Posted on 09/17/2012 4:48:47 PM PDT by Evil Slayer
Mitt Romney described almost half of Americans as “dependent upon government” during a private reception with donors earlier this year and said those voters will likely support President Obama because they believe they are “entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”
The blunt political and cultural assessment by the Republican presidential candidate offers a rare glimpse into Mr. Romney’s personal views as the campaign enters its final 50 days. Liberals quickly condemned the remarks as insensitive and Mr. Obama’s campaign accused him of having “disdainfully written off half the nation.”
The recordings surfaced even as Mr. Romney sought to retool his campaign message amid internal campaign sniping and calls from Republicans outside the campaign for him to be more specific about how his policies will fix the nation’s economy.
The video clips raised the possibility that his campaign would once again be sidetracked by Mr. Romney’s own words, a problem that has plagued the former Massachusetts governor since his hard-fought battle with Republican rivals during the nominating contests earlier this year. The video of Mr. Romney making the comments was posted on the Internet Monday afternoon by Mother Jones, a liberal magazine, which said it had obtained the recording and had confirmed its authenticity. The magazine said it was concealing the identity of the person who took the video and the location and time of the recording.
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
Romney is right. I’m liking this guy a bit more every day.
Romney is telling it just like it is.
The people who would be offended by this are voting for Obama; I, too, find it refreshing that Romney thinks like I do on this.
He’s right..good for Romney to speak the TRUTH. What he should be doing is saying this on the campaign trail instead of just saying it to private donors. Libs can’t stand hearing the truth, it gets in their crawl that we are sick and tired of hearing about people who want a nanny state. The woman in Missouri in 2008 saying how she will get free food, car, house, mortgage paid, etc etc if she votes for Obama says it all. These people and the Occupy movement, they are not about getting jobs, they are about getting FREE STUFF. They don’t want to work, they want to sit on their asses getting free Govt goodies
Romney is obviously trying to win me over. Its working.
The worst thing he can do is apologize or try to walk this back. He needs to pound this nail with a 9 pound sledge. If he’ll do that this will win for him. The idea of a politician who speaks frankly and says the things we all know are true will be a breath of fresh air.
While he’s at it, he might mention something about a president that repays dead ambassadors by liberating convicted terrorists.
All the while hoping to see even more people dependent on the government.
It needs to be said. If he loses the election for speaking like this then we have to face the fact that the country is over. Demographics are not in our favor.
Romney...should run with this.....ask yourself...how did this happen...how are your neighbors, co-workers...people that used to stand proud, carry the mail, make the cars, build the houses,start the businesses....now dependent on the Government....and Obama is proud? He is proud to say the economy is working? He is proud that 48% of America is dependent on Government!!! It doesnt have to be this way...dont buy it ...not for a second....we are Americans.........Come on Romney....get on it!!!! like yesterday...............
Perhaps we need signs and t-shirts:
“I’m part of the 53%.”
EXACTLY..Romney needs to stand by this statement..he can’t backtrack and say “I didnt mean any harm by this” or any of that BS..stand by it because its the TRUTH..and you know what, if this costs Romney the election this country was already lost. Its about damn time Romney say something I actually agree with and he took the words right out of my mouth
All the liberal weenies in the comments section of that Slimes article are already having apoplectic fits over this.... HA!!
Liberals condemned this as “Insensitive”?
KISS MY BUTT, YOU FILTHY SOCIALIST MAGGOTS!!!!
Romney should ask for their votes anyway, and explain why they and the country would be better off if they could do more to earn their way.
He might not get many votes that way, but he would get some. Even 2% of the 47% might put him over the top.
They are making comments while sitting in their undies waiting for their welfare checks to arrive
The election is coming down to Ayn Rand’s central thesis of the producers versus the moochers. Might as well just get it out in the open.
Mr. Romney please don’t back down on this or apologize for this when the screaming starts from the Democrats and the liberal press.
Dittos, I like to hope he’s reaching people who don’t know that, who will change their minds when educated.
But who doesn’t know, rats eat taxes they do not produce, they consume what other’s produce. Parasites on the Nations treasures.
It needs to be said. If he loses the election for speaking like this then we have to face the fact that the country is over. Demographics are not in our favor.
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Exactly. This goes for the weak so-called FReepers who are already crying about this statement in another thread on these comments.
“The worst thing he can do is apologize or try to walk this back. He needs to pound this nail with a 9 pound sledge.”
Absolutely. Hope someone in his campaign understands that. Also hope that he governs this way eventually. Truth over ‘feelings’.
We’ll see.
I dont know if any Romney guys use Free Republic if not we who use facebook should really tell him to stick to this message!!! Romney is right!!!
Romney is correct, but it will come down to whether the left’s manipulated ads using these words can be twisted in ways that hurt him. Remember, it only takes a convincing of a small percentage of morons to determine the election’s outcome, and propaganda and demagoguery often work on the slower members of the 53%.
What SpaceBar said. Let’s have some honest talk about this for a change.
There you go again Lame Stream Media.
The negligence of the Obama ME doctrine get’s people killed in Lybia and Afganistan, but Romney’s factually astute observation is all you want to report on.
The purported “press” will go berserk on this through Friday at least of this week; it serves two purposes: 1) makes Romney look rich and insensitive (I know this isn’t true but they will hysterically report it as such); and 2) it will blot out “news” (not that they are reporting it anyway)about the Obama Administration’s total incompetence in the Middle East and on the economy. The Brian Willaimses, Andrea Mitchells and the endless other Dem sycophants that callt themselves “journalists” are hoping to run out the clock with 49 days left until the election. Hopefully, it will have as nil an impact as the hapless Jimmy Carter touting Reagan opening his campaign in Mississippi as a sign of racism in 1980.
For once Romney sounded like a Conservative..the media says it like its a bad thing LOL..its a GOOD THING..of course the media is having fits about this, good..I want people to discuss this because its the truth..and you know what, if Romney loses this country didn’t stand a chance anyway. Mind as well put it all out there
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Obama shovels fish for a living ( and someone else caught them)
No one watches MSNBC, NBC and those other networks but far left loons anyway. They will just be preaching to the choir
Romney just backtrack from his statement or at least his aides have:
National Review
Patrick, in response to those fundraiser comments you mentioned, Romney communications director Gail Gitcho issued this statement:
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.
Obama by 20 tomorrow with 43% over sampling Dems.
Obama ass kisser, Michael Shear
On stands now...
The libtards are too dumb to realize they are now running a free campaign commercial for Romney!
“I’m part of the 53%.”
LOVE it! :)
May I add that despite some people’s views, the contrast between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama couldn’t be greater. Has anyone seen bigger moochers than the Obama family? Golfing, jet setting, living large... all on the taxpayers’ backs. And thumbing their noses at us the whole time. All they did was win a game show, and then turn the levers of power over to their commie handlers. Mitt Romney on the other hand, really is a successful man by any rational measure. No comparison whatsoever.
The entire issue works best for Romney if some of the 47% actually believe they are part of the 53%.
They are squealing like pigs at a trough.
The version I like: Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for an hour. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
I totally agree with what Romney is trying to say — there are a lot of moochers.
But unfortunately he and just about everyone else except Paul Ryan ignore the biggest moochers of all. The biggest consumers of federal tax dollars are the people on Medicare and Social Security — Grandpa and Grandma. What they contributed as taxpayers is very small compared to what they are taking out.
Upon retirement,the long-lived oldsters use up their meager FICA contributions in the first three or four years. After that, it’s on you and me. But nobody dares touch the third rail of politics. Even though entitlements will bring our country DOWN.
I think this was a genius move by Romney. I hope he says this at the upcoming debate. In fact, I would not be surprised if it was Romney’s people who leaked this video. Its absolutely perfect because it’s TRUE..There is a large population of people who currently collect welfare and food stamps who do NOT want to work..its true because I see what those occupy protestors tell the media when they are being interviewed. In fact, this morning on Fox Business Network they interviewed a guy who works at the Stock Exchange, he was hiring for his business and he put a box on the street asking those occupiers to put in their resumes, saying he would hire them if they were qualified for the position..he said the few who did show up for interviews looked like they just came from a junkyard and while talking to them they were clearly not qualified for the job..the rest didnt bother showing up. There are plenty of people who want Mommy and Daddy Govt to talk care of them, forever
Might be a slight problem considering how many Republicans have lost their jobs, homes, bushiness, savings, etc over the past 5 years.
That doesn’t sound like he is “walking it back” to me. It reads as clafification.
When you can’t find work and are struggling to keep a roof overhead and food on the table for your family, are you going to ask of anyone helping you, “Hey! What’s your politics?”
BHO2 had demonstrated that an evil President can destroy the livelihoods of US citizens: Romney is saying he can release the restraints holding back the economy, so people do not have to rely on government.
For the record, I am not now nor have I ever relied on government for all or part of my living. Though I have been qualified for food stamps, I have found it unnecessary.
I agree with Mitt, and most Americans know it is true. But this is going to really hurt his campaign. The liberal media will bash him non stop. It will be at every debate.
Not good folks, not good.
The question is not whether Mitt was right about his statement on 47% dependent on the government. He’s right of course.
But whether or not he stick to his guns on his statement or runs away from it looking like a fool when Obama challenges him on it during the debates
If people can look at what Romney said and it costs Romney the election I got news for you, this country was already gone. Romney mind as well speak the truth because its the truth.
I do not see that as a backtrack. I see that as facts.
Romney fired up the base by saying this.....but unfortunately this my cost him the independents. Makes him look cold and heartless and the MSM is running with it.
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