Mitt Romney - 47% Of Americans Are Dependent On Government

Political Realities ^ | 09/18/12 | LD Jackson

[LD Jackson]

I've been out and about most of the weekend and today and really couldn't pay a lot of attention to the news or the election campaign. As I was driving home from work last evening, I turned on NPR and their lead story after the news at the bottom of the hour was about something Mitt Romney said in a private fundraiser some days or weeks ago. His remarks were captured on video, unbeknownst to the candidate, or his staff, and that video has been "leaked" to Mother Jones. Before we get to my take on this, here is a portion of what he had to say.

(Washington Post) “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the 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…

“And I mean the president starts off with 48, 49 … he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect. So he’ll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that’s what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to convince the five to ten percent in the center that are independents that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not.”

Getting right to it, let's be honest with ourselves. This statement was never meant to be broadcast to the general public. It was for private consumption only. Nevertheless, can anyone dispute the truthfulness of what Mitt Romney said? I have read some of the original scoop from Mother Jones and the comments that are being made on the post and there is no surprise in what they have to say. To hear them tell it, Mitt Romney was expressing his utter disdain for the people who voted for Obama. Personally, I didn't read disdain in his words. Neither did I hear it in his voice when I watched the video. He was making a simple statement of fact.

Staying with the honesty theme, this story is going to get a lot of media time. Make no mistake, they are going to play this for all its worth. We should accept that fact and get ready to face the combined onslaught of the Obama media and the Obama campaign. Prepare yourselves for all manner of charges against Mitt Romney, from this day forward. I have already heard former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland speaking on CNN and he is claiming the statement should disqualify Romney from being President. The Obama campaign is coming out against this in full force and they will have the full strength of the media running interference.

The real question of the hour is this. Was Mitt Romney telling the truth about the election? Does the President start with a large number of Americans who are going to vote for him, no matter what he says ore does? Do 47% of Americans really pay no income tax? The answer to all of those questions is yes. According to the Tax Policy Center, 46.4% of Americans paid no income tax in 2011. That doesn't mean all of them are freeloaders, but some of them are. It is a known fact that nearly half of Americans are receiving some form of government assistance. Again, that isn't to say all of them are freeloaders, because they are not. However, when you start off with the premise that so many Americans are relying on the government for some portion of their sustenance, where does that leave Mitt Romney, when he is running a campaign on reducing the size of government? Many Americans will look at his campaign and feel a disconnect from it, simply because they may feel he is threatening the assistance they rely on. My opinion is that Mitt Romney spoke nothing but the truth in his statement. He was explaining his campaign strategy to people who paid good money to hear him speak in a private setting and he was simply being honest by telling them which segment of the voting public he needed to reach, if he has a chance of winning this election. Having said that, it isn't necessarily the truth that the media is going to hammer Mitt Romney with in the coming days.

The Romney campaign has already attempted to clarify their candidate's remarks in a statement of their own.

Mitt Romney wants to help all Americans struggling in the Obama economy. As the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps, nearly one in six Americans in poverty, and the 23 million Americans who are struggling to find work. Mitt Romney’s plan creates 12 million new jobs in four years, grows the economy and moves Americans off of government dependency and into jobs.

For another take on this, let's turn to Allahpundit. He has a breakdown of who does or doesn't pay federal income tax and why.

(Hot Air) Certainly, the Obama campaign’s never done anything to tout the sort of cradle-to-grave dependency that Romney describes here. I think David French’s recent post about the “bookends” that compose the modern liberal coalition is closer to the mark than Romney’s familiar makers-and-takers formulation here, but he was at a fundraiser and tossing red meat and I guess wanted it to be as red as possible. As for his claim that 47 percent pay no income tax, it’s true but carries lots of caveats. Ramesh Ponnuru wrote an insightful piece about last year; this new article from National Journal is worth reading too. Two political difficulties here. One: While some Obama supporters may not pay federal income tax, they still pay federal payroll tax and may well pay state and city taxes. They do contribute something to government. Two: A lot of pro-Republican working-class voters pay no income tax due to the Earned Income Tax Credit, and a lot of pro-Republican seniors pay no income tax because most or all of their income is Social Security. Not sure how either of those groups will react to Romney’s critique of O’s fans, but my hunch is that Ben Domenech’s right in believing that no one really thinks they’re part of the 47 percent. Everyone thinks they’re a “maker,” not a “taker,” due to whatever little tax they pay, so when Mitt lays into freeloaders, even people who pay no income tax think he’s talking about someone else. It’s sort of the flip side of senior citizens saying that America needs small government while telling politicians “Hands off my Medicare.” I doubt it’ll end up hurting Romney badly, but the media will do its level best. Buckle up!

I'm not sure a seat belt is going to be enough. This may require a giant air bag, before the uproar subsides.

[All Blue State]

I am voting against Obama. I am voting for Republicans and demanding they lead, against almost majority rule, if you count all the takers, and make necessary changes. I do not expect that Romney, or any other single person is up to this challenge, it will take a group effort. They will be smeared, maligned, abused, you name it, it is not a task for the weak. Romney should fully engage Newt Gingrich as well as other well qualified men and women. Oliver North would be useful in the area of National Security. Again, they will be viciously attacked. I am sick of politics as usual.

[Vaduz]

47% are Fat and happy lazy leaches Dependent On Government.

[ontap]

I see help wanted signs all over the place

Maybe that's because you are in Texas. It really isn't that way everywhere.

[Uncle Chip]

47% are Fat and happy lazy leaches Dependent On Government.

Does that percentage include the plethora of unionized government employees at all levels that are underworked and overpaid retiring in their early 50s at 90% of their last paycheck???

or are these part of the other 47%

[uncbob]

You think all those on Social Security and Medicare are going to vote Obama ?
I don’t
And Romney should’t act like they are

[Buckeye McFrog]

I see help wanted signs all over the place

I am too, but they are all for part-time jobs in retail and fast food. Nobody wants to be on the hook for Obamacare with a full-time hire.

[Vaduz]

Fat and happy lazy leaches are the 47%.

[EnigmaticAnomaly]

"We have over 20 million people unemployed, the economic is a wreck, and you imagine there are people who just want to sit around?

YOU ARE MAD"

And you're DELUSIONAL! I can cite MYRIAD examples of people right here in my town who are MORE than content to sit around on their lazy asses collecting welfare because they are "entitled" to it...

Remove your head from your anal cavity and you will see this...

[Uncle Chip]

<>Fat and happy lazy leaches are the 47%.<>

Show me on this chart which ones they are:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2932746/posts?page=1