March 20, 2007

Herald Hackery?

Yesterday, I posted about a faux pas committed by Mitt Romney in Florida, when addressing a group of Cuban-Americans. The quote from the Miami Herald article was this:

People chuckled when presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a Mormon raised in Michigan and elected in Massachusetts, bungled the names of Cuban-American politicians during a recent speech in Miami.

But when he mistakenly associated Fidel Castro's trademark speech-ending slogan -- Patria o muerte, venceremos! -- with a free Cuba, listeners didn't laugh. They winced.

Castro has closed his speeches with the phrase -- in English, ''Fatherland or death, we shall overcome'' -- for decades.

However, CQ commenter Conservative Gladiator says that the context of Romney's use made the meaning plain:

Romney: “I said at the outset that the threat in Latin America is unprecedented. I say that because the Castros have a second tyrant and he has great wealth, from oil. We must stand just as firm against caudillos like Hugo Chavez, tutored by Fidel Castro. Chavez and Castro are brothers in blood, intent on personal gratification at the expense of their people. Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro have stolen the phrase – 'Patria o muerte, venceremos.’ This phrase should not be used by dictators, but by liberators.

“There are two spheres of influence in the Western Hemisphere. One is dark, bellicose and spreads misery by denying people basic freedoms; the other shines like a powerful light, is peaceful and wants only for its people to live in liberty and prosper."

As Brant from SWLiP notes, this makes a big difference in the use of the phrase -- and it shouldn't have caused any "wincing", as Beth Reinhard wrote. It plainly uses Castro's language as a criticism against him, a rhetorical device that has been long in use and is quite effective. It would not be just a mistake by a pretender, but a deliberate -- and I would say excellent -- barb at a dictator who long-windedness needs some puncturing.

Like Brant, I'd like to get a copy of the speech as delivered. This was Conservative Gladiator's first comment at CQ, so I'm still holding off judgement of Reinhard until I see the transcript. If Reinhard is correct, then the original post still applies. If Conservative Gladiator is correct, Reinhard and the Herald owe its readers, and Mitt Romney, an apology and a retraction.

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» Miami Herald vs. Mitt Romney from Parableman
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Comments (21)

Posted by Brad Elam [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 8:08 AM

Does the Herald identify the other candidates by their religion? Why did they feel it important to harp that Romney is a Mormon?

Posted by music is math [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 8:12 AM

I googled for part of the speech and got this from his website:

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Speeches/Miami-Dade_Lincoln_Day

Posted by MNHawk [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 8:56 AM

"Why did they feel it important to harp that Romney is a Mormon?"

Probably for the same reason that Beth Reinhard had to utterly make up an incident.

This isn't hackery. This is out and out fraud. How this ditz can stay employed, after purposely making up a story, is beyond me.

Posted by James Joyner [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 9:05 AM

The same guy left the same comment on my site. I presume he's a Romneybot.

Why in the world would the Herald invent this story? It's not like it's THAT big a deal.

Posted by Paxety [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 9:54 AM

If the phrase were used in the manner reported, in addressing a Cuban audience, it would be much like ending an address to Jews with "Heil, Hitler." So, it is a big deal. There's a discussion at babalublog.com.

Posted by nav8tor [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 9:54 AM

Gee. How odd. The Miami Herald misrepresenting a statement form a Republican's speech? What will they think of next? And you are getting a might sloppy in your research, by accepting at face value, Reinhard's reporting on the Romney speech.

Posted by Frank Warner [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 10:27 AM

Over at Babalu blog, even the alternate text of Mitt Romney’s statement doesn’t work for Cuban-American democrats (who usually are Republicans).

Romney apparently made an awful choice when he decided Cuban-Americans longing for a free Cuba somehow would like to adopt a slogan they associate only with Castro (or to give the dictator the respect he is due, castro).

“Patria y Libertad” is appealing, but “Patria o muerte, venceremos” is the signature of the Castro mob’s totalitarian police state.

At Babalu blog, Val Prieto explains;

“Patria o muerte venceremos!” was created by the castro regime. It is their slogan of slogans. Whatever Romney’s point was, it was a horrendous choice. You don’t go into a Jewish community and use “sieg heil!” to get chummy with said community.

I find it funnier than I do insulting but seriously, if someone is gonna come to my house to kiss my ass, he should does his best not to piss me off in the process.

Posted by Kent [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 10:43 AM

"Romneybot"?!

That's one nice thing about elections. They can sometimes clarify you are your friends and who are your enemies.

Posted by RBMN [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 11:14 AM

If Gov. Romney was going to use that phrase to make the point, he should've translated it into English first, to divorce it (for a moment) from Fidel Castro--to emphasize the words more than the source. It was a small gaffe. I think an equivalent mistake would be if Barry Goldwater, in 1964, was looking forward to his inauguration, saying "we Republicans will say, ask not what America can do for you, but what you can do for America." I'm certainly not comparing Kennedy to Castro, but that would be a Goldwater gaffe. Phases put pictures in the mind that can't be erased. So, technically it's not a Romney gaffe, but practically, it's a gaffe. What would we think if Brit Hume ended his news show by saying, "Courage..."

Posted by Frank Warner [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 12:20 PM

RBMN, you're trying, but I don't think your comparisons come close. An American who believes in democracy embracing the words of another American who believes in democracy is far different from an American who believes in democracy embracing the words of a tyrant.

It's more akin to an American leader suddenly adopting as a slogan the words at the entrance to the Auschwicz death camp: "Arbeit Macht Frei." It means "Work makes you free." You could interpret the words in a nice way, but imagine the reaction. The words are connected to something atrocious, and that cannot be forgotten.

Posted by ExRat [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 12:47 PM

Assuming CG's (and the Romney campaign's) versions of the speech are correct, what Romney said makes perfect sense as a rhetorical device if delivered to an Anglo audience. Not being Cuban, or even Hispanic, I have no idea whether it makes sense when delivered to Cubans or Cuban-Americans.

That said, the episode illustrates how careful a politician - or anyone seeking public support - has to be when addressing members of a culture different from his own. It's pretty easy to screw up, especially when using a language in which the speaker is not fluent.

I would hope that the people to whom Romney was speaking took the remark in the spirit in which it was made, leaving it to the lamestream media to dream up the misinterpretations.

Posted by ExRat [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 1:03 PM

Rats! After making my comment, returning to the main page and scrolling down, I discovered that Cap'n Ed made the same point yesterday. Ah, well, I'm happy to be in such good company. I apologize to Cap'n Ed and everyone else.

Posted by Adjoran [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 1:14 PM

IF there were "winces" in the crowd, it probably was because the "wincers" lacked sufficient proficiency in English to follow the speech closely, but the familiar Castro phrase immediately got their attention like a slap in the face.

Perhaps the words themselves carry too much baggage, but then, isn't that Romney's point? That the dictators should not be able to "own" such stirring phrases?

The "gaffe" that wasn't . . .

Posted by MNHawk [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 2:50 PM

"It's more akin to an American leader suddenly adopting as a slogan the words at the entrance to the Auschwicz death camp: "Arbeit Macht Frei." It means "Work makes you free." You could interpret the words in a nice way, but imagine the reaction. The words are connected to something atrocious, and that cannot be forgotten."

I think I get where Frank is coming from. Let's try this a different way.

Let's say Romney has a new welfare to work plan he wants to submit to congress, if elected.

He then makes a speech along the lines of "Nazis once claimed the phrase Work Makes You Free. I'm here to steal that phrase back, thereby I'm naming my new bill, Work Makes You Free".

I can now see how this could be considered a gaffe, but it's not how the reporter herself explained it.

Posted by W.E.Coyote [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 3:24 PM

It was clearly an innocent remark and not insensitivity as Mitt Romney made clear at a recent minority rights conference in Washington D.C.

When questioned by B'nai B'rith representatives about Congressional spending, Romney said, "In this case leadership means re-examining how much we're paying government suppliers and being tough enough to jew 'em down." Shocked indiginous Casino operators, who were clearly alarmed he might rescind their charters, challenged him on his statements. Romney responded with aplomb, "don't worry, I'm no Indian giver." Finally, as his minority affairs advisor DeShawn "Leroy" Johnson stood agape, Mitt confided, "Hey, It's not that bad, we're still in tall cotton....At 4:00 I wrap up with the Sicilian League, and nothing can go wrong. I'm making them an offer they can't refuse."

Posted by CJ [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 4:18 PM

If our gutless Congress had made English the national language, there would be no need for any candidate to whore for votes in a foreign language.

So far, I'll still vote for Romney in a primary. If he isn't making a mistake, he isn't doing anything.

Posted by dwightkschrute [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 6:59 PM

Captain why did you single out the Miami Herald and not level accusations at Rene Garcia?

“It means communism. It means Fidel Castro,” said Florida state Rep. Rene Garcia, a Republican who was at the March 9 speech. “It’s a Communist catch phrase.”

So when can we expect an update with an apology to the Herald or a condemnation of Rene Garcia?

Btw, it sure would be a lot easier to get people on board of the "MSM is almost entirely liberal and their agenda is always to distort and smear everyone but Democrats" if there wasn't so much crying wolf on the right blogsphere.

Posted by Rod [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 7:21 PM

Liberals in the MSM and both parties hold Mitt's religion against him. So they spin other things to make him look bad without saying they think he is bad because of his religion.

Posted by Jim [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 20, 2007 8:48 PM

"crying wolf imn the rightwing blogosphere"? Oh, you mean like Rathergate, Jamil Hussein, and the Reuters fake photos to name but a few? That kind of crying wolf? Come on Dwight, you know darn good and well that the majority of the MSM is as liberal as they come.

Posted by JC [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 21, 2007 12:18 AM

The speech was given on 3-9. It wasn't reported as being a "gaffe" until 3-19. Why 10 days in between?

And why no mention of a gaffe by a Cuban-American Attendee's blog of his and the crowd's reaction to the speech?

The original coverage (also by Beth Reinhardt) makes no mention of any gaffes either.

Sounds to me like this is completely manufactered by the MSM.

Posted by macfan1950 [TypeKey Profile Page] | March 21, 2007 8:22 AM

Those of you who are sceptical about they way Romney used the phrase should take a look at his entire speech at:

http://www.mittromney.com/News/Speeches/Miami-Dade_Lincoln_Day

It is very powerful and rather than a gaffe is a blatant putdown of the Castros and Hugo Chavez. Here's an excerpt from the speech:

-----
"I said at the outset that the threat in Latin America is unprecedented. I say that because the Castros have a second tyrant and he has great wealth, from oil. We must stand just as firm against caudillos like Hugo Chavez, tutored by Fidel Castro. Chavez and Castro are brothers in blood, intent on personal gratification at the expense of their people. Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro have stolen the phrase – 'Patria o muerte, venceremos.' This phrase should not be used by dictators, but by liberators.

"There are two spheres of influence in the Western Hemisphere. One is dark, bellicose and spreads misery by denying people basic freedoms; the other shines like a powerful light, is peaceful and wants only for its people to live in liberty and prosper.

"It is time for the United States to adopt a Latin American strategy that will strengthen human rights and freedom, that will advance our own interests, and that will weaken the threat of the Castros and Chavez. I propose seven elements in this strategy."
-----

To read the specific elements Romney mentions, go to the link above.