SOUND OFF: Was Romney Right About The 47 Percent, Or Will This Doom His Campaign?
Mother Jones released a video of Mitt Romney telling a private audience that 47 percent of Americans are dependent on the government and will never vote for him. Was this a ruinous gaffe, or has Romney told a hard political truth?
A secret video obtained by Mother Jones magazine has rocked the political world. In the video, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said "... there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what..." according to a transcript in the Washington Post.
He went further, saying he wasn't worried about them. The magazine released a portion of the video Monday.
In a late night press conference Monday, Romney said the comments were not "elegantly stated," but were part of a larger conversation about the role of personal responsibility. Romney went on to say the comments were a reflection on "the political process of winning an election, and, of course, I want to help all Americans—all Americans—have a bright and prosperous future."
Mother Jones said it would release the full video by late Tuesday afternoon.
Do you think the video shows Romney's true feelings about half of the American electorate, or was this an out-of-context snippet? Will this hurt Romney's chances of willing the election, or is it one blip in a very long campaign? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Iron Mike
5:05 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Funny how liberals squeak and whine when a Republican tells the truth.
Romney [who was not my first pick] is 100% right. The 'Great Society' begun by LBJ has turned into the Democratic Voter Plantation.
Democrat politicians are the overseers – government employees, campus-for-life types, and inner-city welfare recipients are the slaves.
The Dem politicians keep up the same scare tactics “You wanna keep getting a check? Vote us back into office!”
And each time the slaves vote for a D, they vote to STAY enslaved. Obama just sweetened the pot - by reducing the work requirement for lay-abouts.
roy switzler
6:39 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Absolutely correct!
It's been coming for years, now at 47%, once it hits 50%, the rest of us who pay the bills will never get out from under.
That includes anyone on some form of government support from welfare, to medicaid, to medicare (which I receive and would be happy to give back), to public employees, etc., etc. etc. The truth is now out.
Reverend E. Raleigh Pimperton III
1:07 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
All the while Democrats remain utterly immune to their hypocrisy.
Reverend E. Raleigh Pimperton III
MaryMac
9:47 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
It is not that Romney isn't "worried about them". Romney thinks that teaching a man to fish is better for all Americans. Obama thinks that having the government feed a man for a day, and another day, and another day is the way to go. Stark difference. America needs to have this debate over government dependency vs. individual responsibility and Mitt dumped the data to get the conversation started. Mitt wasn't sharing his "feelings" about the 47%, he was sharing data. Though clearly the White House has found it easy to repackage Romney's remark for Obama's benefit.
Magellan
9:52 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
When Romney opens his mouth and lets the cat out of the bag as to what the Republicans really think:
1- Republicans have spent years cutting income taxes and increasing things like the Child Tax Credit. This means fewer people pay income taxes.
2- So whenever you hear a stat like "47% don't pay income taxes," remember: Reagan and Bush helped build that.
3- These tax cuts for the poor were partly in order to make further tax cuts for the rich political palatable.
4- But now that fewer people pay income taxes as a result of GOP policies, they are being called lazy and dependent.
5- And thus the GOP's tax cuts are being used to make a case that the rich are overtaxed and that the less-rich are becoming dependent.
6- Which thus leads to a policy agenda of tax cuts for the rich and cuts to social services for the non-rich.
Magellan
10:02 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
I forgot to mention the "earned income tax credit". The earned-income tax credit, has its roots in conservative thinking and has long been supported by members of both parties as a way to help the poor without increasing welfare payments or raising the minimum wage. The credit was added to the tax code when Gerald Ford was president, and was expanded by Republicans and Democrats. Ronald Reagan, called it “one of the best anti-poverty programs this country has ever seen” in 1986.
President George W. Bush doubled the child tax credit, and his tax cuts erased the federal income tax liability for millions of households.
David Allen
10:10 am on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Ah, those poor, enslaved voters. You know, the ones who pay minimal tax? Like the rich folks Romney is trying to protect (including himself), so that they can keep on being zillionaires, partly because they pay so little tax ...