Clueless

I really, really try to keep U.S. politics out of this website, since this is a site talking about Mexico and Latin America, and when it comes to relations between the U.S. and this part of the planet, there’s not all that much difference between the two presumptive candidates.  Still, whether we like it or not, we are going to have to deal with whoever wins the election, and how they view the rest of the world does matter.

After trying to sell the idea that the difference between Israeli and Palestinian per capita GDP was rooted in cultural values (which is why, I suppose, Qatar has the world’s highest per captial GDP, and three Muslim countries are in the top ten)…

Romney also cited differences in the U.S. and Mexican economies as proof that some cultures facilitate vibrant economies, while others impede it.

…

“The Mexico that Romney seemed to describe no longer exists,” Negroponte said. “It hasn’t for 20 years.”

The Romney campaign declined to answer specific questions about Romney’s U.S.-Mexico comparison, referring The Huffington Post to Romney’s Tuesday op-ed.

Mexican trade with the U.S. supports 6 million U.S. jobs, said Kristian Ramos, policy director of the left-leaning think tank NDN’s 21st Century Border Initiative.

Mexico ranks third among U.S. trading partners in terms of spending, and pumped $80 billion into Texas last year, Ramos said. Some analysts anticipate that Mexican economic growth will outpace that of the U.S. this year.

“The question I would ask Bettina Inclán is if Mitt Romney thinks there is something culturally wrong with Mexico that doesn’t allow its economy to grow,” said Ramos. Inclán is the Republican National Committee director of Hispanic outreach. She did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Romney’s comments call into question two critical selling points for his campaign, said Ramos: Business acumen and character.

(Janell Ross — who apparently is a real paid writer for Huffington Post)