David Corn joined Hardball's Chris Matthews Monday to talk about a video recording of Mitt Romney speaking to a small group of wealthy contributors. In the video—recorded surreptitiously and provided to Corn, Washington bureau chief at the liberal magazine Mother Jones—the Republican presidential candidate describes 47% of voters as "dependent on the government," saying they’ll vote for President Obama in November no matter what.
"My job is not to worry about those people," Romney says.
Corn, an MSNBC contributor, said the video was taken at a fundraiser after Romney clinched the nomination.
In a statement released Monday, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina slammed Romney's comments:
It’s shocking that a candidate for President of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives. It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.
The Romney camp issued its own response, through spokeswoman Gail Gitcho:
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.
Late Update, 9:35 p.m.: Corn appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show Monday night, and revealed that the fundraiser took place at the Boca Raton home of private-equity executive Marc Leder on May 17.
Corn assured Maddow he was confident of the video's authenticity, adding that more footage from the event would be revealed soon.
The source who handed over the video "is not connected to any political campaign, wasn't there as an infiltrator, it wasn't a dirty trick," Corn said. "The fact that Mitt Romney has not challenged a word here shows you that this is what he said, this is what he said behind closed doors with a bunch of other millionaires he felt quite comfortable with."
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What he stated is TRUE, we have become a nation of freeloaders, too many people feel they are Owed" a living..thus support, money f/ gov
Freeloaders? Is that what we call people who are needy now? I find this attitude heartless and unjustified in what is supposed to be the "best country in the world." What would you suggest? Let people starve, go homeless, become sick and die. I bet this comes from someone who feels he is a Christian. You think this behavior is Christ like? YOU people make me sick.
Does that include the corporations who are also people according to Mitt? Corporate subsidies (handouts) and tax loop holes up the gazoo don't figure into your calculations, I suppose. Corporate welfare o.k., human welfare not so much.
Elderly on SS and Medicare, veterans, disabled, poor children, working poor - you calling them freeloaders? No wonder republicans are doing so badly.
I couldn't have said it better. Amen.
Yes I believe it was Jesus who once said "Blessed is he who punishes the weak and the downtrodden. Praise be to them that ignore the needs of their brothers and sisters. Let only those who are fittest survive" Wise words indeed.
And this guy with all his tax breaks, taxpayer funding for his Olympics, and all the federal loans that those who claim they built their business alone have been found to have enjoyed, isn't?
I suppose this could & would include his wife (she could very well be disabled, and therefore possibly unable to support herself & her children, due to her multiple sclerosis) if she were not married to Mr. Silver Spoon in Mouth.
Well you kno wus Conservatives, clinging to our Guns & Bibles, and to sit there and twist the words around, he was clearly stating that he can not focus in on those people who will vote for Barry no matter what, which is probably 100% of the people that watch this garbage station and believe everything these talking horse rears say.
Nope, never want to confuse you with facts or talk about important topics like the Death of the US Ambassador to Libya and it was on good authority that this was a planned attack.
Yep, barrys apology tour has done wonders for this country.
Get his biracial butt out of office, the sooner the better.
Yeah and it shows he will not HELP out the middle class or poor class he is only looking for his RICH buddies is all ,I hope this BITES him in the ASS or better yet the chair he sits on!!(Clint Eastwood ) !
Elderly, poor, unemployed, sick... imagine that Romney closed the plant you worked at and you lost your job.. imagine that you had a child born with a life threatening condition... imagine that you have a disability that prevents you from earning a living. Easy to judge if it isn't you.
oh watch him change his comment like always he is a FLIP FLOPPER like a FISH on dry LAND!!!!
1 in 6 Americans in poverty are on food stamps? Oh no! The program meant to help people in poverty buy food is being used by people in poverty to buy food! What is this nation coming to!?!
People haven't chosen to be "freeloaders", much of this is attributable to job losses suffered in late 2008 and early 2009. I have twenty years of accounting and audit experience, I'm a CPA and also have two professional audit certifications and could not find a job, not even a phone call for an interview.(I was laid off from two jobs within 12 months) I only received unemployment and was probably eligible to receive food stamps or welfare, but instead relied on my own personal savings to support myself, which is all but gone. The government doesn't owe me anything, except the unemployment, to which I paid in for almost 20 years. I currently work two jobs to support myself and my child, have no health insurance and resent the fact that other people like me are being referred to as freeloaders or that we expect the government to supply food and housing. Typical conservative comment coming from someone who is still learning how to be a conservative (Romney). And welfare only lasts for two years. Some of you all need to get out of your own home and see what it's really like for the average citizen.
Amen!!!
It figures that Romney would talk behind closed doors about citizens of the United States because hie money is elsewhere. He will never have to worry about food on the table , getting sick with no money to pay for treatment or so many bad things that are happening to the honest people who have no job because he outsourced them overseas. You get what you pay for , or should I say vote for!
I work 2 full time jobs M-F, 8-4 roofing, 5-12 as a pressman. I am the 47%.
First of all, he knows that he would not get their vote. So when he said that he wasn't worried about them it was about trying to change their mind. Second of all, I am an average citizen. I work at a grocery store. I see what people on welfare buy. If it isn't pop, chips, Halloween candy. Then it is lobster tail, crab legs, and T-Bone steaks. Don't say that it is the exception to the rule because from where I stand I see it happen way too oftain for that to be true.
This was a pathetic attempt to explain away his poor performance in the race to his big donors, to keep them on board. But what he ends up destroying his entire campaign in a few sentences. His telling phrase, "It's not my job to worry about the 47%" is just his excuse for losing...
Now let's clarify who is considered poor.. He stated that the middle class is 200,000 - 250,000 and up. So this means my measly 50K-60K a year is poor, but I do NOT take any government aid and pay MORE taxes then he does, with all his tax loop holes and overseas investments. @!$%# this guy. I grew up on welfare as a child and hated it. I do not like any one helping me when I am totally capable of taking care of myself and my family. Poor people are NOT freeloaders. You people defending him better be making more than 200K a year or it means YOU are a freeloader in his eyes as well.
I'm no fan of Romney and in general I agree with you, but to clarify he said that the middle class was up to $200-250, not $200 and above. The president has kind of used this as a cut off too, although he has not as explicitly said it as Romney did.
Thank you for the clarification MCRose. I had misread the article. Appreciate your correction! But yes, making 200K or 250K is definitely NOT middle class in my eyes.
Like the tin man - Romney the robot is still missing a heart!
A middle class person who dares to side with Romeny not only degrades his own worth but offends and insults, demeans all the work I've put in as a middle class, hard working citizen. Such people who side with Romney are the ungrateful hateful. Shame on you!
Food stamps are a farm subsidy program aimed at keeping corporate farmers in business. Also, to have enough people around who can buy surplus products. There are grocery stores in some places that would go out of business if the people did not have food stamps. It was NEVER meant to support the poor. It is intended to supply only part of the food needed to survive. Its laws come under the Agriculture Dept. and not the welfare dept. Guess Romney doesn't know that either.
I would never vote for any party that don't have RESPECT for WOMEN period...
Yeah but he's saying about 47 % of the electorate are freeloaders. I am one that's not needy of the govt. and I do pay taxes. It's an insult to the elderly who have medicare as well as those who need the VA. It's also an insult to the men and women fighting overseas who do support Obama. According to Rom
ney it's not his job to worry about us the 47%. So that means he's only concerned about 53% of the electorate. It's disgusting what he has said and he's a disgrace. This may have cost him the election.
So clinging to guns and religion wasn't a deal breaker with you I take it. Romney's concerned about the 53% who do pay taxes to support those who cannot.
I totally forgot to include the Veterans in my answer below to another one, but I totally agree. Veterans that need the VA as well as people who receive Medicare and Social Security deserve every bit of the benefits they receive; it's people who've worked for it.. It disgusts me too.. Being raised Catholic and in the South, I was raised to have more Conservative views, but it seems like they wan't us to vote for the lesser evil this election.. I hate to say it, but that may be Obama!.
Hope it was worth the 30k to get so-called incriminating video of Mitt Romney at a fund raiser.
Truth is most of those 47% will not vote.
And remember -- if there were a way to equitably divide the wealth of the world amongst all its inhabitants -- we would all be poor. -Charles Murray
if "most of those 47% will not vote" then please explain why John McCain isn't our President; it seems to me that at least some of the 47% will vote; and if they weren't planning to vote last week, I'd be willing to guess they might feel differently today...
Technically, I am in this 47% of American's that Romney talks down about, and you best believe I will be voting that day--and not for him!.
No, I do not receive Welfare or Food Stamps; but I sure as heck do receive Student Loans for the $70k + tuition a year that is charged for the Law program I'm in..
Oh, and let's make sure I don't forget the whole; well they don't pay in taxes at the end of the year.. Well to that, I worked my ass off.. Excuse me that my income wasn't 100k a year, and even after I graduate college and my income may be $100k + a year; I would never act like some of you people.. It's degrading as human beings and you should be ashamed of yourself!.
Yes, Welfare is abused; as is most of the Government systems in the US, but that doesn't mean that there are actually some people who need it to get on their own feet and get started..
So..
That's really all I have to say!.
shame on you Romney and the rest of you tea party un reality people. You all have no clue how the other half lives. This is not the first or last time This team has said something like this.President Obama didn't invent food stamps he gets the blame for everything from soup to nuts. People within a certain income can receive this help.;of course he don't worry or think of these people he is not on this plant at times. Place your vote where it counts with someone who cares President Obama/he cares about the vets the elderly the children of this country.
I am really tired of this "entitlement" label. The 47% includes the working poor. They may not have to pay income tax due to low wages, but they do pay FICA, and state taxes, sales taxes etc on money that they earn by doing actual work. We set up those programs with our government to plan ahead for the hard times so EVERYONE would have help available that they were entitled to cause they had already paid for it. Food Stamps, unemployment benefits, Social Security are not handouts, they are paid for by workers. It is time for the folks reaping the benefits of their "unearned income" to pony up.
I'm not a Free loader,I ask for cancer and health problem's I have 4 more year's of treatment's I will be dead ,and elderly people worked all there life they deserve to die happy.God is of Love not Hate I have seen Mitt flip lid on video's and it's him.Everyone matter's God a awesome GOD Pray before you vote God will lead you amen,and for the middle class you where cut out of the herd.