On Monday September 17, Mother Jones released a video of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressing donors at a private reception. In the one minute long video, the former Governor is speaking about his campaign and what he views as the "47% of people who will vote for the president no matter what."
For those who are unaware, the 47% he uses is a direct reference to the fact that only 53% of Americans pay federal income tax. That 53% was a widely circulated conservative counter-protest of sorts to the Occupy Wall Street cry "We are the 99%."
Although the assertion he is making, that all people who don't have to pay federal income tax are automatically going to vote for President Obama, is absurd, his fundamental argument is nothing new. The notion that the welfare state hurts more than it helps by reducing individual incentive and creating dependency is at the heart of conservative ideology.
This reality begs the question, why do some liberals seem to be outraged at this "revelation"? Because the comments were made at a private reception for donors, it's a pretty safe bet that he was addressing some quite wealthy individuals. If Mitt Romney had expressed sincere empathy for the people he, his party, and his donors tend to think of as lazy and parasitic, not only would it have been completely bizarre, but it is hard to imagine the room would have been thrilled.
Until the GOP ticket can provide some specifics on how they plan to cut taxes 20% in all brackets, increase military spending, and still balance the budget, there is a much bigger issue on the table. Not only was that video likely obtained by some illegal and unethical means, but it doesn't even prove anything except that politicians speak to high-level donors differently than the greater public. This should not be news to anyone.
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Comments: 13
I would also add Democrats - but it doesn't matter. Both parties have been talking about it for decades and doing the exact opposite. And still the entire nation votes for them. And aids & abets by contributing 100s of millions each presidential election season to these two parties!
Brain dead nation.
The notion that the welfare state hurts more than it helps by reducing individual incentive and creating dependency is at the heart of conservative ideology. I am confused by this - are you advocating a welfare state?
I happen to agree with him... There are way to many people with their hands outstretched who could be leading productive lives, if they had too...
Now you want to criticize them for LEGALLY taking the tax credits they are entitled to?
And these comments from a man who hides his money in a Swiss bank account to avoid paying taxes to a country he supposedly loves so much that he wants to be President of it?!
The height of hypocrisy.
He is referring to the working-class families that fill every town across the United States. Hard-working people who earn a wage Mitt Romney cannot even fathom...their monthly wage that they support their children on is less than Ann Romney spends on her undergarmets.
Liberals are outraged because this shows how COMPLETELY out of touch Mitt Romney is with the American people. WORKING people. He knows nothing about a dad that gets up at 5am and puts in a days work in a factory or outside in the rain all day on a backhoe. Or a mom that wakes up, feeds the kids, dresses them, takes them to school, then works her 8 hours, picks the kids up, cooks dinner, helps with homework, etc.
These are the people Mitt Romney says think the government owes them housing.
Completely asinine and idiotic.
Mitt Romney only knows and cares about wealth and wealthy people.
He believes anyone who benefits from this without paying federal income tax is automatically a welfare slave and thus brainwashed into supporting the party promising handouts. Ridiculous
If it's a welfare slave to take deductions as a working-class member of society, what derogatory words describe someone who benefits from not paying federal income tax by hiding their money in a Swiss bank account?
It would be nice if the Republican party didn't have to lie and appeal to bigots, not to mention engage in voter suppression, to get elected.
I wonder what he was planning to do with no plan but all those empty words.
All the stuff I have heard from Romney might or might not be great to a point
but they are just mostly all empty since now we know there was no plan.
In my opinion we need a person who can get the job done and also take
care of those who voted for them and did what they promised to help people.