Mitt Romney told Jewish donors Monday that their culture is part of what has allowed them to be more economically successful than the Palestinians, outraging Palestinian leaders who suggested his comments were racist and out of touch with the realities of the Middle East. Romney's campaign later said his remarks were mischaracterized.
"As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality," the Republican presidential candidate told about 40 wealthy donors who ate breakfast at the luxurious King David Hotel.
Romney said some economic histories have theorized that "culture makes all the difference."
"And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things," Romney said, citing an innovative business climate, the Jewish history of thriving in difficult circumstances and the "hand of providence." He said similar disparity exists between neighboring countries, like Mexico and the United States.
Regarding the Palestinians, when you teach your kids to become suicide bombers, and glorify that as one of the best things your children can aspire to, you're not going to find a lot of innovation, or education, or long-term planning. When Hezbollah and Hamas talk about their desire for a booming economy, they don't mean the term the way we do.
Thankfully, Mexico doesn't have a tradition of suicide bombers. In fact, it has what ought to be plenty of ingredients for economic prosperity -- two beautiful coastlines with ports, long agricultural growing seasons, oil and other natural resources, a legendarily hardworking populace. But without the rule of law, the knowledge that your gains will be protected from theft by either a drug cartel goon or some corrupt officeholder, you'll miss out on a lot of growth. A state-run oil company probably doesn't help, either.
At Powerline, Paul Mirengoff finds the analysis typically depressing:
Israelis may not publicly boast about cultural superiority. But few who have spent time in Israel will believe that Israelis attribute their economic superiority to the oppression of Palestinians or the notion that their neighbors just can't catch a break. Abba Eban's statement that the Arabs "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" sums up the prevailing sentiment.
But the most ridiculous take on Romney's remark comes not from a Palestinian, but from Abraham Diskin, a political science professor at the Inter-Disciplinary Center near Tel Aviv. The nutty professor said: "You can understand this remark in several ways; you can say it's anti-Semitic -- 'Jews and money.'"
You can say that if you're a self-hating Jew. You can say it if you're auditioning for a spot on Team Obama. But you can't say it with any credibility.
Our Charles Cooke thinks it is time to acknowledge the obvious, that some cultures serve its members much better than others:
This hasn't stopped Think Progress from impressing some poor intern onto the . Its complaint? That "Romney incensed Palestinians." Well, one might ask: So what? Ronald Reagan incensed many in the Soviet Union when he described their system as an "evil empire" and invited them to tear down the Berlin Wall. It doesn't mean that he was wrong.
Likewise, many Indians were incensed by British general Charles Napier who took a stand against the Hindu practice of "sati," an ancient practice by which widows were routinely burned alive on the funeral pyres of their husbands. When banning the practice, Napier told the incensed locals:
"You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well! We also have a custom. When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks, and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre. Beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."
India doesn't have sati any more and the Berlin Wall is no longer there - and those who were afflicted by the two things are better off for it.
David Harsanyi asks, "Is anyone really under the impression that the average American voter cares that Mitt Romney insulted the Palestinians?"
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