The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is holding its national convention in Reno this week, and heard directly from President Obama yesterday and Mitt Romney today. The contrast between the two speeches tells us quite a bit about the two candidates.
Here, for example, were the president's remarks.
You might notice that Obama didn't mention Mitt Romney. In a 33-minute speech in advance of the election, the president just didn't feel the need to reference his opponent at all. Indeed, Obama only mentioned Republicans once.
Instead of attacking, the president felt confident enough to simply tout his record of success: Obama has restored American prestige on the global stage, ended the war in Iraq, crushed al Qaeda, begun bringing troops home from Afghanistan, reduced the nuclear threat, and helped rid the world of Muammar Qaddafi. When it comes to veterans, Obama has reduced the frequency and duration of deployments, while strengthening veterans' health care.
"Today every American can be proud that America is safer, stronger and more respected in the world," Obama said, adding, "[Y]ou don't just have my words, you have my deeds. You have my track record. You have the promises I've made and the promises that I've kept."
And then there was the president's Republican challenger, who appears to be living in an alternate reality with very little in common with the reality the rest of us live in.
In Romney Land, it makes sense to condemn timelines in Afghanistan, then promise to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan "by 2014." In Romney Land, it makes sense to blame a Democratic president for budget cuts demanded by congressional Republicans. In Romney Land, as American prestige and credibility is on the rise around the globe, it makes sense to say America's image has been "diminished."
But it was this line from his speech that I found especially hard to stomach:
"This is very simple: if you do not want America to be the strongest nation on earth, I am not your president. You have that president today."
Think about that for a second: in Mitt Romney's mind, as of today, the United States is no longer the strongest nation on earth. He felt comfortable leveling this attack against American strength to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, no less.
I'm curious, which country, from Romney's odd perspective, is "the strongest nation on earth"? If the title no longer belongs to the U.S.A., who took it from us and when?
Can Romney think of another country with a better military? With a more robust economy? With a better workforce?
Put it this way: what other country does Romney see outside our borders that leads him to think, "I wish we were as strong as they are"?
Leave a Comment:
I'm curious, what kind of reception did Romney receive when he said "This is very simple: if you do not want America to be the strongest nation on earth, I am not your president. You have that president today."
That would be my question. Are the VFW loyal to the USA or to the Republican Party, which has shown little compassion for the plight of returning veterans with catastrophic injuries, their families and fellow soldiers(I don't make the distinction between the various branches)? If they still applauded Romney, then they have surrendered their right to their benefits as provided by their government. I am a Veteran of a Foreign War, but I have always seen the VFW and similar organizations as supporting the conservatives even though they were not being served by them.
Given that most of the "veterans" of foreign wars never got closer to the foreign wars than selling black market cigarettes in town that they "lost" from the warehouses at Cam Ranh Bay or Tan Son Nhut, where they spent their "in country" tour, they're mostly Republican automatons - the fools who complain if someone suggests a switch to another channel beside Faux Snooze when we visit the VA - the idiots who believed Ronnie the Ray Gun when he called the Vietnam War a "noble endeavor.".
Romney is confident in this audience because he is the Republican. In general, the VFW is filled with very old, white males who are not going to question anything the Republican says, but will question and counter everything the Democrat says. Romney may have overreached in one assumption. Romney assumes that Veterans want to be at war. He assumes they are not citizens but tools that are only happy when being used. His comments about Afghanistan will probably recieve some blowback. Talk about tone deaf. Most veterans do not want their children and grandchildren to be commited to fighting endless wars.
Isn't it ironic too that those attending the conference would support a draft dodger over a President with Obama's record of successes and respect for the military personnel. Amazing.
Well now I reckon this explains why the VFW has so few members compared to what they could have if they quit being so intent on being political. I have a feeling they will lose members this election year as they try to support Mitt and other republicans. The GOP may be big on defense spending but only when it benefits the corporate war machine not when it comes time to actually support the troops--especially in peace time.
Sadly the VFW's I've seen won't loose members because the beer prices are the best in town. I always wondered why they had no windows until I went in one with my old-man. "just a few lost souls swimming in a fishbowl" pretty much summed the experience up.
Those are great questions, Steve. However, Romney will never be asked these questions because our press doesn't want to appear to be too partisan, so they choose to not do their jobs instead.
Better to be called incompetent than partisan, I suppose.
Under Romney it would all be known as the Corporate Military. Lying sociopaths are not concerned with 'people' except as tools.
Well duh! Obviously, he was referring to the U.S.S.R.
Good one.
From the snippets I heard they roared in approval at Romney's screed. What in the HE double toothpicks does it take for these guys to see that Obama got BinLaden and has successfully gotten us out of Iraq (mostly) and is dealing with Afghanistan meanwhile helped topple Quadafi? Israel appears safe in her borders and the middle east is not imploding. He's taken on the pirates that have been plaguing ships off Africa. He has actually ....oh I give up! These old white men (mostly) living in a bubble where reality never penetrates just won't see truth even when it comes up and bites them.
Romney sort of kicks American exceptionalism in the teeth doesn't he? According to him, some other, unnamed, country is now "exceptional."
And boy, HOWDY! are they exceptional! They can whip us with one hand tied behind their backs, even though we have a military several times theirs and spend an order of magnitude on purchasing lethal toys.
why does Mitt Romney hate America?
Romney,in his speech has already started beating the drum's of war.Do we really need more of our young men and women killed on foreign shore's to show how macho he is.All of this tough talk coming from a known draft dodger.
And, how many of his male sons actually "wore the uniform" of their country?
'draft dodger sons of a draft-dodger father, too busy investing the millions daddy gave them to start their own "businesses."
I question these VFW members and their support of a draft dodging family. Willard was pro-war in Viet Nam but his choice was to run to France for a few years. He claims his children are helping the war effort by stumping for him in his bid to become President. These veterans should be ashamed of themselves.
I'm afraid that the United States will become involved in another war because this will increase defense departments spending. We now spend between 800,000 and 1.2 million for every soldier in Afghanistan every year. Where is the money really going?
To be fair, Romney didn't say that the U.S. was not the strongest nation on earth, just that Obama didn't want it to be the strongest nation on earth, with the obvious (and previously explicitly state) implication that Obama was weakening the military.
It's butt-ass stupid pandering jingoism, but that's still a distinction where I don't think he's obligated to point to any other country that is stronger than us at this exact moment.