Mitt Romney: Can
Such a 'Vacuous Figure' Lead the Strongest Nation? (Al Mesryoon,
Egypt)
"His
acceptance speech makes one wonder: Is it possible for such a vacuous figure to
lead the most powerful nation on earth? ... With the end of the speech, a pressing
question came to mind: Will this vacuous character become the first president
to reduce America to weakness and deterioration ... and humiliation?"
I watched the end of the U.S. Republican Party Convention,
which was held to officially nominate Mitt Romney to face Barack Obama in the
next presidential election. Romney’s speech at the end of the convention [watch below] was
supposed to be the cornerstone of his campaign for the months remaining
before the election, but the speech was weak in its entirety, and failed to
offer a clear alternative to Obama's policies, even as it overindulged in
attacking and ridiculing them. It was a speech full of bluster but bereft of
content. The speech makes one wonder: Is it possible for such a vacuous figure to
lead the most powerful nation on earth?
Many Republican Party leaders have complained about the fact
that Romney lacks charisma, and that he is not beloved as a person. They have
also complained of weakness in terms of the humanitarian aspects in his
character thanks to a life lived isolated from the people, and advised him to
focus on the issue in his [nomination acceptance] speech. And so he did. Indeed,
he enunciated words of great humanitarianism, impressive even by the standards
of American society. He spoke of his parents with great emotion, how they kept their
marriage together for over 60 years; he spoke of how his father gave his mother
a rose every day for dozens of years without fail, right up to the day he died;
and he spoke of the challenges his wife faced as a housewife raising five
children, and her courage, bravery and dedication. In terms of humanizing his
image, he did well. But failed to provide any clear political vision. He also
failed to identify any economic policies as a counterpoint to Obama's.
Romney mentioned his foreign policy only in passing, and he
did it in a very suspicious manner. He mocked Obama’s term, which he said "began
with an apology tour" during which Obama said America "had dictated
to other nations." Romney said he would begin his term with a statement
that America (in the era of George W. Bush) has "freed other nations from
dictators." (In reference to Iraq?) Romney didn't neglect attacking Obama
for his tepid support for Israel and America's allies, and his leniency with
Russia - and promised, if elected, to be less flexible and firmer with Russia!
Romney belongs to the Mormon Church, a sect established in
1830 that has a holy book other than the Bible and has lived largely isolated
from other Christian denominations, nor does it allow followers of other sects
into its churches. They prohibit wine, smoking, excessive displays of
emotion and romantic relationships outside marriage, but allows polygamy
(prohibited by law in the United States).
In 1966, Romney set everything aside for thirty months to go
on a proselytizing mission to France and evangelize for this community, and he
later became a bishop in the church. This religious background, in addition to
the fact that Romney comes from such wealth, makes him seem grandiose in his
interactions and to most people, highly objectionable.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
The void that Romney's speech consisted of is cause for
concern, and the keynote speech that preceded his was downright strange: it
came from that old Hollywood star Clint Eastwood. While the famed actor's words
excited the audience and garnered the admiration of political pundits, his
hollow speech was full of mockery inappropriate at such a major party
convention. Eastwood put an empty chair next to him, and pretended that Obama
was sitting there, and proceeded to hold a very casual discussion with mangled
sentences and empty language. His lack of focus may have been due to a disease connected
with aging. Overall, his speech, and Romney's speech which came later, left a clear
image of political vacuousness, followed [in Tampa] by a cacophony of media and
music.
On occasions like these, a presidential candidate usually
concludes his historic speech on a note of hope and the promise of better times,
but Romney concluded his with a series of questions about Obama's policies, and egged
on the audience to answer each one with a loud "no!"
accompanied by off-color whistling.
With the end of the speech, a pressing question came to mind:
Will this vacuous character become the first president to reduce America to
weakness and deterioration ... and humiliation?
