Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Not a Romney Fan! - image: Haaretz/AP
From Politico – The Headline: “Walesa proclaims solidarity with Mitt”, reviews 2012 Presidential Candidate, Mitt Romney’s Overseas Tour, and his last stop in Poland and visit with legendary Polish Leader Lech Walesa, who heartily endorsed Romney:
“I wish you to be successful because this success is needed to the United States, of course, but to Europe and the rest of the world, too,” Walesa said through a translator...
Then, with a bang of his fist on a wooden table, the Nobel Prize winner urged the Republican to claim victory: “Gov. Romney, get your success — be successful!”
The gist of the surrounding text: all moves were prepared for a photo opportunity – never taking into account that perhaps Walesa meant his comments and purposefully let the press (especially the U.S. Press) know it. The rest of the article reviews his successful visit to Israel by outlining his allegedly “racist” comments regarding Romney’s stance on Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and his take on prosperity in Israel. The Palestinian’s were somewhat put out that Romney did not take the time to visit with their head of state, Mahmoud Abbas as well. The Palestinian’s pulled the race card?
The U.S. Press wasn’t the only outlet decrying Romney’s stance – Iran and China also weighed in : Haaretz: After Romney's visit, Ahmadinejad slams U.S. Republican for 'kissing Israel's foot' speaks to the Iranian Presidents obvious unease over Romney’s remarks about the Iranian Nuclear Program and his support for Israel – China also criticized Romney :
A commentary Tuesday by the official Xinhua News Agency said Romney's "hawkish remarks" ignored the sensitive nature of Jerusalem. It said the comments disregarded the Palestinians' claim to the war-won eastern sector of the city, which was annexed by Israel in 1967 in a move that is not internationally recognized.
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Romney, who was on an overseas trip that also included stops in Britain and Poland to bolster his image ahead of the election, has previously upset some in China by threatening tougher action on Beijing in trade disputes if he is elected president
If Romney has both Iran and China “upset” – some might believe that’s a successful trip – especially those who neither fans of the Iranian President, the ongoing Palestinian terrorist actions against Israel, and the Chinese government’s trade and currency practices. (One might include the U.S. Press along with the aforementioned.)
Stateside: the Hill released a new poll yesterday, that hasn’t gotten a great deal of traction: (PDF link to marginals here): In choosing and voting for a Presidential candidate: Policies and Competence rated 93%, Likability 3% and Not Sure: 4%, Honest & Trustworthy: Obama 44%, Romney: 46%, Not sure: 10% - which leaves a statistical tie between Romney and Obama with the margin of error. (See Crosstabs link above in PDF). Although it now less than 100 days from the November election that will decide who leads the nation forward in the next four years; early indicators suggest a close race in nearly every poll, with few exceptions. However, should push comes to shove, and competence trumps likability and one refers to a recent polls conducted by both Gallup and USA Today where Romney trumped Obama 2 to 1 on the economy(Analysis TownHall.com) – it’s not quite as close as the polls currently suggest.
One can anticipate one of two outcomes based on polling to date: that this election may be yet another “cliffhanger” polling suggests the electorate gives a slight edge to either candidate, President Barack Obama or former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney – leaving little room for either candidate to pull away by a comfortable 5 point lead (with one exception and that being Rasumussen where Romney polled 49-44%(Business Insider).
The other outcome may be more “Reaganesque” – based on Gallup’s annual state by state Presidential job approval rankings – President Obama ranks at 50% (50.1%) in 10 out of 50 states – with moderate to significantly lower approval rankings in 40 states. The 10 states where the President is over 50% include Massachusetts and Hawaii, hardly significant when it comes to electoral votes – see analysis here.
All polling, of course, is subject to change given economic circumstances, and other factors – i.e. the infamous “October Surprise” which has yet to be a factor in recent memory- these particular polls referenced are early indicators only – should the trend towards voters choosing competence of likability continue, along with Romney’s improving likeability (see TownHall on polling), and Romney maintain a 5 point lead going into October, then the odds favor the challenger over the incumbent. As to Romney’s overseas trip – the success depends upon the perception of the candidate and the overall ties to the nations visited – not the perception of the press.
