Mitt Romney says half of Americans are grifters - GOP presidential candidate sees 47 percent of Americans as "victims" - VIDEO
Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 09:49 AM
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| GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney (Photo: AP) |
If you needed proof of how out of touch from the ordinary struggles of the people of this nation Mitt Romney actually is, it arrived yesterday, courtesy of a secret recording from a closed-door fundraiser released by David Corn at Mother Jones.
Romney regards forty seven percent of Americans as parasites, the tape revealed. In fact he sounded almost jealous of the poor, and how good they have it. But just wait till he becomes president because then their free ride will be over, he assured his private audience.
'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’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. These are people who pay no income tax.'
Where we see poor but hardworking people struggling to escape poverty, Mitt Romney sees spongers living high off the welfare hog courtesy of his (we're supposed to believe) high taxes.
Romney clearly holds half of this country in contempt. He'll be there with his boots on when the time comes to teach them a lesson, I expect.
But here's the thing, Romney's own career has been about playing the system from the winners corner. With his secretive Swiss Bank accounts and his Caymen Islands accounts, and his secretive trust funds, and his refusal to document his own tax returns, why should we believe he's morally superior to the ordinary citizens he so casually condemns?
Recall that part of the reason so many Americans don’t pay federal income taxes now is that Republicans passed a series of massive tax cuts that wiped out the income-tax liability for many Americans. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush made that scenario a reality, remember.
It may be partially true that 47 percent of the population figure pay no net federal income tax but Romney hasn't noticed that most of them do pay federal payroll tax. Of those who pay neither income nor payroll taxes, most are the elderly. That's because elderly people generally don't have jobs. I'd have thought many seniors might have been trending toward Romney but hopefully this will make them reconsider. Students, if they're smart, have probably just been warned off him too.
The idea that half of Americans are just a bunch of grifters is how America's super rich talk about us all when they're among themselves. It's repulsive, but it's wholly accurate.
Mitt Romney has said he believes corporations are people, but he does not believe struggling Americans are. You're all bloated dependents. You're entitlement junkies. You think that the government should take care of you because you clearly lack the means and the smarts to take care of yourself. Perhaps they'll hire Clint Eastwood to lecture you.
After all, if you're so smart, why didn't you have a rich daddy like he did?
56 Comments
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BrianO | Sep 19, 2012, 11:53 AM EDT
when will the Obama tactics be sited on this website.
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Lynchy | Sep 19, 2012, 10:48 AM EDT
Romney said he does not pay Income Tax (debate with Gingrich when he said if CGT was eliminated he would pay zero tax)
So, having said that, why is he hiding his tax returns? I suspect the reason is he has not been paying his full tithe to his church. This is probably more serious to his reputation than not paying taxes.
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eiriamach | Sep 19, 2012, 10:26 AM EDT
A couple of comments Romney made on the tape are not quite clear: 1) On unions: "I wish we weren’t unionized so we could go a lot deeper than you are actually allowed to go." What does he mean by going 'a lot deeper'? Laying off more public sector and industrial workers? 'Sounds ominous to me! 2) On his TV appearances: "But 'The View' is fine, although 'The View' is high risk because of the five women on it, only one is conservative and four are sharp-tongued and not conservative, Whoopi Goldberg in particular. Although the last time I was on the show, she said to me, 'You know what? I think I could vote for you.' And I said, 'I must have done something really wrong.'” It sounds as though Romney would be offended to have someone like Whoopi vote for him!
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eiriamach | Sep 19, 2012, 10:20 AM EDT
A transcript of nearly the entire discussion between Romney and his $50,000-a-plate supporters is online at the NY Times site. At one point, Romney agrees with someone who brags about his or her own wealth and urges Romney to do the same. Romney says in his reply, "... the thing which I find most disappointing in this president is his attack of one America against another America, the division of America based on going after those who have been successful." As Maureen Dowd of the NY Times points out, "We thought Romney was secretly moderate, but it turns out that he’s secretly cruel, a social Darwinist just like his running mate." You don't have to be Maureen Dowd to see the hypocrisy: Romney's remark is callously divisive. He accuses President Obama of waging class warfare and pitting the 'have-nots' against the 'haves' while Romney himself believes Americans ought to admire 'success' and great 'wealth' and turn over to the wealthy the reins of government because if they're rich, they should be in charge, right?. It's a dangerous, divisive fantasy-- that the non-wealthy are plotting to take away what the wealthy have and that wealth gives one an entitlement to power over others.
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irishamerica46 | Sep 19, 2012, 10:13 AM EDT
He never called anyone grifters or parasites. There is a psycological term called Displacement. Maybe you are dispacing your own feelings onto him.
The USA is a capitalist nation not a socialist one which you seem to prefer. Maybe you should move to the EU!
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BrianO | Sep 19, 2012, 10:03 AM EDT
Hollaback, our starving filthy beggars, have cable tv, cars, and free food and energy. We have the best fed poor in the world. the sad part is they are so well kept, they want to stay on the dole. But they are a controllable group for the liberal democrats, a group the liberal democrats wants to increase.
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hollabackgurl | Sep 19, 2012, 09:21 AM EDT
Headline 1: "Romney Campaign Sends In Champion Of The Poor Paul Ryan For Damage Control." Headline 2:"Romney Apologizes To Nation's 150 Million 'Starving, Filthy Beggars"
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IrelandNorth | Sep 19, 2012, 07:17 AM EDT
Surely the term "... government dominated society ..." was more applicable to Georgetown under King George's [Anglo-Saxon] redcoats, than either Democratic or Republican corporate heir apparent personalities to the Patriots' bold Declaration of 1776. Is not government's task to pursue the greatest happiness for the greatest number, rather than the maximum material privilege for the minority of an electorate. Is that not what democracy actually is. To what extent modern America approximates its Declaration of Independence is as pertinent a question as to what extent Ireland approximates its 1916 Proclamation of a Republic!
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bonjouryall | Sep 19, 2012, 06:28 AM EDT
And just for those liberals who don't like to read.... "parasite" is O'Doherty's word-not Romney's. He will stoop to any misleading statement (or perhaps reveal his own prejudices) which may advance his personal agenda.
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bogsidebunny | Sep 18, 2012, 10:40 PM EDT
That's about 40% less than the Irish total.
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EphraimKibbey | Sep 18, 2012, 10:38 PM EDT
When Romney was asked last night at his press conference, he said that this would look better in context and asked the tape's owner to release the whole thing. Today he got his wish. If you have not seen the whole thing, please watch it at Mother Jones. Note how he will not even lead from behind on Isreal but just "kick the ball down the field and hope something turns up." Note how he believes that dirty bombs need fissionable material (and thanks Mitt for giving our enemies suggestions.) Notice how comfortable he is with the 1%, how easily he falls in with their misconceptions of the 99% and compare it to his awkward appearences when he is on the stump lying to the grassroot GOP inorder to hoodwink them into voting for him. Do not miss this chance to see Romney saying what he REALLY believes. Also pay attention to who in the GOP is condemning his remarks and who is saying GOOD BOY MITT because it is exactly what THEY too belive.
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MegK311 | Sep 18, 2012, 10:20 PM EDT
Mitt Romney is a very generous man. He has given millions to help the less unfortunate, He just doesn't brag about it. He would rather find good paying jobs for the unemployed. Who in their right mind would live on welfare. Obama has put too many people on welfare and that is disgraceful. Most people want to work and spend their money however they want to. Of course there will always be people who need help and we should help those people. Mitt Romney is talking to the free loaders who want the government to take care of them from cradle to grave. It's all about creating jobs and bringing home a pay check.
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olovely | Sep 18, 2012, 09:54 PM EDT
We just got a glimpse of the America that Mitt Romney sees from his privileged perch, one where anyone unable to attend a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser simply hasn't tried hard enough.
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BrianO | Sep 18, 2012, 09:30 PM EDT
Want to pay the same rate as a wealth builder, then take a risk, I don't see anyone crying for risk takers who don't make it. Once you aquire wealth you should do your best to keep it.
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