Romney cites Poland as positive economic example

A Different Continent, a Different Tune

By ASHLEY PARKER, NYT

WARSAW — On the campaign trail, Mitt Romney mocks it as “a social welfare state” and an “entitlement nation.” He rails that it smothers entrepreneurs and innovators. And he says it is simply not working.

The target of Mr. Romney’s dismissiveness: Europe. And he warns ominously that if the United States is not careful, the country may end up just like it.

But as he wrapped up his seven-day trip here, which began in London last week and ended on Tuesday in Warsaw, a more nuanced view of Europe emerged: there is also the Europe symbolized by Poland, where “a march toward economic liberty and smaller government has meant a march toward higher living standards,” in contrast with the Europe he often derides on the campaign trail.

That Europe, which some conservatives label the “old Europe,” is symbolized by the troubles of the euro zone, where heavy regulation and a vast social welfare network, they maintain, has led to an intractable economic crisis.

(More here.)