 Todd DormanTodd Dorman is a columnist for The Gazette. His blog has been bringing smiles to readers' faces since November 2007. |
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Mitt slaps sneering labels on Americans who don’t deserve it
Source: The Tax Foundation
When Mitt Romney looks at America, he sees a glass half empty.
“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 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,” Romney told donors behind closed doors in May.
“And so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives,” Romney said. A video of his remarks made a splash this week.
Maybe Romney believes that after we’ve been disappointed by “Yes, We Can!” we’ll be more inclined to pick “Why Bother?”
What bothers me is that rather than actually telling these $50,000-per-plate investors in his campaign about his actual, specific plans for cutting taxes and entitlements, he, instead, spins the sort of dishonest, half-baked caricature of America you might hear from an online comment troll or Facebook crank.
Clearly, he’s thought deeply about this. Or he read a clever T-shirt sold outside a GOP rally.
Otherwise, why would a smart, accomplished guy, a potential president, slap these sneering labels on so many Americans who don’t deserve them? Why smear folks simply because they don’t owe a federal income tax liability, perhaps because they’re old and have finished their working years, are very young and are just starting out, are in school, disabled, working at one, or maybe more, low-wage jobs, are unemployed amid the worst economic downturn in a generation or happened to receive various tax credits and benefits approved by Republican and Democratic administrations over the past quarter century?
These are irresponsible dependent victims? If they were corporations, we’d pop corks, cut ribbons and call it economic development.
Of this infamous 47 percent, 61 percent paid payroll taxes in 2011. That means they work. Another 22 percent are elderly. That leaves just about 17 percent who aren’t paying income or payroll taxes, for many reasons, amid the worst downturn since the 1930s. Romney has contempt for the president’s economic policies, and, apparently, for those who have suffered. Neat trick.
The Tax Foundation and The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities have all the numbers. Or maybe you like charts.
Just 31 percent of Iowans don’t pay federal income taxes. But, remarkably, they, and so-called deadbeats everywhere, still pay plenty of state and local taxes, despite their lack of responsibility.
Entitlements are unsustainable. Fixes will be painful. We’ll need thoughtful leadership to build consensus for changes. Romney claims to be that leader.
But, as he suggests, he’s not very convincing.
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My immediate reaction to this was that Romney insulted my 81 year old mother and millions of other elderly people like her. Her income is not high enough to create a tax liability. She lives on a small retirement income and social security. She uses Medicare. Romney says she does not take personal responsibility and implies that she is smooching off the government. How dare he!
Romney owes my mother and millions like her an apology. I won’t hold my breath waiting.
Does your poor mother live with you or another relative? If not, then you really can’t feign anger since her welfare isn’t that much of a concern to you.
You just don’t get it. Romney recklessly included my mother and millions like her into the category of those who take no personal responsibility. That’s an insult.
There are essentially two types of voters in America. There are “take takers” (Liberals) and tax payers (Conservatives). The entire Liberal Democrat platform is based on “tax taking” via pushing welfare. The purpose in pushing for more welfare is to buy votes to stay in power. Without welfare the Democrat Party would cease to exist. All other social issues including but not limited to same-sex, immigration, abortion, class warfare, and Romney’s taxes are smoke screens to mask the state of the economy and win elections by tax taking proxies.
The Liberals getting welfare a.k.a. entitlements don’t like people who are paying for welfare because the people who are paying for welfare can no longer afford to pay for both welfare and their own families . The middle class always gets stuck with the bill.
The people who are paying for welfare want the welfare to stop and Liberals who are getting welfare want even more welfare on top of the welfare they are already getting!
Now… The Liberal Democrats who are forcing the people to pay for welfare have told the people who are RECEIVING welfare, that the people who are PAYING for welfare, are being mean and prejudiced. Romney and other like him don’t pay enough.
So… The Liberals who are GETTING welfare have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for welfare by Liberal Democrats who are forcing people to pay for their welfare and giving them the free stuff in the first place!
We have let the welfare go on for so long that there are now more people getting welfare than tax payers who pay for it. America is broke. No amount of tax increases can pay for more than 50 trillion combined state and federal welfare entitlements amassed primarily by Liberal Democrats.
50 trillion combined state and federal = “unfunded”. Ten times more costly than any previous war.
There are as many types of voters as there are people voting. Based upon what one person things best reflects how he or she thinks things are and should be—a person may consider voters to be “essentially” this way or that and some of them the way he or she correctly is.
The reason for “pushing” for or against welfare programs reflect what the person so doing thinks of it.
And those who favor or do not favor welfare may do so or not based upon how such does or does not affect them personally or culturally.
Providing for the “general welfare” will be variously defines as including various roles for government. To wit, a pacifist will see preparation for war and war as not a part of if, some conservatives will see welfare as not one of the functions, some liberals will see free enterprise like religion and not a function of government—and all of these will or will not make sense to this or that individual.
In short, individuals have a tendency to cloak their biases in magnificent and fault free seamless garments, and absolutist of vary political and religious bent do content to wear the most radiantly pure and that other at best are a motley crew of misfits—but all alike.
” perhaps because they’re old and have finished their working years,”
If they make over $25K a year they have to pay FED taxes. Limousine Liberals just don’t like it when someone tells the truth.
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/493/~/paying-income-tax-on-social-security-benefits
“When Mitt Romney looks at America, he sees a glass half empty.”
One thing Dorman is conveniently leaving out or not even spending enough time researching the issue is, that what Mother Jones released is missing 2 minutes. But the source “noticed” the machine wasn’t recording. Right.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/mitt-romney-missing-video_n_1898372.html
Actually Rich, your immediate reaction to this was glee, because you hoped this would be fodder an Obama’s campaign victory.
However, the reality is that some day the US is going to have to address the problem of an overwhelming dependence upon our government. I doubt anyone would define “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as a long-term dependence on government foodstamps.
How do you know what my immediate reaction was? You don’t know me.
Rmoney’s remarks were made at a gathering of conservatives; who are generally disinterested in facts that do not support their own (often faulty) outlook. One would therefore not expect him to launch into an evenhanded analysis of exactly who isn’t paying income tax, and why- he used the “broad brush” smear approach because that’s what his audience demanded that he say in exchange for their support.
All this incident demonstrates is that Mitt can change his message to fit the audience- something most pols will do, but something that Mitt has shown an almost silly-putty-like flexibility for doing.
“who are generally disinterested in facts that do not support their own ”
Yeah, and B0 can’t meet with the Israeli Prime Minister, but can go to a fund raiser that has a $105K tower of champagne bottles. Sure B0′s in touch with all the poor folk.
http://tinyurl.com/92gro8f
I’m trying to figure out why conservatives think they further their cause when they insult people.
Also, Mr Abernathy and Mr Maas should know that the 47% Romney was tallking about includes about 4000 millionaires and members of the Armed Forces deployed to combat zones.
And both of them need to know that unemployment rates for returning Vets are very high and that Republicans in the Senate just blocked a jobs bill specifically intended to help returning veterans find work
“Republicans in the Senate just blocked a jobs bill ”
Roberta, DEM’s control the Senate. I know you get talking points and run with them, but please understand what you’re trying to regurgitate.
“they insult people.”
Right and what do you call B0′s trampling of Catholics 1st Amendment rights? A mix up, a misunderstanding?
No Mr Abernathy, I call it the President protecting my First Amendment right not to have my employer force his or her religious beliefs on me
I call it “extortion” to force an employer to embrace Liberlism for the purpose of control.
One can call something anything that they want and has Shakespeare had Juliet so say:
“O, be some other name! What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
And in give and take beyond romance, the Old Bard had Ham and Pol conjecturing:
Ham. Do you see yonder cloud that ’s almost in shape of a camel?
Pol. By the mass, and ’t is like a camel, indeed.
Ham. Methinks it is like a weasel.
Pol. It is backed like a weasel.
Ham. Or like a whale?
Pol. Very like a whale.
Wrong, John. Republicans blocked the bill on a procedural move. Dems may have the majority in the Senate, but all it takes is one schmuck to obstruct progress, and the R’s continue to show that they’re very, very good at obstructing. So, you’re wrong, John….and rude.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/vet-jobs-bill-fails-in-senate-caught-in-hill-battle/2012/09/19/9d35a104-0292-11e2-91e7-2962c74e7738_story.html
POTUS has not trampled the 1st Amendment Rights of Catholics. They can speak freely, they can assemble peacefully, they can petition the government for redress, and they can worship their invisible friends all they want. Once again, John, you’re wrong….and rude.
It is not one Republican; it is all the party that tries to hide that their political operatives in Congress have been totally fixated on political gain and not on conducting the nation’s business. In this they have myopically focus on causing the vary problems they try to blame on others, the President included.
This scorched earth mania has Republicans in Congress obstruct everything and the good of the nation be d-a-m-n-d. Thus so, the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, proclaimed over two years ago:
“Our singles most important priority is to assure that this is a one-term president.”
And along with their blaming the president for what they have caused, they and their minions attempt to undermine the nation’s economic confidence that oils the wheels of commerce and have done and still try to cause what they paint as other’s failures.
Republicans as a party been the enemy within the gate and as our allies struggle with their own economic problems, such Republicans are deaf to calls for sanity that now comes from abroad. In response, Republicans point to our allies in Europe with scorn and deride them as socialists. This thought the strongest economy in the world is the most socialistic of them all, Norway, that in addition to a booming economy has outstanding government universal health care, retirement, and education. The only thing that has mare public life is the insanity of a right-winger who went on a shooting rampage, killing 68 young people because he was outraged over fellow humans that he considers the equivalent of “illegals,” “food stampers,” and now 47% of all Americans.
The first amendment rights apply to a person’s own freedom of behavior and does not extend to his supposed right to control the behavior of another. Also, a Catholic may contend that his or her First Amendment rights have been violated but people within a group may or may not have, but an institutional religious does not have personal rights although “established” ones are as an entity exempted from paying taxes—on the flip side corporation being considered as a person for taxation grounds.
In addition, not all Catholics would agree with a Catholic who contends that his or her rights have been violated.
An example of an attempt by a group of people to contend their rights have been violated (when others were being protected) can be found in states in rebellion in the South where some white “Southern Baptists” saw Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to be an assault of their property rights—slaves to them by the Dread-Scott decision of the High Court were their property. Lincoln protected the freedom of slaves by an Executive Order and some folks, even in the North, thought he should be impeached because of it.
“The first amendment rights apply to a person’s own freedom of behavior and does not extend to his supposed right to control the behavior of another.”
Sam the pittiful attempt at spin brings chuckles
Catholic institutions NEVER attempted to control the behavior of anyone. They object to –Congress, making a law that infringed on the free expression of their religion–
That last phrase you might of heard before. Its from the constitution.
If you dont see the govt forcing religions to pay for activities that violate the expression of their religion, as a 1st amendment violation, then the whole bill of rights means nothing to you.
DEMS may control the Senate, but not enough to block a filibuster, so unless they have a 60 vote majority, Roberta is indeed correct to say that Republicans in the Senate are blocking a jobs bill.
The glass Mitt Romney looks in seems to be his mirror that reflects back to him his outstanding worthiness over 47% of the American people. It also reflects that he does not have a clue when it comes to the real lives, hopes and dreams of the American people. And he doubles down in disregard by still insisting that he from on high knows the basic nature of the masses of lesser Americans and has determined what is good for them. In this he gives no credit for our nation being great because of the role of WE THE PEOPLE.
From the shot heard round the world 1775 people composed of a middle class emerging from tillers of the soil, merchant, craftsmen and those still indentured started a fight to establish government of the people, by the people and for the people. In doing this they threw off the same kind of self-entitled that today want to once again make the masses of Americans their vassals.
Today these are the 00.006% few that have hoarded the nation’s wealth through their ownership of the Republican Party and have fed off of what has become a declining middle class, working poor, totally destitute, and younger generation trying to find a start from under a huge pile of personal educational debt which they could not just get from mom and dad as Mitt Romney did and thinks they just can too.
If you want to see who has made this country great, go take a look at your neighbors, pay a visit to a Veterans Hospital, and maybe even take a look in the mirror—if one is not too busy practicing to shuffle the feet, bow the head and say please and thank you to some new self-entitled masters.
When Romney next comes to Iowa he might go out to one of our many cemeteries and give tribute to all the fallen common Americans that foiled to make this a great land of WE THE PEOPLE. He might pause particularly at the graves of those GIs that served and gave full measure in the Civil War, as well as the Mexican War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Iraq in service and preservation of this great land of all of ours. And if he finds a shinny granite stone, he might see reflected his face and hope that he has also done his part.
You are talking out the people rising up and taking back the country from a corrupt government, yet you are touting an administration that is corrupt and wants more power over the people.
For all the talk about the rich paying there fair share, I have never (NEVER) heard anyone one on the left mention that EVERYONE should pay their fair share. Anytime someone mentions reforming the tax system, the left goes nuts. The politicians have designed the tax system to use as political points for elections. That is why we are arguing about a couple percent tax raise for a couple percent of the population.
Ultimately, we as a people will not make the changes necessary. We are on the path of Greece, but we will wait until we take the path of the Romans.
I’ll put it in simpler terms. The US is broke ($16 trillion in debt and raising $4 billion a day). Half the country does not pay taxes to fund federal government (25% or so may contribute to SS, etc, but this is not covering our bills). China’s economy is weakening, and soon they will stop purchasing our bonds. What happens when the cash flow stops, and there is no one left to borrow from?
“TAKING BACK THE COUNTRY FROM A CORRUPT GOVERNMENT, YET YOU ARE TOUTING AN ADMINISTRATION THAT IS CORRUPT AND WANTS MORE POWER OVER THE PEOPLe”
It is the Republican House and filibusters in the senate that are corrupting the system in behalf of those that have come to own the Republican Party and pull the string of fewere and fewere misguided individuals. This too a point that the divide and conquer effort is to pit 47% of Americans against enough and disrupt the balloting enough to end up with a 47% to 47% apparent tie and throw it into the Supreme Court for another 5-4 appointment of a Republican president.
“FOR ALL THE TALK ABOUT THE RICH PAYING THERE FAIR SHARE, I HAVE NEVER (NEVER) HEARD ANYONE ONE ON THE LEFT MENTION THAT EVERYONE SHOULD PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE.”
Here it now again as Democrats have said again and again: YES EVERYONE should pay their fair share and also do heir their fair share. And the “left” mention reforming the tax system and Congressional Republicans do not want it for the system now favors those who gain the most from gaming the GOP system to the fullest. And we are not arguing about a couple percentage point for if we were it would not be blocked by Republicans.
The best times of economic development in this country that built the middle calls and gave the people of this great land the heist standard of living across the most people started in the 1940 and continued on through even Regan and his reverse income tax where the working poor got money from the IRS rather than paying in. In the height of this growth the tax rate on the wealthiest was at 94% and they were doing very well as working Americans move into the middle class.
“I’LL PUT IT IN SIMPLER TERMS. THE US IS BROKE.”
That is simple and in error—every dollar that is debt to all went into the pockets of and increasing fewer moneychanger barons of these times. It neither went off into thin air, the pockets of the 47% (or even 99.04%) nor China. It went to people like Mitt Romney. The biggest scoop came from the trust-fund portion of FICA SS, which Romney and friends escape and working people pay in full and is used for general tax purposes and now is twice as much as is owed China. So ther is a not of money, but it has been hoarded the few at the expense of the many.
I short, some defenders of this game of hoarding the wealth do not know what they are talking about and the GOP propaganda the spew is not in their best interest. But that is Ok because it does not matter.
Well, well Todd finally woke up and exposed himself as an Obama surrogate!!! Surpise, surprise.
“When Mitt Romney looks at America, he sees a glass half empty.”
N0 – Like those paying attention Romney see’s an American economy in decline under Obamanomics.
“What bothers me is that rather than actually telling … in his campaign about his actual, specific plans for cutting taxes and entitlements”
Which Todd is exactly the Obama strategy. Obama is the President. He has produced budgets that increase spending and deficits as far as the eye can see. No where has Obama addressed the problems of the Nation because he wants Romney to lay out his plan first so he can criticize them – nice try.
“dishonest, half-baked caricature of America ”
Do you read the papers? Unemployment above 8% for 40+ months, no jobs, deficits, government standing on the neck of business, American ambassadors killed in the streets …. need I say more Rip VanWinkle?
“Entitlements are unsustainable. Fixes will be painful. We’ll need thoughtful leadership to build consensus for changes.”
That has been obvious for at least 4 years but so far no leadership coming from Obama or the Democrats to offer solutions or fix it except to pit one American against another.
Your gotcha piece is unimpressive and unconvincing.
Vote for Mitt Romney a leader who will work to bring people together and get things done – something Obama has proven he cannot do.
“ROMNEY SEE’S AN AMERICAN ECONOMY IN DECLINE”
Romney has not seen his economy in decline and for what he sees: he was born on home plate and thinks he hit a bases-loaded homer. He and other members of the 00.006% have during the past decade been doing quite well—just a few of the greedy hoarders of the nation’s wealth and opportunity by raking and taking in their load and crushing down 99 to 1 the middle class, working poor, totally destitute and younger generation moving back home because they are finding it hard to work their way out from under a huge pile of debt.
Apparently the first Republican president, Abe Lincoln, had it all wrong when at Gettysburg he assumed that the Constitution had ordained and established government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Mitt wisely prefers that “a more perfect Union” be in the same kind firm and few hands of masters of ole-plantation times.
There and then a privileged few were unswervingly certain that God had entitled them to own people as slaves and treat and hold in their place the masses of working people as white trash. When the people were not getting more calloused hands from doing the heavy lifting for little, they were expected to be bowing, scraping their feet and saying please and thank masters, and the 47% best not show a hint of what Romney sees as envy of him and a precious few others like THE ROMNEY.
Honest Abe’s mistaken effort will be replaced by a Romneyized interpretation of the Golden Ruler where if you got the gold you rule.
I guess I don’t see the offense in Mitt Romney’s comment. Ronald Reagan said it best- The best social program is a job. During the early 1980′s, when this country was going through a similar rough economic patch, I know many of my friend’s parents worked 2-3 jobs each to support their families. My mom worked two part time jobs while she went to school. My grandfather worked at John Deere through the strikes and layoffs (without govt assistance mind you) and worked a second job to keep the money flowing- you see where I am going here folks??? The government should never be the answer to bail us out. It’s our own resourcefulness and creativity that will pull us out of the economic funk we are in. Rather than sit around and wait for the government to fix our problems, we the people need to put on our big boy/big girl pants and take responsibility for our own actions. Support the candidates that truly support small business owners, who are the true job creators, and growth generators!
“I GUESS I DON’T SEE THE OFFENSE IN MITT ROMNEY’S COMMENT”
If one does or does not think of themselves within the 47% Romney alluded to, they may or may take it personally, or see it as marking a difference between how they think of themselves as compared to how Romney does, or they may see nothing particularly offensive about it.
Regardless, one might assume that Romney thought his audience would see some difference between themselves and 47% of Americans.
This also indicates that it does not make any difference in the election outcome for Romney has lost it. To wit, whether he was painting the best or worst picture he was indicating chances for him that are so lopsided against him that Vegas odds makers world not even bother to put the spread on the board.
His 47% (or 48%” vote he indicates that he is not going get under any circumstances would have be offset by him getting 8 out to of 10 of the 10% that are supposedly still up for grabs—this is leaves a margin so slim that it is not even statistically possible to calculate it. Whether Romney or his listeners like it or not, he was unintentionally admitting that under the best of conditions he cannot win.
It is over and the question for conservatives is one of how bad of a shape do they want to leave their capacity to have any conservative views reflected in governance. By insisting on such a certain loss producing a horrendous future they do their viewpoint long-term damage and he more they indicate how certain they are the more irrelevant the position becomes.
AS Harry Truman said, “When you got yourself in a hole, you had better stop digging”—and 47% and phantom hope leave on deep over their head.
Mr Olsen,
Are you suggesting that what Ric Geer’s 81 year old mother needs is a job?
Todd, you’re right about this. Mitt’s comments are way out of line. His policies are not in my best interest. But, even though I’m a Democrat, I’m going to vote for him. Obama continues to support the drone assassination program. These not too accurate flying robots have killed many women and children during his presidential term. And Obama sat on his behind while Bradley Manning was being tortured in an American prison. He has failed the basic morality litmus test, while Mitt only fails the political litmus test. Remember that when we vote for the lesser of two evils this November, we a still voting for EVIL!
Mr Wallin,
I don’t like the drone strikes either. They are way too Sci Fi creepy. On the other hand, bombs aren’t any more accurate and also cause a lot of collateral damage, as do big guns that fire exploding shells long distance.
Wars kill people. Doesn’t matter the weapons. People die
You’re going to vote for Romney on two issues, but do you have any evidence that Romney would end the drone assassinatioon program? Do you have any evidence that Romney would not follow up on his talk of ending the tensions between Israel and Iran by invading Iran? Do you have any evidence whatsoever that Romney has any understanding of the world beyond the end of his own nose?
Romney’s foreign policy advisors are mostly Neo-Conservatives whose idea of handling the rest of the world is to pick a country and find an excuse to invade it.
With regard to Bradley Manning (Wikileaks), he wasn’t being tortured. He was badly mistreated–something that should be familiar to anyone with experience with the Johnson County Jail. When news of his mistreatment went public, it stopped. He is now in a medium security facility in Kansas awaiting trial.
Yep…sheep…We must need to pick a side regardless of what “our own” party has lied about, delayed or prevented. Look at us… we can’t complain about government because “ARE” the government. We will get what we get in Nov…. and then belly ache, moan and be juvenile for 4 more yrs. It is not about one MAN…man, it is about us and we are sheep. Heck we Cedar Rapidians could not agree how to get ourselves out of a paper bag. But we could post all sorts of ideas…but STILL…at the end of the day…. WE STILL THE PAPER BAG!
As I read the comments and the back and forth on this site, it occurs to me that we are missing a major point: No matter which side of the aisle you are on, you should not be happy with the fact that Congress adjourned after doing nothing about some very pressing concerns. Why? They did not want to endanger their re-election prospects for something as trivial as whether a veteran can find a job or not, or get care for his head injury when he gets out of the service. They are concerned with nothing so ephemeral as whether there will be jobs for the next group of college graduates, or if I or my wife can keep ours. They are… untouched. They have failed us, all 535 of them, regardless of party. My representative is retiring from the House this year. Fine. We will have a new guy in southern Illinois, and I intend to keep an eye on the son-of-a-@#%&! Otherwise, he (both candidates are male) will get into the same stuff as the others. He might anyway, and perhaps it is inevitable, but I intend to breathe down his neck all the same, and at least TRY to make him thoughtful as to his behavior. Everyone on this site ought to do the same with their congressional delegations. We get the government we deserve. Want better? You have to do what you can to make it happen. Sniping at each other on this site won’t get that done.
And polls indicate that the American people are not happy with Congress and this is what President Obama was aligning himself with in his remarks that change comes from outside of Washington. This harkens back the Harry Truman in the late 1940s campaigning for reelection by running against a “Do nothing Congress.”
Polls indicate that of all the change the public desires if it in Congress and not the White House. The 47% dissing by Romney is prompting some Republican congressional candidates to distance themselves from Romney—Brown in Massachusetts is exemplary.
The public may not read or follow the polls, but the candidates do and those that deride polls also end up doing what the polls said they were going to. Romney also reads the polls and his 47% comment is likely a messaging of his supporters to pay off his campaign debt and exit in defeat without it around his neck.
I am hesitant to support either candidate and would hope I could find at least a possible third party to vote with to show my disdane for the status quo. Romney shows his ignorance, expecting 47% of the voters to roll over and play dead. These same 47% have family members among those he is chasing to get elected. I am sure they take no pleasure in listening to this clap trap about their relatives. The other side of that coin, if he gets what he wants and forces this personal responsibility business, it will mean those same relatives will either have to pick up the slack and help their own people or they simply will be thrown under the bus. If those truly are the “compassionate conservatives” he thinks are going to vote for him, I think they may take a different view on that subject. Likely they like the fact the government will take care of the problem so they don’t have to do anything but complain about it, thinking it doesn’t really concern them, at least not till the rubber hits the road. It might mean a double take on the part of the voters he thought were already in his pocket.
I welcome the debate about federal govt entitlements, the debate about a federal govt that should adhere to a constitution that defines a limited of govt of enumerated powers. A constututional reading that understands that ‘general welfare’ was never intended to allow congress to spend on anything it could generate enough votes for. For if that were true the entirety of the constitution serves no purpose.
But in the context of Romney’s remarks, from an illegal recording, that is edited down to make his remarks appear calloused and uncaring, a recording that is missing several minutes in the middle, and who knows what precedes, or follows the portion of the recording we are privy to.
The context of Romney’s remarks are about how Romney is going to utilize the assets of his campaign to win the office of President. This shows Romney anylitical approach to problem solving. It had nothing to do with how he sees the 47%. Romeny correctly states that a given amount of people will vote because they are swayed by the Democrat message of every larger promises of govt largess doled out to them. This is a fact. While every Democrat will admitt when pressed that spending must be cut, not one proposel has been offered by Democrats to cut any spending.
The European model of social democracy is a failure, witness, Greece, Spain, Portugaul, etc.
Obama has had 4 years to address that, but kicks the can down the road and demonizes anyone that forwards any Ideas.
As Gietner admitted before Congress He and the Obama dont have a plan for the economy, and as Obama admitted recently He is unable to change DC.
So his bumber sticker term of President started out as ‘hope and change’ is now “I cant change DC” and his “Yes we can” becomes “We dont have a plan”
One can debate the Constitution or anything else and it does not change the expectation that the masses of American people that built and maintained this land and expect it to continue as it always has to provide the most good for the most people of any nation ever instituted among men. Some doctrinaire bending and parsing of words from the Constitution or the back of a box of salt is not going to serve as a substitute for very real expectations. And if one cannot find this in their interpretation of anything, they are no more than babbling to themselves or a choir of them
What is apparent right now is that a 00.006% few have hoarded the nation’s wealth at the expense of a declining middle calls, working poor, totally destitute and younger generation struggling to get a good start from under a huge pile of personals debt. These masses of people hunger for a good and decent life for themselves and their loved ones and words from on high will not more satisfy this need than did the queen of Frances quip that those without bread could eat cake.
The builders and maintainers of this country of government of the people, by the people will be served by their government and they will not bow and scrape before a Mitt Romney who will let something trickle down.
To see these people that made this country a great place to live take a step next good to the neighbors, stop at the grandparents of Thanksgiving, pay a visit to a Veterans Hospital, and maybe even take a look in the mirror—this unless one is too busy practicing how to do a foot shuffle the feet, bow the head and say please and thank you to a self-entitled master.
Out on the campaign stump if Romney cares to he might stop by one of our nation’s many cemeteries and give tribute to all past Americans that were the common folks that toiled to make this a great land of WE THE PEOPLE. He might also pause at the grave of one of the many GIs that served and gave full measure in the Civil War, as well as the Mexican War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iraq and still in Afghanistan. There they served and serve in preservation of this great land made up of and for all of us. And if Romney looks at a shinny granite gravestone, he might see reflected his face and monetarily pause and hope that like all of us he too has somehow made as small difference.
Well I believe that Mr. Romney isn’t exactly ripping it up if you know what I mean. His 47% comment using the word victims was very damaging even with a small influential audience. He can’t seem to get out of his own way. Romney is just not the answer for conservatives. Gary Johnson is a more principled alternative. He’s a true conservative who’s comfortable in his own skin. Romney is little more than a rich fool. Romney is obviously going to say whatever he thinks will get him elected after running for 8 years. My good friends who vote Republican every election have said “they aren’t voting for Romney”. I’m not either. He’s lost my vote. I’m moving forward and supporting Gary Johnson, a Libertarian for President.