Republican party world view n version of reality. So sad for a once grand old party.
*yo Koch brothers, do something useful like build a bunch of public libraries or a turnpike or something. Quit pissing on America and telling us it is raining.
12
His base will love him for this. They hate Europe (and although England doesn't consider itself Europe, the teapartiers do). This may not be deliberate on his part, but it's not going to hurt him.
13
The GOP base was never going to vote for Obama anyway. They don't care if Romney's an ignorant jackass or not.
Independents and moderates? This stuff isn't helping Romney make a good impression on them.
Disillusioned liberals? Now that I see more of what Romney truly is, I'm starting to regain a little enthusiasm.
Independents and moderates? This stuff isn't helping Romney make a good impression on them.
Disillusioned liberals? Now that I see more of what Romney truly is, I'm starting to regain a little enthusiasm.
16
getting hated on by euro soshlysts is as much of a win as getting booed by the NAACP. conservatives love to feel like victims.
17
Maybe he should just bite the bullet, break out his rusty French, and move on to Paris instead. Being rude won't be so noticeable there.
20
It is impossible to imagine Romney giving this speech. I think Obama does just *fine* understanding the unique relationship between the UK and the US. In fact, this might be the single best enunciation of our bond. The whole thing is worth watching, but the paragraph at 42:00 is incredibly moving.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-vid…
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-vid…
22
My favorite tidbit from the linked Dailykos article:
This pissed off the prime minister, David Cameron, who responded by noting of the Romney-headed Salt Lake City games that it must have been "easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere."Obama may not be a pure-bred Anglo Saxon, but at least our world-leader allies don't openly mock him.
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