Mitt Romney’s ‘47 per cent’ remark

Now another star from the Republican party, Mitt Romney, is going to divide his own country.

JUBAIL, SAUDI ARABIA: About a decade back, one Republican president threatened the world by saying, “either you are with us or you are with the terrorists”. In other words, the whole mankind was divided into two groups — America and its allies, and anti-American terrorists. Now another star from the Republican party, its presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, is going to divide his own country. According to Romney, 47 per cent of Americans do not pay their taxes and are dependent on the government for healthcare, food and housing and that is President Barack Obama’s vote bank. Should we assume that the rest of the 53 per cent pay their taxes to run the country (and, in fact, the whole world) and that is the Republicans’ vote bank? If this is the case, then Romney need not worry about the election campaign as he has already got the majority on his side.

Although he was caught for, as he put it “off the cuff” remarks not intended for the general public, however, that paints a stark picture of the mentality of the Republican top brass — if you don’t pay taxes, you are written off as we don’t know you and we are not responsible for you.

In the same breath, he set up his foreign policy goals while blasting the Palestinians in the following manner: “Palestinians are committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel.” It is clear that efforts for peace in the Middle East under his administration, if he were to come to power, would languish. The message is clear to everyone, including the poor, elderly and jobless Americans: you are with us if you are not a so-called parasite. Interesting days lie ahead.

Masood Khan

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2012.