# British PM reportedly supports Obama, disses Romney **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 19, 2012, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155 "2012-09-19T10:46:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/1 "2012-09-19T10:46:56Z")
[Or so says Harvey Weinstein](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204664/David-Cameron-said-England-united-Mitt-Romney.html?ito=feeds-newsxml). > [@](#): > > Weinstein told the BBC: 'I witnessed Prime Minister saying to a group of people, myself included, that Mitt Romney had that unique distinction of uniting all of England against him with his various remarks. > ‘On behalf of my love of England, I have to support the President [Barack Obama] who is anything but making faux-pas.’ > Weinstein is a major contributor to the Democratic party who backed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primaries and is now an enthusiastic Obama supporter. So on one hand it seems an awfully candid remark for Cameron given the audience. On the other hand, Cameron has already gone on the record with scathing remarks for Romney during his UK visit a few months ago, and it certainly matches every comment I’ve heard personally from British people and in the British media about Romney. In fact I’ve yet to hear anything good about him here. And although Weinstein is a lefty Hollywood type, the Daily Mail is a right-wing rag and similar remarks have appeared in the Telegraph which is also solidly right-wing, and of course Cameron is a Conservative. I wonder how Israel and Poland feel about Romney post-visit… ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/2 "2012-09-19T11:19:40Z")
The fact that the Daily Mail and the Telegraph are right wing doesn’t mean much. The Daily Mail especially is right wing in a very nationalistic way - they would support a complete socialist over Romney if he were slightly more insulting to the UK. Also, to us British people, American politics can be kind of amusing (especially the Republican candidate) and since the US President is not going to get us out of the EU or kick out all the immigrants, few really judge the candidates on politics but on how silly they make themselves look. It suits both papers to point and laugh because it makes their readers feel superior. Also, British right wing is quite different to American right wing. We’re not interested in the Christian morality of the Republicans. I wouldn’t be surprised if too many foreigners criticizing Romney could make some Americans feel _more_ inclined to vote for him anyway. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/3 "2012-09-19T11:37:11Z")
I’m not sure there’s much of a story in this. In the original interview, it couldn’t be clearer that it is Weinstein saying that it is his own love of England that makes him support Obama. In other words, it was a jocular remark towards the end of an interview in which Weinstein’s Anglophilia was one of the major themes. It was also clear that the remarks he attributed to Cameron were made at some event that took place during the Olympics. So they were presumably no more than a joke by Cameron about the Romneyshambles incident. A subject, of course, about which Cameron had already joked in public. In fact, those publicly reported comments were surely rather more cutting than this private one. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/4 "2012-09-19T13:00:27Z")
So Cameron demonstrates once again what a prat he is. This is news? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/5 "2012-09-19T13:26:25Z")
Somewhere, Nial Ferguson’s head just exploded. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/6 "2012-09-19T14:15:14Z")
> [@APB](#): > > It was also clear that the remarks he attributed to Cameron were made at some event that took place during the Olympics. So they were presumably no more than a joke by Cameron about the Romneyshambles incident. A subject, of course, about which Cameron had already joked in public. In fact, those publicly reported comments were surely rather more cutting than this private one. Ah - I missed that this was an old event and thought these were recent new remarks. [Emily Litella] Never mind. [/Emily Litella] ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-pm-reportedly-supports-obama-disses-romney/635155/7 "2012-09-19T14:28:51Z")
The UK Conservative Party is probably only slightly to the right of the mainstream of the Democratic Party yet it is the most right-wing, ideological government we’re had (including Thatcher). It has its raving loony elements but they are kept away from anything sharp. I suspect Republicans have a hard time understanding quite how loony the Republican Party looks to outsiders with its bizarre obsessions with issues no sensible person should give a flying frack about, its Samsonesque willingness to bring the whole country down rather than let the President do anything about any problem and general irrational hatred of government. It looks quite insane. It is not any surprise no British politician wants to be seen near them. And Romney’s Euro Foot-in-Mouth tour pretty much sealed the deal.