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Anti-Mitt Romney bias in Ireland slammed by leading Irish commentator

Calls Irish media ‘cheerleaders’ for Barack Obama as an heroic figure

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, October 22, 2012, 7:17 AM

Updated Monday, October 22, 2012, 9:09 AM

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Republican candidate Mitt Romney

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A leading Irish commentator Marc Coleman, economics editor for Newstalk and a columnist for the Irish Independent, has claimed that there is a major anti-Romney bias in the Irish media.

His comments come after a recent Gallup International poll showed 98 per cent of Irish would vote for Obama and an Irish Times poll showed 79 per cent in favor of Obama.

In his column for the Irish Independent this week, Coleman takes issue with the Irish ‘cheerleaders’ rooting for Obama in the upcoming presidential election where he’ll be facing off with Republican opponent Mitt Romney.

In the column, Coleman writes that “Obama and his cheerleaders live in an economically illiterate world where Ireland's loss is America's gain.”

Coleman states, “Some weeks ago Noel Whelan (Irish Times columnist) correctly and bravely identified the slant in the Irish media towards Obama and the Democrats in coverage of the US election. And towards their main economist cheerleader Paul Krugman.

“The Democrats -- who gave America segregation, corrupt Tammany Hall politics and the Vietnam War -- are, according to this narrative, nice, enlightened and competent. The Republicans -- who created jobs for our emigrants in the Eighties, facilitated foreign investment in Ireland and freed the world from totalitarian rule -- are greedy, backward and stupid.

.”...Like the Krugman groupies in the media, the groupies of Obama groupthink ignore how Democrats used their control of the Senate since 2006 to double US debt (resulting in a derisory growth spurt). The nightmare of sub-prime mortgages is also a creation of the Democrats.”

Coleman continued, “The facile caricature by our media of Obama as the hero and Romney as the demon is beyond childish. Obama's shallowness toward us -- he only came here for votes -- was shown by his ... ambiguity over his origins: in Ireland, he had his Moneygall ancestor. But when he spoke to the Westminster parliament, that ancestor became English.

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joeboy1 | Oct 23, 2012, 09:14 PM EDT

This democratic party should change their name to The American Socialist Party and come out of the closet,ask all the Hollywood big shots if they would like to live on the same level as us common folks, if we are all equal ?

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johnshiel | Oct 23, 2012, 08:17 PM EDT

voting for Mr. Obama this November because of his racial background is touted by one poster here as "something wonderful and uplifting for their souls"... yeah; that's it! Truthfully, lots of Americans were shallow and vapid enough to do exactly that last time. Complacency breeds stupidity and self destructive acts. Americans are considerablly less complacent at the moment...

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johnshiel | Oct 23, 2012, 08:08 PM EDT

Mr. Coleman's story is news???

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Oliver12 | Oct 23, 2012, 08:05 PM EDT

Mr. Coleman is absolutely correct in his assessment of how Democrats have demonized Republicans with an assist from the left leaning US media machine. My father, a proud Irish American in the NY Democrat Party, is turning in his grave with all that has transpired in the party these past few years. The chicanery is one of the reasons all of his seven children are now registered Republicans. America needs an honest, business savvy person like Romney to turn things around. Change and hope indeed!

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AnneChambersUSA | Oct 23, 2012, 03:15 PM EDT

If one believe what the liberal Obama followers are spewing, then they are surely, "Chomh caoch le bonn mo bhroige".

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EamonnDublin | Oct 23, 2012, 01:42 PM EDT

"Brnmar1" - In your penultimate post, you made a racist statement. In your last comment, you confirmed that it was racist. I had you listed in my "Make sure never to invite this person to a dinner party" - now I have quadrupled the font size and coloured it bright red. May God please spare me from the likes of you. Éamonn, Dublin.

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paddyRanger | Oct 23, 2012, 12:32 PM EDT

President Obama is a fake pseudo – intellect, not as intelligent as he makes out (hence college transcripts etc are hidden from public view) he is morally corrupt and a liar of the highest degree, Those who oppose him PURELY based on his destructive policies are not racist, we could not care if he was Pink, with green hair….the man is evil his skin colour is irrelevant ……meanwhile a lot of people who do vote for him based purely on his skin colour, Racists like Samuel Jackson, etc etc democrats are the true racists, and Obama is at the core, he is anti white and hates his mothers people, he say’s it in his own words in his books. God (if there is one) has not given us this charlatan, in fact it would more appear the devil has……the continued voting for this abomination Obama would bring about the destruction of the nation, which he is already on the path to doing, his first four years have been a disaster. Enemies foreign or domestic, well folks wake up the domestic enemy was voted in by blind sheep like morons.

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Opoets99 | Oct 23, 2012, 11:49 AM EDT

Thank you Mr. Coleman for voicing the view of the majority of Americans. The democrats have bankrupted America with programs that benefited mostly their campaign donors and union members. Instead of hope and change we got crony capitalism, no jobs, and debt that will cripple us for generations to come. Obama and his supporters view the 53% of Americans who pay 100% of all the taxes as a bottomless ATM machine. This ATM machine has run out of money. Clint Eastwood was right, it's time we got the lawyers out, and put a successful business man in charge.

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Brnmar1 | Oct 23, 2012, 11:18 AM EDT

Former Mormon James Martin wrote: Romney avoids mentioning it, but Joseph Smith ran for president in 1844 as an independent Commander in Chief of an “army of God” advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government in favor of a Mormon-ruled theocracy. Challenging Democrat, James Polk and Whig, Henry Clay – Smith prophesied that if the U.S. Congress did not accede to his demands that “they shall be broken up as a government and God shall damn them.” Smith viewed capturing the presidency as part of the mission of the church. Smith’s insertion of religion into politics and his call for a “theodemocracy where God and people hold the power to conduct the affairs of men in righteous matters” created a sensation and drew hostility from the outside world. But his candidacy was cut short when he was shot to death by an anti-Mormon vigilante mob. Out of Smith’s national political ambitions grew what would become known in Mormon circles as the “White Horse Prophecy” — a belief ingrained in Mormon culture and passed down through generations by church leaders that the day would come when *the U.S. Constitution would “hang like a thread as fine as a silk fiber” and the Mormon priesthood would save it. (Former Mormon bishop) Mitt Romney views the American presidency as a theological office (and himself as the fulfillment of the White Horse prophecy). * A favorite quote of Mormon Glenn Beck

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eiriamach | Oct 23, 2012, 10:58 AM EDT

Marc Coleman's "criticisms" are so shallow that I'm amazed any journalist would bother with them. He thinks the Irish support Obama because they're "economically illiterate" and Obama is too! The history of the Democratic Party has some bad stuff, he says. Yeah! So does the history of any political party. Me, I'd rather deal with a Tammany Hall scandal than a Watergate. He complains that Obama visited Ireland only to garner votes. Yeah again, politicians do that, big deal. Did Coleman expect Obama to bring the solution to Ireland's debt payments with him? Maybe next time! And Coleman worries that Obama will bring back American corporate jobs from Ireland to the US. No, Obama understands that economic cooperation is a two-way street. But he will work to see that Google in Ireland pays US income tax on its profits, and Ireland should do the same. There's no punch behind any of Coleman's complaints, just whiney-whingey carping.

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Brnmar1 | Oct 23, 2012, 10:36 AM EDT

EamonnDublin: Racism is defined as when a member of any ethnic group of the Human Family believes that his or her ethnic group has some inborn superiority that has not been given to any other ethnic group. They believe that they are more intelligent, more creative, have more physical beauty, more physical strength, more morality, human sentiments, leadership ability, courage, spirituality, sexuality etc. They believe all these traits are abundantly given to their ethnic group by G-D and denied to others (for centuries Caucasians classified members of other ethnic groups as “sub-humans”). Now whenever their superiority is challenged in anyway, the more ignorant members of their group resort to abusive name calling or violence. President Obama has made the typical Caucasian racist boil with rage because he undermines everything they have been falsely led to believe their entire lives. They will believe every lie that is told about him and will never accept anything positive about him. Obama is a gift from G-D to help us overcome our racial hatred. It is time for racism to end on our planet Earth.

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EamonnDublin | Oct 23, 2012, 10:01 AM EDT

"Brnmart1" - I don't suppose it would cross your mind that YOU have just made a racist comment. Éamonn, Dublin.

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Brnmar1 | Oct 23, 2012, 09:54 AM EDT

President Obama is the most intelligent, morally upright and thoughtful president we have had in the past 20 years. He is a blessing from G-D to America. Those who hate him for no other reason than his racial background should do something wonderful and uplifting for their souls in November by voting to re-elect him. G-D has given us many Signs to help us overcome our centuries old racial hatred for each other. Our continued rejecting of G-D's messages will bring about the destruction of our nation.

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Happyhippo | Oct 23, 2012, 08:01 AM EDT

The European welfare state from the cradle to the grave sounds great but does not work because it breeds a culture of dependency that stifles individual effort,your entitlements are your priority,even if the country is broke,its not your responsibility to contribute to your country, why make the effort when the state will pay you to do zip,the Public Services Unions are responsible for this,they know those elected to govern don't have the guts to confront them and will cave in to their demands on the threat of strike,its the road to nowhere and not the American way,you don't want to go down this road.

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BippyBellito | Oct 23, 2012, 06:32 AM EDT

Of course, there is a Bigotry against Romney in the Irish Press. Just read your articles daily. You spend time supporting and defending a clear Racist Muslim who wants to see Western Civilization collapse rather than a good man who happens to be Mormon. As an Irish American Catholic I have been shocked and disappointed in the way you havwe defended Obama, this most indefesnsible of "men".

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