Just two weeks ago, Mitt Romney told voters in South Carolina, "I'm concerned about the poor in this country." This morning, Romney reversed course and said the exact opposite.
Associated Press
"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90%, 95% of Americans right now who are struggling and I'll continue to take that message across the nation. [...]
"You can focus on the rich, that's not my focus. You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus. My focus is on middle-income Americans."
The Republican frontrunner added, "We will hear from the Democrat Party, the plight of the poor."
When Romney's rivals were hammering him on Bain Capital -- and the fact that he got extremely rich by firing American workers and leading a vulture-capitalist firm -- he shifted rhetorical gears in order to seem sympathetic towards those struggling most.
With his new "I'm not concerned about the very poor" line, it appears Romney has abandoned this tack altogether.
Regardless, as a matter of substance, Romney's line this morning is just a mess.
For one thing, it's tone-deaf to a breathtaking degree. When a hyper-wealthy politician boasts about taking pleasure in firing people, he probably shouldn't tell national television audiences he's "not concerned about the very poor."
For another, Romney's candid admission underscores a larger policy problem: he's not only unconcerned with the plight of the very poor, he also pursuing an agenda that would make their lives considerably more difficult. If elected, a Romney administration intends to slash public investments that benefit working families, while raising taxes on those at the bottom of the income scale.
Let's also not forget that while Romney insisted this morning that he's "not concerned about the very rich," either, there's ample evidence to the contrary. Indeed, the presidential hopeful has already presented a plan to give the very wealthy yet another massive tax break.
And as for Romney's purported concern for the middle class, what the former governor neglected to mention this morning is that his tax plan largely ignores the middle class. By his own admission, Romney doesn't plan to do much of anything for middle-income earners.
Taken together, in one interview, Romney managed to sound callous towards those struggling, lie about his agenda's focus on the wealthy, and ignore the relevant details of his disregard for the middle class.
Not bad for a morning's work.
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The republican base seems to be the largest case of stockholm syndrome ever.
That's what happens when you spend decades railing against rational, critical thinking skills.
Let's give Romney a break. Consider the world from his perspective-- he has probably never waited in a doctor's office, or been inconvenienced by car trouble, or had to choose his wine based on price- or for that matter, his house, car, clothes or hotel. He's probably never written a check himself for a utility bill, or waited on hold for a credit card representative. No one calls his "do not call" telephone, he's never been denied insurance of any kind, because he doesn't buy insurance, he buys insurance companies. He's never had to worry about a boss's opinion of him. His important decisions involve where to vacation-- the Seychelles in April, then Paris again in June? Or is that too soon?
Unless he studies before the election, there is no reason for him to know the price of a gallon of milk. He's only slightly more likely to know the value of the shopping center in which the grocery store is located, and much more likely to have a sense of the value of the company that owns the shopping center, because they have three hundred more shopping centers in their portfolio and therefore they rise to the level of interest for his own portfolio.
Taxes really are the most important thing in his life, and his life would be better if we eliminated his 15 percent capital gains tax burden. I think helping him in that way should become everyone's goal.
In that context, can we really blame the guy for not focussing on the "very poor?" He's never met one. In his mind, those people are taken care of by the state. Anyway, they obviously chose to be poor, just like he chose to be rich. Who is he to interfere with their choice? That sounds like Democratic intrusion into their lives, which is un-American.
Kenn Amdahl
As a potential candidate for president, shouldn't he be concerned about every single type of citizen and not just one group or another? Won't he have to be everyone's president and not just middle-class Republicans? None of the GOP nominee's seem to get this simple concept.
You'd think he'd try to at least pretend to be concerned.
The only reason he get votes, they think he has the best chance to defeat Obama all else does not matter.
I have to wonder if they think he can beat Obama because that's what he and the Republican establishment keep saying. I barely even hear his arguments for *why* he'd beat Obama and the few I do just aren't going to fly with independents so...really?
Re: dismissal of the poor because they have a "safety net":
Someone tell Romney he's going to need a bigger net!
Romney's just laid another stinky money bomb.
Romney's comment's highlight the very issue so many American's have issues with the TEA-GOP-Republican contenders and the 112th Congress in Washington. They don't care! They care about not raising the taxes on the super rich. They care about bailing out Big Banks, Wall Street and especially guys like Romney. Romney's career and wealth have both been hot button issues in the campaign. The candidate released his 2010 tax return revealing that he earned $21.7 million in 2010, and paid a lower tax rate than someone who earns $50,000 a year. Romney's effective tax rate was 13.7 percent on his millions in income. The president paid 25 percent of his gross income in federal tax. And no matter how many time they say it or how arrogant they get, lower taxes never have produced jobs. The rich get richer at the expense of the poor. Congress has made and allowed this to persist! The average American working for wages will pay taxes on $106,800. The average wage earner will not make more than that. Make no mistake, the TEA party has attained greater control locally and at the state level by getting involved and going to meetings and voicing their opinions. They have a greater control at the state level now than ever before. All this hype is just that - hype! Tuesday revealed a flood of money pouring into campaigns and “super PACs”!
Does it strike anyone that coincidence between Mitt's first name and this old horror flick?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_(1971_film)
Holy out of context berating batman!
Now that one of them's outright said, "@!$%# the poor," maybe we'll get some proper class war up in here.
Let him keep talking. Surely Americans can see him for what he is --- a Fat Cat
would somebody @ msnbc report what willerd really saying, really, really say about not caring about the poor! that he and the rest of them are not concern with the blacks and minorities!! polls show who are the poor all the time even you have touch on this issue. please, please acknowledge this truth!!
Someone needs to ask Mitt Romney what wage he considers "middle class". I'll bet he has no idea. Or, "Mitt, do you consider $10/hr a middle-class wage"?
Many of the families in the Head Start Program I worked at are working poor or very poor. They get cash assistance and food stamps, some have housing and WIC as well with small children. These families often have Care4Kids and visit the food bank during the month. Even with all of these "safety nets" most of them are praying for the 1st of the month by the 20th...those safety nets are about to tear and Republicans want to cut away at the string their hanging on. Aside from the women with drug-dealing baby-daddy's who exploit the system, most of the people using these safety nets need MORE aid which is comprehensive and holds them accountable. I don't think "Mittens" is the right nickname for this out of touch politician...he's wearing silk gloves and doesn't know real labor.
I would like to make a campaign video of Romney saying that He's not worried about the poor because they have safety nets and then run a video of a group of children talking about their homelessness and lack of food. I've heard these children witness that sometimes they can't sleep because their stomach hurts so bad from hunger. This is heartbreaking. We cannot keep enough food on the shelves in our local food banks and churches these days.
Romney's "let them eat cake" moment, which is accurate in that you can buy cake with food stamps.
The right-wing base will appreciate Romney for saying that*, but it's bad, bad optics for him outside of the fringe part of the GOP.
(*never mind that Romney just undermined the conservative case for ending 'entitlement' spending on such frivolous things like public services, health care, and nutrition programs by actually stating in a roundabout way that they are necessary)
Benen, I have been waiting all morning for you to post this Romney statement. Great work indeed.
But really, Why would he say something so supid? I do not trust his motives and we cannot let him walk this back in any way. Is he really that stupid and out of touch and running for POTUS?
Anyway, I am really soooo glad he did say this. It is a GREAT soundbite.
four more years. George "the village idiot" Bush got four more years to destroy our economy it's going to take longer than four years to fix it.
Why spend time trying to destroy the middle class, when you can get the middle class to destroy themselves. Hate the poor and feel better about yourself. Soon you too will be poor. It's the American way.
Romney mentions housing vouchers as part of the safety net for the poor. What is not mentioned is that I know of no state that has opened up its waiting list to receive housing vouchers for at least the last 2 years. I never hear of it receiving any more funding despite the increased need. If you can not be put on "the waiting list" because it never opens up, then at least that part of the safety net is no longer available except for those that already receive from many years ago.
By the way, Rachael. As an "elderly" disabled person, I can tell you we are not doing real well. Our safety net is so full that there are many safety net services that, like housing vouchers, are completely full and no funding is available to expand that net for those left out in the cold.
Sounds like Mitt needs his teleprompter.
I think we should focus on these two sentences, in the order that Mitt spoke them:
"I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor."
Taken together, it sounds like Romney does not believe that the "very poor" are actually "Americans".
Since you're the coolest show on cable, what about a nice challenge for Mitt Romney. Ask him to spend a week or two with very poor!
Let him spend a week with a very poor family in a trailer in some God-forgotten part of the US and then a nice week in urban poverty in Anacostia.
I think it would be quite an experience for Mitt!
The diplomacy and tact with which Mittens has dealt with issues of income inequality, something he has never experienced unless he is in the top income bracket have scared me to death. He is unable to relate to anyone who is not in his income class, even though we are all Americans. If this is the case, how is this man going to relate to foreign leaders in issues of diplomacy? He has no foreign policy experience and judging from his robotic performances, I am not hopeful at all that he will have any success in this arena. I am a progressive and have been disappointed at times by some of the decisions made by President Obama but he is without doubt worthy of a second term. The fact that Mittens is polling as high as he is is horrifying.