Biodegradeable posted a transcript of Romney’s ‘Palestine’ comments and it gave me a kick up the backside to read the full transcript of his speech…and as even Mark Mardell is forced to admit….‘He actually sounds a lot more politically savvy than he does on the stump.‘
So Mardell admits Romney’s talking sense? You would be hard pushed to judge that from the BBC’s reports, including Mardell’s, on the subject which seem to be mere regurgitation of press releases by Romney’s opponents.
Mardell says: ‘ For days now conservative bloggers have been fulminating that Mitt Romney doesn’t get a fair deal, that the media doesn’t give him a chance, and is out to get him.’
Reading the speech and then reading the BBC’s interpretation you’d have to agree with the ‘conservative bloggers’….especially when Mardell comes up with this: ‘But it is his scornful take on Obama voters that has really grabbed the headlines.’
OK so Romney said it wasn’t his job to worry about the 47% that don’t pay taxes…Mardell and Co paint that as if he doesn’t think they’re worth a consideration when in government.
However the BBC has missed, no, not missed, they have erased, the essential comment from the quote…..‘So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect.’
That is a pivotal phrase…Romney will campaign on a policy of low taxes…but if you don’t pay tax that sort of policy has no resonance with you….so what if taxes go down….I don’t pay them anyway!
‘Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect. And he’ll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that’s what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people—I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.’
As regards Israel the BBC have also erased the last but probably most important statement:
The BBC’s take: ‘A new secret video clip has emerged of remarks by Republican candidate Mitt Romney, saying the Palestinians are committed to Israel’s destruction.
He tells donors the Middle East will “remain an unsolved problem… and we kick the ball down the field” ‘….the BBC ‘forgets’ this bit:
‘and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it. We don’t go to war to try and resolve it imminently.’
So Romney says that other than war there is little he can do to pressure the Palestinians to accept the right of Israel to exist and thence be able to negotiate a peace on that basis.
All he can do is:
‘So, the only answer is show your strength. Again, American strength, American resolve, as the Palestinians someday reach the point where they want peace more than we’re trying to push peace on them—and then it’s worth having the discussion. Until then, it’s just wishful thinking.’
How well is Obama’s foreign policy going…ask Kissinger:
‘I saw Dr. Kissinger; I said to him, “How are we perceived around the world?” And he said, “One word: VEAK!” [Audience laughs.] We are weak, and that’s how this president is perceived, by our friends and, unfortunately, by our foes.’
Was Romney born with a ‘silver spoon in his mouth’? Yes but……
‘By the way, both my dad and Ann’s dad did quite well in their life, but when they came to the end of their lives, and, and passed along inheritances to Ann and to me, we both decided to give it all away. So, I had inherited nothing. Everything that Ann and I have we earned the old-fashioned way, and that’s by hard work.’…..
…..’I just said Sen. Rubio says that when he grew up here, poor, that they looked at people that had a lot of wealth, and his parents never once said, “We need some of what they have, they should give us some.” Instead they said that you work hard and go to school, someday we might be able to have enough. That’s…[Applause.] I will continue to do that.’
Presumably Ed Miliband would be proud of him earning his way in the world the ‘hard way’.
What does he think of immigration?:
‘I look forward to getting America back on track, and having people plan on bringing their ideas and their dreams to this country. We get big dreamers, by the way. Oh, I just, we didn’t talk about immigration today. Gosh, I’d love to bring in more legal immigrants that have skill and [unintelligible]. I’d like to staple a green card to every Ph.D. in the world and say, “Come to America, we want you here.” Instead, we make it hard for people who get educated here or elsewhere to make this their home. Unless, of course, you have no skill or experience, in which case you’re welcome to cross the border and stay here for the rest of your life.
In every stump speech I give, I speak about the fact that people who dream and achieve enormous success do not make us poorer—they make us better off.’
When you read the full transcript you realise Mardell hasn’t done his job…if he’s going to report on the speech it is surely important to read it himself and then select his own quotes rather than just rely on the carefully selected handouts by those with strong vested interests in highlighting and potentially distorting the meaning of, certain statements.
Paxman in 2007 could have advised him:
“In this press of events there often isn’t time to get out and find things out: you rely upon second-hand information-quotes from powerful vested interests, assessments from organisations which do the work we don’t have time for, even, god help us, press releases from public relations agencies. The consequence is that what follows isn’t analysis. It’s simply comment, because analysis takes time, and comment is free.”
Perhaps this is what the new DG meant when he wanted more creativity at the BBC…create your own reports, don’t just get them spoonfed to you……do some Journalism, not well paid(by BBC!) secretarial work for the Obama campaign typing up their press releases!