The Choice: Does America Stay America or Become Like "Europe"?: Part II: Romney Secret 47% Video
I have long thought somebody should go through and annotate the 2012 Mitt Romney: Full Transcript of the 47% Secret Video. So I will now do it.
Part II: The Choice: Does America Stay America or Become Like "Europe"?:
As I said before, Republicans "wrong track" rhetoric tends to be much more apocalyptic--and not in a good way--than Democrats'. This has, I think, powerfully fueled the rise of Trump: "make America great again"--and the feeling that America is not in need of a course correction to become more itself and even greater, as the arc of the universe tends toward justice, but rather is no longer great and no longer itself.
Here we see Romney name "Europe" as the other--as what Obama and the Democrats want to turn America into. This is, I think, an unprofessional and irresponsible rhetorical move: The American President--and anyone who wants to be an American President--ought to regard Europe as first and foremost our partners and as fellow members of our civilization. It should not be held up as something that is simply bad. But it is an easy rhetorical trope for Republicans to reach for, for every American can think of something about some place in Europe that they do not like.
Romney: It's not just because I love my grandchildren, as I do, and I love my sons and [unintelligible], it's that I'm very concerned about what the nation is gonna be like over the coming decade or two. And I really do.
As I said in my remarks earlier, I see these two very different scenarios.
One is as America really powering the world economy, with an extraordinary economy here, with China working with us, wanting to see stability in the world, and a very vibrant America, with freedom and prosperity for the great bulk of the American people.
On the other hand, I really do see something like Europe. And I think that's the path we're on right now. So that's why I wanna make sure what little I'll have left after the campaigns goes to you know, goes to my grandchildren.
That's one piece about me that you may not know...
