Jew World Order

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) said Friday that Republican Mitt Romney’s embarrassing gaffes in London this week during his trip to the Summer Olympics won’t make much of a difference in the presidential election, but neither will Obama’s “you didn’t build that” comment.

“All of this is just the battle of the day, which in the summer time, means absolutely nothing,” Rendell told The Huffington Post. “Even Romney’s unbelievable performance in England means absolutely nothing in the end. In the end, it means nothing. It sort of contributes to the view that Romney’s a doofus, but Romney will have three debates and a convention speech to dispel that. Obama will have three debates and a convention speech to look like a leader again.”

“No one is going into a polling place and not vote for Mitt Romney because he insulted the British. I’m serious,” Rendell said.

As for the president’s comment about small business, Rendell called the Romney campaign’s criticisms of Obama “ridiculous.”

“If you listen to the president, the president wasn’t demeaning small business owners. What he was saying was that we’re all tied together, that a small business might need a new road or might need a rail spur into the industrial park where the small business is, and it’s the government who puts up the money for the rail spur, or it’s the government who builds the new road or the bypass that is necessary,” Rendell said.

“They’re making far too much out of that, far too much out of that,” he said.

Asked why the Obama campaign has responded so defensively, Rendell said, “because that’s what campaigning has become.”

The one issue debated this month by the Obama and Romney campaigns which Rendell thought will endure is Romney’s refusal to release more than two years of personal tax returns (Romney has released his 2010 filings and has pledged to release his 2011 returns this fall).

“I think the bombshell is tax returns,” Rendell said. “I think Romney’s in a very difficult place. If he doesn’t release his tax returns people think the worst. If he does release it and in three or four of those years he paid zero, I think he risks a lot of wrath.”

Loading Slideshow

• Adam Jentleson

• Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.)

  “We’re not worried about overseas headlines. We’re worried about
  voters back here at home in America,” Jindal said on a conference call with reporters Thursday.

• Channel 4 News in London

  Felicity Spector of Channel 4 News in London a href=”http://www.channel4.com/news/london-calling-mitt-romneys-golden-gaffe-in-olympics-visit” target=”_hplink”writes/a that Romney has undertaken “a charm offensive, that has proved rather more offensive, than charming.”

• Austan Goolsbee

• UK Prime Minister David Cameron

  In response to Romney a href=”http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/romney-london-olympics-david-cameron.php” target=”_hplink”questioning/a whether London could handle the security issues ahead of the summer games, Cameron retorted that he had no doubt “Britain can deliver.”

  “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world,” Cameron said. “Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.”

• The Sun

  The a href=”http://www.scribblelive.com/Event/SinglePost.aspx?PostId=35975791″ target=”_hplink”tabloid/a said Romney’s visit was “not a great day at the office.”

• JONATHAN HAYNES TWEET, TOO

• The Times of London

  The daily paper called Cameron’s comment an “Olympic putdown” in an above-the-scroll a href=”http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/romney-london-olympics-gaffes.php” target=”_hplink”headline/a online.

• JANICE TURNER TWEET TOO!

• The Telegraph

  “If Mitt Romney doesn’t like us, we shouldn’t care,” a href=”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/mitt-romney/9428764/Commentary-if-Mitt-Romney-doesnt-like-us-we-shouldnt-care.html” target=”_hplink”writes/a the paper.

• The Daily Mail

  The newspaper a href=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2179309/Mayor-Boris-Johnson-attacking-Mitt-Romney-Olympic-torch-arrives-London.html” target=”_hplink”called/a the start of Romney’s trip “humiliating.”

• The London Evening Standard

  The newspaper a href=”linkgoeshere” target=”_hplink”wrote/a “David Cameron slaps down US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney over Games gaffe.”

• BBC

  “Mr Romney is credited with rescuing the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, now he’s appeared to question London’s readiness to host a successful olympics,” host George Alagiah a href=”http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/romney-london-olympics-gaffes.php” target=”_hplink”said/a, adding “If (Romney’s) here to make friends, he’s got a funny way of showing it.”

• James Chapman

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.) said Friday that Republican Mitt Romney’s embarrassing gaffes in London this week during his trip to the Summer Olympics won’t make much of a difference in the presidential election, but neither will Obama’s “you didn’t build that” comment.

“All of this is just the battle of the day, which in the summer time, means absolutely nothing,” Rendell told The Huffington Post. “Even Romney’s unbelievable performance in England means absolutely nothing in the end. In the end, it means nothing. It sort of contributes to the view that Romney’s a doofus, but Romney will have three debates and a convention speech to dispel that. Obama will have three debates and a convention speech to look like a leader again.”

“No one is going into a polling place and not vote for Mitt Romney because he insulted the British. I’m serious,” Rendell said.

As for the president’s comment about small business, Rendell called the Romney campaign’s criticisms of Obama “ridiculous.”

“If you listen to the president, the president wasn’t demeaning small business owners. What he was saying was that we’re all tied together, that a small business might need a new road or might need a rail spur into the industrial park where the small business is, and it’s the government who puts up the money for the rail spur, or it’s the government who builds the new road or the bypass that is necessary,” Rendell said.

“They’re making far too much out of that, far too much out of that,” he said.

Asked why the Obama campaign has responded so defensively, Rendell said, “because that’s what campaigning has become.”

The one issue debated this month by the Obama and Romney campaigns which Rendell thought will endure is Romney’s refusal to release more than two years of personal tax returns (Romney has released his 2010 filings and has pledged to release his 2011 returns this fall).

“I think the bombshell is tax returns,” Rendell said. “I think Romney’s in a very difficult place. If he doesn’t release his tax returns people think the worst. If he does release it and in three or four of those years he paid zero, I think he risks a lot of wrath.”

Loading Slideshow

• Adam Jentleson

• Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-La.)

  “We’re not worried about overseas headlines. We’re worried about
  voters back here at home in America,” Jindal said on a conference call with reporters Thursday.

• Channel 4 News in London

  Felicity Spector of Channel 4 News in London a href=”http://www.channel4.com/news/london-calling-mitt-romneys-golden-gaffe-in-olympics-visit” target=”_hplink”writes/a that Romney has undertaken “a charm offensive, that has proved rather more offensive, than charming.”

• Austan Goolsbee

• UK Prime Minister David Cameron

  In response to Romney a href=”http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/romney-london-olympics-david-cameron.php” target=”_hplink”questioning/a whether London could handle the security issues ahead of the summer games, Cameron retorted that he had no doubt “Britain can deliver.”

  “We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world,” Cameron said. “Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere.”

• The Sun

  The a href=”http://www.scribblelive.com/Event/SinglePost.aspx?PostId=35975791″ target=”_hplink”tabloid/a said Romney’s visit was “not a great day at the office.”

• JONATHAN HAYNES TWEET, TOO

• The Times of London

  The daily paper called Cameron’s comment an “Olympic putdown” in an above-the-scroll a href=”http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/romney-london-olympics-gaffes.php” target=”_hplink”headline/a online.

• JANICE TURNER TWEET TOO!

• The Telegraph

  “If Mitt Romney doesn’t like us, we shouldn’t care,” a href=”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/mitt-romney/9428764/Commentary-if-Mitt-Romney-doesnt-like-us-we-shouldnt-care.html” target=”_hplink”writes/a the paper.

• The Daily Mail

  The newspaper a href=”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2179309/Mayor-Boris-Johnson-attacking-Mitt-Romney-Olympic-torch-arrives-London.html” target=”_hplink”called/a the start of Romney’s trip “humiliating.”

• The London Evening Standard

  The newspaper a href=”linkgoeshere” target=”_hplink”wrote/a “David Cameron slaps down US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney over Games gaffe.”

• BBC

  “Mr Romney is credited with rescuing the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, now he’s appeared to question London’s readiness to host a successful olympics,” host George Alagiah a href=”http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/07/romney-london-olympics-gaffes.php” target=”_hplink”said/a, adding “If (Romney’s) here to make friends, he’s got a funny way of showing it.”

• James Chapman