Mitt Romney: The Man Who Forgot Africans

Remember Sarah Palin? The former Alaska Governor and John McCain's Vice-Presidential candidate in the 2008 U.S election was allegedly reported by the media to have said something to the effect that Africa is one country. Unbelievable! Those kinds of political gaffes and other controversial comments have almost reduced her to a low profile status. It is hard to tell how she will regain top dog status in American politics.

Now America may be on the verge of having yet another Sarah Palin type personality on their hands in the person of Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney, the front-runner in the Republican presidential race said in a CNN interview that he was "not very concerned about the very poor" because they have an "ample safety net." What he really meant by the “safety net” was that because the poor in America receive food stamps, welfare benefits, subsidized housing and other benefits, he is not interested in helping them because they are okay. But most people know that such government benefits are hardly enough to survive on. Romney later reportedly said he misspoke. But as Michael Kinsley, American journalist and commentator said, "A gaffe is when a politician tells the truth". And in Psychology 101, a verbal slip is a good indication of what the person is really thinking about. No Sir. I don't believe you. You're just trying to spin it because a lot of people have condemned it. It's like saying sorry because you got caught.

In many respects, I admire Mitt Romney. He is good looking. He appears to be a nice guy. I admire his family. He also appears to have strong faith. I admire his wealth and his ability to build great companies - after all, I'm now working to grow businesses including AFRICAN LEADER Media Group. But when it comes to matters of lifting up people who may be down, we are worlds apart. Is he coming for the top one percent? Is he coming for the few rich friends on Wall Street? If he is then clearly hard times may be ahead and Occupy Wall Street will be a picnic.

The truth is, billions of people around the world fall under the category of the very poor.

Over 70% of Africans live on less than $2.00 a day. This is the heart of the world's very poor. So in this case 'forgetting' the world's poor could be interpreted to mean 'forgetting' Africans.

According to Bloomberg news reports, more than 46 million Americans received food stamps in November 2011, nearly a sixth of the U.S population. According to a December 2011 USA TODAY report based on Census data, “a record number of Americans, almost 1 in 2, have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income”

Worst still, record numbers of Americans are mired in debt. If you begin to strip down these debts, it would be mind blowing how many people will fall into the category of the very poor.

Throughout the world, poverty is much more painfully prevalent. According to a recent World Bank report, almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day, most of them with no access to running water and electricity. Nearly a billion people alone are believed to be acutely hungry on a daily basis. One billion children live in poverty. That's one in two children living in the world today.

Is this the definition of their so-called compassionate conservatism? “Forget about the poor. Just give them a little food and medicine to keep them alive. Add a little extra money, enough to buy some cigarettes so they can smoke, get high and forget their problems”.

Contrast Romney to billionaires like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and George Soros. Buffett says the rich must share more of their prosperity. He's also leaving much of his estate to charity. Gates is funding global health projects and expanding opportunities worldwide and leaving much of his wealth to charity. Soros is also funding progressive projects worldwide and expanding opportunities to make the world fairer. Romney's thinking like this is bad for America and bad for the world. In the above analysis, Buffett, Gates and Soros look like Robin Hood while Romney is behaving like Shylock. America is still the world's most dominant Superpower and the clear leader of the free world, influencing the world's most powerful institutions and enterprises. If he has his way, Romney will use this same thinking to negatively influence the World Bank, the IMF, OECD, NATO, the UN and the CIA and he will be a clear and present danger to the progressive world.

Again, contrast this to Obama's strong belief in creating a world in which everyone has a fair shake or a fair chance to succeed, trying to lift up the poor. The world of economic exploitation, injustice, economic and political suppression is what the pioneers run away from to start a new life in the new world: a world of opportunity and equality. History has shown that any time America deviates far from this fundamental ideal, the nation pays a heavy price. Clearly, Obama's philosophy is more in harmony with the ideals of the founding fathers than Romney's extremist right wing ideology. Obama is on the right side of history and his spirit is right, no matter how hard the Republicans may spin it.

If Romney is the turnaround guy as his wife claims, why doesn't he aspire to turn around the lives of America's poor into a vast army of productive and wealth creating workforce? The “live and let die” (or is it “live and let rot?”) world of James Bond is no longer acceptable in the world.

Romney made about $45 million in 2010 and 2011. He's reportedly worth over $250 million.

In the original movie Wall Street, the most popular line is “Greed is Good”. Who knows, maybe coming from Wall Street himself, Romney may be getting inspiration from this movie.

So in the final analysis, is anyone wondering what Romney's chances are in the upcoming U.S presidential election in November? To get the answers, we'll turn to President Bill Clinton, a brilliant mind hated by core conservatives but genuinely loved and virtually worshipped by billions of people around the world. Remember, Bill Clinton balanced the U.S budget, turned a surplus and created perhaps the greatest global wealth in the post World War 2 era. Bill Clinton has a great philosophy. He says that in contests like the U.S election, the one who is on the right side of history is the one who will win. With thinking like this, Romney will get a real shocker come Election Day. This is because the world is changing fast and the world of live and let die is gone forever.

With thinking like this, Romney can forget the White House, barring any catastrophic event. With his dangerous anti-poor comments, Romney has already lost the moral high ground to be president. Obama on the other hand clearly occupies the moral high ground. Tell the Obamas to go grab a cup of coffee and relax. The Republicans can stick any label on Obama and spin all they want but if Romney continues to think like this, Obama would have won the presidential race even before it starts.

If Romney runs on this kind of platform, his $250 million fortune will only be enough to score a few Electoral College votes. It will not be enough to save him from the coming historic electoral humiliation.

About AFRICAN LEADER
AFRICAN LEADER is a New York City-based media company serving and reaching the over $50 billion U.S African consumer market through direct subscription, email list, event sponsorships, networking, newsstand sales and online platforms. Analysts generally agree that there are between 3 to 5 million African immigrants, non-resident African immigrants and African-born U.S citizens currently living in the United States. The mission of AFRICAN LEADER is to become the most trusted and respected global media brand of choice for discerning consumers in growing markets, delivered through multiple interactive platforms. AFRICAN LEADER is published and delivered to its growing list of consumers from the heart of New York City, probably the most vibrant and cosmopolitan market in the world. As the trusted and reliable media brand for the U.S African market, AFRICAN LEADER is available in a newspaper format and also online at www.africanleader.net . You may contact AFRICAN LEADER at [email protected]

About Moses Asare
Moses Asare is a director and special writer for the AFRICAN LEADER, a New York City-based media company serving and reaching the over $50 billion U.S African consumer market through direct subscription, email list, event sponsorships, networking, newsstand sales and online platforms. As the trusted and reliable media brand for the U.S African market, AFRICAN LEADER is available in a newspaper format and also online at www.africanleader.net

Moses Asare is a respected expert on the U.S African Market, a booming niche market valued at over $50 billion. Analysts generally agree that there are between 3 to 5 million African immigrants, non-resident African immigrants and African-born U.S citizens currently living in the United States. In various key executive positions, Moses Asare has been actively involved in the U.S African market for about 10 years. Through his consulting work in Africa, Europe and the U.S and also as a strategic advisor to a New York-based communications firm providing marketing and advertising services to Fortune 500 clients, Moses Asare has provided strategic advisory services to leading multinational companies seeking to grow their brands and improve ROI in marketing to international, multicultural and niche consumers in the United States.

Moses Asare is also a director of Convergence International, a non-profit, New York City-based global think tank established to promote free enterprise, entrepreneurship, investments and opportunity particularly in emerging markets and disadvantaged communities in the United States. Moses Asare has written extensively on key global issues and current affairs. He is currently living in New York City with his wife and three lovely children. You may contact Moses Asare at [email protected]. To support our work, Donate NOW. Send your check or money order to AFRICAN LEADER, 1211 Brook Avenue, Bronx, New York 10456, United States. Please make check or money order payable to Moses Asare. Or email us: [email protected]. Big, anonymous donations are welcome.