Posted on 07/30/2012 8:53:47 AM PDT by rhema
By most accounts, Mitt Romney hit it out of the park yesterday in his speech before the Jerusalem Foundation. Daniel Pipes called it "a stem winder" and "remarkable." Barry Rubin sensed Romney's sincerity:
Speaking to an often-cheering group of about 400 people in Jerusalem, Governor Mitt Romney gave a speech less notable for what he said than for the fact that the audience believed he was sincere in saying it.
At a beautiful outdoor setting with the Old City in the background, Romney declared his strong support for Israel, using phrases often heard from American presidents. He also proclaimed his view that Jerusalem is Israel's eternal capital. The difference, of course, is that those listening were less inclined to think that when President Barack Obama said similar things to AIPAC meetings he was describing his own views and policies.
In a glowing editorial from the Jerusalem Post, the editors make it clear who is a "true friend of Israel":
Mitt Romney, who is taking the time to visit us at the moment, and who time and again has spoken out strongly for Israel's rights to safeguard our own interests.
On the other hand, incumbent candidate US President Barack Obama has all but adopted the Palestinian negotiation position and given Israel the cold shoulder on every possible occasion.
Romney has decided to visit us just three short months before the most important election of his life.
By coming here, Romney is indicating to his Israeli friends his deep commitment to the State of Israel and the importance that he places on his with the Jewish people.
. . . but he has also stated repeatedly that should he win the presidency, his first official trip abroad would be to Israel.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
My experience after spending 3 months in Israel is the JP mostly does re-prints from the WP and NYT.
The only reason I can vision them printing this is they DON’T LIKE Obummer and want him out.
Has he done any bowing and or ring kissing,yet?
It's interesting that that term "stem winder" is used to characterize a "remarkable" speech. Perhaps that meaning of the expression has evolved over time. Decades ago, in my youth, "stem winder" was used to describe a lengthy, laborious speech wherein the listeners would wind their watches out of sheer boredom.
http://www.word-detective.com/2008/10/stemwinder/
“”...pocket watches were wound with a separate tiny key. This may sound cute, but it was a major drag, because the process was awkward and the key was easily lost. So in 1842, when the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe (co-founder of Patek-Philippe) invented a “keyless” watch that was wound by turning its “stem” (a knurled knob on the side of its case, today called the “crown”), it was such an improvement that it won Philippe a Gold Medal at the French Industrial World’s Fair.
It’s hard to imagine today, but the new “stemwinder” watch became an instant public sensation of almost delirious intensity, the iPod of its day. It was so popular, in fact, that within a few years the term “stemwinder” entered the lexicon as a synonym for anything excellent and exciting. By the end of the 19th century, “stemwinder” was being used to mean, first, an energetic person, then a rousing public speaker, and finally an especially inspiring speech itself.””
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stem-winder
“”Definition of STEM-WINDER
1 : a stem-winding watch
2 [from the superiority of the stem-winding watch over the older key-wound watch] : one that is first-rate of its kind; especially : a stirring speech “”
from the interwebs:
“It all goes back to the humble watch. Before there were electronic battery-powered wrist watches, before there were manually wound (or self-winding) mechanical watches, before there were even watches worn on one’s wrist, there were pocket watches. And if you go way back, those pocket watches were wound with a separate tiny key. This may sound cute, but it was a major drag, because the process was awkward and the key was easily lost. So in 1842, when the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe (co-founder of Patek-Philippe) invented a “keyless” watch that was wound by turning its “stem” (a knurled knob on the side of its case, today called the “crown”), it was such an improvement that it won Philippe a Gold Medal at the French Industrial World’s Fair.
“It’s hard to imagine today, but the new “stemwinder” watch became an instant public sensation of almost delirious intensity, the iPod of its day. It was so popular, in fact, that within a few years the term “stemwinder” entered the lexicon as a synonym for anything excellent and exciting. By the end of the 19th century, “stemwinder” was being used to mean, first, an energetic person, then a rousing public speaker, and finally an especially inspiring speech itself.”
Definition of STEM-WINDER
1
: a stem-winding watch
2
[from the superiority of the stem-winding watch over the older key-wound watch] : one that is first-rate of its kind; especially : a stirring speech
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stem-winder
Being a non Mormon, but having interacted and worked with them on daily basis for years, I will make this observation.
There is not another group of non Jewish Americans more friendly and dedicated to Israel than are the Mormons. Nor is there another American group who as a whole, travels to Israel more than the Mormons.
I have noted it is almost like a pilgrimage which is required by Mormons to visit Israel.
Now one can argue the reasoning for such, but IMO there is no denying it.
A stem winder to me has always meant the speech really got people enthused and worked up.
My recollection of stemwinder used in a critical sense came from Bill Clinton's interminable speech in 1988 at the Democrat convention. Certain newspaper accounts of that referred to it as stemwider because those in attendance were checking and winding their watches thinking time had stood still as Clinton droned on in that nearly 40-minute monologue.
It's now clear that my recollection of what the word means is a secondary alternative, at least as explained in this article from World Wide Words:
The word is now used on occasion to imply that it is a speech or sermon so long, interminable and boring that it feels as though one needs to wind one’s watch before it ends. This would seem to be an interesting example of a kind of folk etymology, in which a term that has become divorced from its roots and its context takes on a new sense by being analyzed afresh.
The term is still quite common (a newspaper database search found more than 100 examples in the past ten years). Most use it in the traditional sense, but not all. An example of the new sense appeared in the Washington Post on 10 July 2001:
The race is, in some respects, a giant popularity contest, and Hoyer’s somewhat ponderous speaking style and white-bread image may be a drawback. “The question for Steny is, does he know when to stop?” said one ally, referring to Hoyer’s stemwinder speeches.
In any event, I appreciate everyone's comment on this linguistic diversion from the more pressing events of the day. It just adds further proof that the most interesting and intelligent people on the planet congregate right here.
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