Romney Heads to Europe; Stumbles in London - The Road to the White House - Election 2012 - Week 30

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Saturday, 28 July 2012 22:58

Written by Janet Walker

Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican Presidential candidate, took a beating this week in the media over repeated missteps during the first leg of his European Foreign Policy trip.

With the initial stop, London, thankfully over, Romney will continue with stops in Poland and, culminate the six day trip with a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Israel.

According to Gallup,  as of July 28, 2012 among registered voters President Obama’s national popularity declined by two percentage point this week to 46% and Mitt Romney’s national popularity remained steady at 46%.

President Obama’s current overall ratings, according to Gallup, gained a single percentage point over the past week to 47% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness climbed a single percentage point to 48%.

The former Massachusetts governor, unfortunately, battled the headlines on both sides of the pond as his first official trip as a Presidential candidate, albeit presumptive, to London ended in disaster with him being labeled, “Mitt the Twit” by The Sun, one of London’s Daily Newspapers.

Upcoming on the European itinerary, Romney is seeking a meeting with Poland’s heads of state and also former Nobel Peace Prize Winner Lech Walesa, the labor party leader who led his country into democracy freeing them from Communist rule. In Israel, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate will be meeting with, former and current, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As each of these three countries are strong allies of the United States it is important for Romney to set forth a Presidential strength and, at minimum, persuade our allies that he is better for them, then the current administration so as to form the ever important alliance.

Romney, whom everyone agrees is balance sheet savvy, points to Europe and the current economic crisis effecting  Europe and the EU as the example of what could happen to America if Obama secures a second term.  Romney’s European Foreign Policy expedition did not include any EU countries or even stops in those countries even though the EU is an important ally to the United States, with seventeen nations now comprising its membership.

Clearly, and as a GOP VP choice has not been named, Foreign Policy strength in the upcoming election would lie in favor of the current administration with Vice-President Joseph Biden holding extensive credentials and expertise serving, during his lengthy senatorial career as a member of and eventually  the chairman of the Foreign Relations committee.

On the other VP front, all indicators had pointed to Romney announcing pre-European trip the name of his running mate. It is presumed the senseless July 20, 2012 shootings at the AMC Century 16 Theater in Aurora Colorado postponed that statement.

The Republican National Convention, where delegates will be officially conferred to the candidates and where Mitt Romney will be designated the Republican Presidential Nominee will take place in Tampa Bay, Florida, August 27-30, 2012.

The Democratic National Convention will take place in Charlotte North Carolina, September 3 -6, 2012.

To access the Republican Official Convention site: www.gopconvention2012.com/

To access the Democratic Official Convention site: www.demconvention.com/