Only in America Could Mitt Romney Survive His 'Disastrous' Gaffe (Folha, Brazil)

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Only in America Could Mitt Romney Survive His 'Disastrous' Gaffe (Folha, Brazil)

"In many democracies, a declaration like Romney's would ruin any electoral hopes. But in the atmosphere of ideological polarization that characterizes public discourse in the U.S., one cannot be sure."

EDITORIAL

Translated By Andrei Barbosa

September 28, 2012

Brazil - Folha - Original Article (Portuguese)

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney: Even with his monumental gaffe, does he still have a chance?

MOTHER JONES VIDEO, U.S.: Mitt Romney's remarks to Republican doners last May, in which he appears to dismiss half the electorate, Sept. 18, 00:36:39

With just six weeks to go until the American presidential election, Republican candidate for the White House Mitt Romney is facing his worst crisis, which has reinforced a sense that Democratic nominee Barack Obama is the favorite for reelection.

Polls over recent days show a technical dead-heat between the two, with the current president numerically ahead by about three percentage points on average throughout all the polls.

Obama's advantage grows when one considers the electoral situation in key states, which may give him a much larger number of delegates in the Electoral College.

On Thursday, a senior Romney adviser stepped down from the opposition candidate's campaign. The resignation followed the revelation earlier in the week of a video in which the candidate, speaking to campaign donors, makes disastrous statements regarding nearly half the electorate.

According to Romney, 47 percent of voters pay no taxes, rely on the state, and are unwilling to take individual responsibility and care for their own lives. The Republican told donors that this slice of the electorate, which encompasses the poorest segment of the population, has already decided to vote for Obama.

In many democracies, a declaration like Romney's would ruin any electoral hopes. But in the atmosphere of ideological polarization that characterizes public discourse in the U.S., one cannot be sure.

After all, the speech by the former Massachusetts governor plays right into the current narrative in the United States, especially among the lower middle class, which has seen its quality of life worsen.

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His view attributes the country's economic and social situation to government social programs aimed at the poorest fringes of the population, traditionally composed of Blacks and Latinos.

There are at least two ironies in this radical political tactic of Romney.

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The first is the fact that many of these voters, mainly in the southern states, also rely on federal aid, such as the “food stamps” - a kind of U.S. “food card.”

The second, and the most prominent, is that Romney's emphasis on ideological issues - such as gay marriage, women’s rights and the size of the state - tend to electorally favor Obama.

One must note that it is resistance from the most extreme conservative Republicans that sidelines debate on the nation's economy, which is terrain on which the current president has reaped mediocre results.

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