When Sen. John McCain was asked about the GOP's presumptive nominee for The President of The United States statement concerning the differences in economic strength between nations, he seemed to bend over backwards to try to help Gov. Romney.
Sen. McCain reportedly said, "I am sure that Gov. Romney was not talking about difference in cultures, or difference in anybody superior or inferior. What I'm sure Gov. Romney was talking was that the Israeli economy has grown and prospered in a dramatic fashion. And unfortunately, the Palestinians have not had that same economic development.
The Senator's attempt to justify the accusations of racism and ethnocentrism levied against Gov. Romney stemmed from his statements that seemed to indicate that he believes "culture" is one of the main factors contributing to the economic differences between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Romney campaign has insisted that some of the accusations from the media are unfair and misleading, but during a fundraiser in Israel he said, "As you come here and you see the GDP per capita for instance in Israel which is about 21,000 dollars and you compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority which is more like 10,000 dollars per capita you notice a dramatic, stark difference in economic vitality."
Romney then said, "If you could learn anything from the economic history of the world it's this: Culture makes all the difference. 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."
Although the Romney campaign has pointed out that he was paraphrasing a concept from an esteemed economic historian, many critics have claimed his comments allude to a belief that some types of people are just smarter and better organized than others.
Are Mitt Romney's critics just trying to manipulate the public into believing he is prejudiced and out-of-touch? Or is the idea that "culture" determines economic strength offensive?
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