Romney, Hezbollah, and healthcare
By Steve Benen Thursday Aug 02, 2007 7:15pmThe hyper-conservative World Net Daily has caused a bit of a stir on the right today with this report.
Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney has cited the social welfare network of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group as a role model the U.S. should copy to help promote “goodness” and “freedom” around the world.
This isn’t going over well among some conservatives. National Review’s Lisa Schiffren said it is “really horrifying to think that a man of Mr. Romney’s intelligence would make the a [sic] serious diplomatic mistake of citing a radical terrorist group as a model for U.S. policy. This is where being a techno-guy, without any real foreign policy experience, (or ear) begins to matter.”
There’s two parts to this. One, did Romney say what WND reported? And two, is Romney right? The answer is yes, to both.
WND didn’t misquote Romney. Check the entire clip.
It was, oddly enough, a pretty good answer. Hezbollah curried favor in Lebanon by offering key services. Lo and behold, it worked. Romney’s point was that the U.S. could help win “hearts and minds” through supporting services like this in the region.
Now, if a Democrat had said this, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed for a whole week. The headlines would be everywhere: “Dem calls on U.S. to follow Hezbollah’s example.” It’d be a political nightmare, substance be damned. But Romney said it, and it’s just now becoming an issue.
It’s tempting to go for the cheap shot here, and do to Romney what conservatives have done to Obama this week, but the truth is Romney’s answer was entirely sensible. As Yglesias explained:
Obviously, the United States government shouldn’t become “like Hezbollah” but it’s obvious that one way Hezbollah and Hamas have gained a lot of support is by providing helpful services to people in need. If the U.S. wants to do effective political outreach — or wants to help democratic forces strengthen their own positions in Muslim-majority countries — that’s going to require people to roll up their sleeves and do some of that kind of work themselves.
WND and National Review obviously don’t see it this way. Given the right’s general approach to these issues, I suspect we’ll see plenty of “Romney (Hearts) Hezbollah” pieces popping up in 3... 2... 1....
Login or Register to post comments.
First!
Oh please, like conservatives give a shit what their candidates say or do? So long as their candidate is a white man who talks about killing and toughness, they'll fall in line like the cult driven lobotimized followers they are.
Romney could sodomize the Pope on national television. If he's the nominee, the base will defend him with every snarl from their hate spewing mouths.
Jim@2, right on!
They're a terror group. It says so on their business cards.
Yeah... Romney killed his campaign with that one. We have to start keeping track of the one screwup GOP candidates have done to kill their own campaigns.
So, McCain with "Bomb bomb bomb Iran"?
Loonie @ 4:
Jamin al Haqmah
Demolition Specialist
123 Main St.
Beruit, Lebanon 999XXX
Tel: 011 961 12 34 56
Hezbolah: A terrorist organization just for you!
Correction: “really horrifying to think that a man of Mr. Romney’s intelligence [sic] would make the a [sic] serious diplomatic mistake of citing"
I agree, if a Democrat had said this it would have been front page news on the very first day. Having said that, Romney does have a point and its a point that many, especially those on the far right just can not accept. They can not accept that even a terrorist group knows how to "win the hearts and minds" when the need arises.
Recall, how after Israel attempted to route Hezbollah out of Lebanon last year the first thing Hezbollah did when Israel pulled out was to start rebuilding. They started to rebuild not only their defensive capabilities but also started to rebuild the infrastructure of southern Lebanon. In some cases, they came in with money, food, water and other supplies for the populace that returned. I even read a joke on a foreign newspaper soon after Israel's pull out stating that the U.S. should hire Hezbollah to rebuild Iraq as they seem to be more competent and better at nation building than the Bush Administration.
Wake me when things change or shoot me, your choice.
Really, all it does is show "conservatives" extraordinary unwillingness and/or inability to have reasonable debate on nearly every subject. Want better health care, you're a socialist, even though the people who say couldn't tell you what socialism actually is to save their lives. Bring up the idea that maybe winning the hearts and minds of Middle Easterners would be wise, you're a terrorist sympathizer.
In my humble opinion, Romney is ... ahem ... the ODDEST DUCK EVER. That he'd phrase that concept that way is freakin' amazing in its stupidity. Does he not know the GOP base at all?
But face it, all the GOP candidates are fucked up and someone has to represent them in 2008. And Romney still has a good a shot as any of them.
--WKW
[...] Clark Contact the Webmaster Link to Article mitt romney Romney, Hezbollah, and healthcare » Posted at Crooks and Liars on [...]
Terrorists also eat food and breathe air. I think I'll stop doing those things because I don't want to do what terrorists do.
William K. Wolfrum @ 11:
Yep. I agree. The Hezbollah suggestion was one of the smartest things Romney has said, although one shouldn't make a habit of saying nice things about Hitler, for example.
But Romney is a crack-head. DOUBLE-GITMO!!!!
What does it matter?
By the way, even Hezbollah isn't stupid enough to propose abstinence only sex-ed:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070803/hl_nm/abstinence_hiv_dc
WND hyper-conservative???Ha! Didn't know that.It is more like deceptively conservative site.Farah is a clown double agent.
Yeah I saw him say it wha,wha,whatttttt......hezbola?my oh my....just when I thought I'd seen alot...what?is he nuts?this will eventually come out on the repug sites.....but it will take awhile....maybe I should go to the darkside and refresh their memories about this.....yep see ya...
Romeny has had a bad day....week...and the waitress went and confronted him about healthcare...Healthcare and Hezzbolah...he has alot to learn...but I think watching him debate these against rudy might be worth the popcorn...
The trouble the right-wingers have is they can never see the meaning behind the words. Romney is right, that Hezbollah "won hearts and minds" by giving the people what they wanted...and that got them elected by a democratic system to run the government. But the nutjobs on the right can't see that the model is right, but the implementer isn't.
Conservatives cannot abide any story line other than the one about evil terrorists who hate us because of their religion. A lot of it goes back to the right wing movement in Israel who depends upon the "clash of civilizations" meme to justify what would otherwise look like a naked land grab. Mariah Cantwell was excoriated for suggesting that BinLaden had gained support by doing charitable works (which was true.) It has taken me a long time to figure out what is behind that thinking.
If Hezbollah were fighting the Soviets, we would call them "freedom fighters." When they fight Israel and pro-Israel groups in Lebanon we call them "terrorists."
Romney is close to the mark, but he misses the main point. Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization that does some good works, but is more the other way around. Building communities is in fact their main focus. The western press always put the word "hospital" in quotes when talking about Israel's latest target, but in fact Hezbollah has built many hospitals and schools. They fight like hell when they think that their community is being impinged upon, and they are certainly willing to use truck bombs against those they consider their enemies. (They don't have F-16s or cruise missiles.) There is a lot not to like about their idea of a community, but they are not mainly a terrorist organization.
I'm curious what terrorist acts has Hezballah actually carried out?
Joe O. @ 9:
That was a joke???
I’m curious what terrorist acts has Hezballah actually carried out?
Providing free or low-cost health care to the Lebanese people is among their most horrific crimes. Their rocket attacks on Israel pale in comparison to their unabashed, fanatical support of such communist tactics and their attempts at brainwashing a heroic conservative voice like Mitt Romney into endorsing their twisted and hate-fuelled populist programs.
Hezbollah is implicated in the same terrorist acts that have also been blamed on Hamas (Palestenian) and Al Queda (Saudi Arabia.) It all depends upon who is the most convenient person to blame for the politics of the moment. Hezbollah denies involvement in the Beruit barracks bombing (1983) that is the most famous one (from the US-centric P.O.V.) attributed to them. Since they didn't actually exist as an organization until 1985, they may have a point.
the media spent no time on this but spends hours on Hillary's outfits
Romney and Guiliani both seem dumb to me.
Watch as Hezbollah attempts to supply Baghdad with water. Then they're going to send us a thank you card.
Tell me again who the terrorists are?
(Picks up keyboard and slams it on desk)
WND and the rest of the wacky blubbering dipshits of the far right are not interested in finding solutions. They are sloganeers and demonizers. Sound bites, spin smearing, appealing to the lowest common denominator is the only way these intellectually, ideologically,and morally bankrupt slime have to move their base. It is pointless to reason with them. It is pointless to socially interact with them. They should not be viewed as fellow citizens, because in a very real sense they are far more dangerous and antithetical to the values that free thinking progressives hold dear than any external enemy to this country. They in fact have precipitated most of the problems that exist in the world today. They are violent, exploitative, bigoted, they despise egalitarianism, they are driven by a lust for wealth, power and control. They do not believe in democracy, they hold the Constitution in low regard. They are far more interested in dis-informing the public and disenfranchising the public than they are in seeking the truth and trying to elevate the downtrodden. Their modus operandi is founded on lies and hypocrisy. They are knee jerk reactionaries more akin to fascists than democrats. They bear these truths out every day in every way. We would be far more productive accepting these people for what they are... enemies.
HAHAHAHAHA what a dumbass. It's funny how repugs carry this trait.
jr @ 24:
Because the minority repugs own the majority of the media.
There goes Mitt Al-Zawali Romney again.
Mitt Romney talks about doubling Gitmo and his own people fanatically support him and applaud him.
Then he talks about winning the hearts and minds of the Middle East through humanitarian support, rebuilding infrastructure, and providing for their well-being; and his people abandon him simply because it's the same method the enemy uses?
Look, Hezbollah is an organization that exists to infringe on Israel and American interests in the region, but the American people shouldn't be discounting successful strategies simply because orgs like Hezbollah use them. The US should in no way engage in or support terrorist activities, but we need to evaluate why we are losing hearts and minds in the area, and look for successful strategies.
Romney is being hung out to dry, and that wouldn't bother me in the least, as long as they were doing so for the right reasons at least. This is just stupid.
The public is just stupid enough to elect Romney in 2008. The public elected Bush in 2004 - anything is possible.
hezzbola....proving health care is a good thing for their own people....It's just there technique is way of base...all the violence.....hell of a way to get things done........I haven't been hearing alot about them lately....have things quieted down there?.I think not.
Arroyo @ 32:
Romney comes across as too intelligent for our crowd. Tancredo 08!
[Don't blogwhore here-Sitemonitor]
Login or Register to post comments.