From a political perspective, perhaps the most shocking claim made by Mitt Romney in his comments at a Boca Raton fundraiser was the suggestion that the vast majority of Obama supporters are freeloaders who leech off the productive members of society.
"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney says in the video, which was surreptitiously recorded and posted Monday by the liberal magazine Mother Jones. "All right—there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing."
The notion that a rapidly growing number of Americans is becoming overly dependent on entitlements is widespread among modern conservatives. As a factual matter, it's very much up for debate. But let's leave that aside for now.
What's more interesting is that Romney badly mischaracterized just who those Americans are. In reality, his notion that Obama supporters depend on government, while his own backers are self-sufficient strivers is contradicted by the evidence, as even conservatives acknowledge.
"As a practical matter, the largest of bulk of payments are to people through Social Security and Medicare," Nicholas Eberstadt, a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and the author of the forthcoming book A Nation of Takers, told Lean Forward. In other words, they're made on the basis of age, rather than income or poverty.
In the book, Eberstadt charts what he calls "the unstoppable rise of entitlements" in America since 1960. And according to his numbers, which rely on Census Bureau figures, the old are receiving almost as twice as much in government transfer payments each year as the poor. In an essay adapted from the book and posted online by the book's publisher, he writes:
Poverty- or income-related entitlements—transfers of money, goods, or services, including health-care services—accounted for over $650 billion in government outlays in 2010 ....
For their part, entitlements for older Americans—Medicare, Social Security, and other pension payments—worked out to even more by 2010, about $1.2 trillion.
To be sure, Eberstadt notes that poverty- or income-related transfers have grown slightly faster since 1960 than have entitlements for older Americans: by a rate of 7 percent versus 5 percent. Still, in real terms, older Americans benefit far more from entitlement programs—thanks to Social Security and Medicare—than poor Americans.
Of course, that gives the lie to the central thrust of Romney's remarks. After all, in 2008, voters age 60 and over were the only age cohort to support John McCain over Barack Obama. This year, polls show Romney far ahead with voters who are 65 and older, but trailing with every other age group.
To Eberstadt and others concerned about what they see as the long-term unsustainability of entitlements, it's not an issue of low-income beneficiaries versus older beneficiaries. "The reason the burden is so crushing is because entitlements are mainstream," he said. "They’re for working Americans, they’re for middle-class Americans. For everybody."
At a press conference Monday night, Romney stood by the substance of his remarks, but allowed that they were "not elegantly stated."
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Dear Governor Romney;
Allow me to introduce myself: I am a 65 year old mixed race, born in America male.
I was born and raised in the Great State of Georgia, beginning my life living with my Grandparents on a small farm is rural Eastern Georgia. By the age of seven I already had a working knowledge of how to chop and pick cotton, how to draw water from a backyard well and how to feed the farm animals that we raised for food. My Grandparents were lifelong Republicans and while neither could read or write very well, they insisted that worked just as hard in school as I did on the farm.
At the age of seven, I joined my parents in Atlanta where I was quickly introduced to a world that had no resemblance to the life I had known. My first disappointment came when I went to school and was placed in an age appropriate grade where I seemed to know as much as the teacher. Boredom quickly sat in and I think I may have lost some of the most informative moments of my life. In less than a year, I hated school and shut down from a learning standpoint.
When I reached the ninth grade, my household fell into a deeper state of poverty and school became a secondary priority. I left school to help supplement the household income because we were living with my Grandmother on my mother's side and my Aunt with three of her children as well. I was sleeping on the floor of the kitchen in a three room house and believe it or not, there was no bitterness what-so-ever. I was working during the day as a butcher for a very kind and gentle Jewish store owner. He taught me a lot about butchery and even more about how to interact with those that were even less able than my family.
I worked from the age of 13 until I was eighteen when I joined the United States Air Force. I became a member of the Air Police where I gained my Conservative bona-fetes, demanding that those that went afoul of the law accepted personal responsibility for their actions. During my service time, I served under Presidents from Johnson through Reagan. I supported President Nixon because he was the real military President but I admit that I voted for President Carter because he was my home-state candidate; but I voted for President Regan the second time and I also voted for the first President Bush, following in the footsteps of my Father's parents, supporting Republicans.
While I was stationed in California, my wife was pregnant with twins and my paycheck was a whopping $130.60 a month and our rent was $120.00. That left us $10.60 for utilities, grocery, auto expenses and other household needs. Of course, I asked for welfare but it was denied because I made $4.00 a year more than was allowed. That sir worked out to be 0.01096 per day. I found a second job, bagging groceries for tips only just to feed my family.
I gave the United States of America more than 30 years of my life in some capacity or another without once blaming anyone for my circumstances except myself. I worked hard and never played.
Only five years after I retired from the Air Force I began to have heart problems but I never associated it with my military service, in 1993 I suffered my first of three heart attacks. I continued to work in my high stress Government Job until the pressure became more than I could bear. Using all of my savings and retirement, I started a business with my son-in-law. Business was fair and soon took off, but my partner became addicted to drugs and within only six months, I had to close the business. I took responsibility for going into business with an unproven partner and lost everything. I could not find a job even as someone with a proven background because my business had failed. I was soon reduced to working as a Security Guard where I had once been the Chief of Operations for the Federal Protective Service, Southeast Sunbelt Region. Finding that level of security very un-people friendly, I left there and began driving for a Medicare/Medicaid funded service.
I supported my household sir, however by now; I was fully a Moderate Democrat but with some very Conservative views. I was convinced that I should contact the Veteran Administration about my health and when I did, they determined that I was a type 2, diabetic. The VA did decide that my diabetes was due to my Viet Nam Era service and Agent Orange and presented me with a small check which supplemented my Air Force Retirement, but not enough to allow me to keep my home which I lost in 2004. I took on a job as a non-emergency driver for a Transportation Service, moving individuals requiring Stretcher transportation. In this position, I was recognized as the Customer Service Employee for 2004 and Employee of the year for 2005. Again, assuming responsibility for my actions and how I represented my employer. My wife's Uncle passed in New York and we had to go up there to and close out his affairs, a task that lasted for more than a month, being unable to leave my disabled wife alone, I was released from my job in Atlanta, but again, I never blamed the company or even my dead Uncle-in-law.
Agent Orange again came to life and the VA determined that my heart condition was resulted from it and gave me a full disability, with a caveat that I was now unemployable. So, sir, I now draw Social Security, my Disability and my Air Force Retirement, paying taxes on only the Retirement. I am one of those 47% of whom you spoke, but allow me to express this; I gave my life to America and now that I can't work, I draw from the insurance policy on which I paid all of my adult life and some of my childhood as well. Mr. Romney I owe you nothing but you owe me and those in my situation an apology.
Harold L. Harris, Sr.
mr harris, you are an american hero - in more ways than by your service to our country. i receive and appreciate your words. i stand by you.
Wow...Kudos to you Mr. Harris. What an inspiring story. Just goes to show you that Mittwitt Robme has done so many of us a grave injustice with his most horrible and vile words. How dare he dismiss so many of us who are law-abiding, tax-paying citizens who have worked for our living, just because we prefer to vote for a man who is truly for ALL Americans. I am a 67-year-old retiree who worked many, many years...paid many, many taxes, and am now trying to make it on a small, small pension. President Obama has made great progress since taking office in trying to undo some of the errors made by the previous administration
. Sure there's a lot to be done. But the state of the nation was in such shambles, even he misjudged how truly bad it was. Just give him a chance to bring this country back from the brink of disaster. It took 8 years to get in such a state of upheaval, of course it could not be resolved in only 4 years. And there's nothing that says that a Repug administration would have done any better...surely NOT the McCain/Palin ticket. We would probably be in a much worse fix than we are now. OBAMA/BIDEN - 2012!!!!!!!
Mr. Harris I too applaud you. Thank you for taking the time and effort to write this.
And 47% of Seniors live below the poverty line. Seniors paid into these programs for years. Medicare pays only 80% of a seniors health care and if you buy a supplement the cost is very high. My husband was released from the emergency room as well enough to leave, and when we returned home he had difficulty with stairs, so I had to call EMT's again. He died 4 days later. Medicare would only pay the first ambulance service. So to think that all seniors are wealthy is false. They too could be considered poor.
And what seniors get is hardly 'entitlements' since they've worked hard and paid in to Social Security and Medicare all their adult lives.
ROMNEY/RYANCARE (Let Them Die Bare)/CHENEY/GOLDMAN SACHS GREGGCARE!!!!!!!!!!
This is the GOP’s version of the Affordable Care Act and the Patient’s Bill of Rights and the Individual Mandate for the elderly Vets in nonprofit nursing homes!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alive and doing very well in Massachusetts. Follow the money.
I am a senior on Social Security AND Medicare and I can't TELL you how much I resent being called a member of Romney's base.
One thing people don't realize is that retired seniors have a LOT of time to watch TV, which I certainly do, and I probably know more about politics than at any other time of my life, and the very IDEA that the media believes all seniors would vote for Romney makes me want to throw up.
Trust me when I tell you that there are seniors who do NOT watch TV all day and don't know anything about politics and will vote for Romney never REALIZING that they're already benefiting from the Health Care bill but WOULD realize it as soon as Romney/Ryan repealed it.
Not all seniors are little gray-haired, stooped over people waiting for Meals on Wheels to show up. Some of us actually pay attention to what's going on and if I could make one point it would be NOT to include me as part of Romney's Base!!!!
i'm not sure if you realize that Obama care will not be felt in-till after the election.
He's inserted extra funding so he can be re-elected. And since this would be his second year in office he won't care what you think anymore!
Who knows if Romney is actually better, but maybe you shouldn't be fooled so easily.
Obama's plan to tax the rich whether they are hard-working employers or not and give to the poor which i think takes away their self-esteem.
If the us government is going to help the poor, they should be providing poor with salaries(for working hard at jobs), giving veterans and handicapped welfare.
I applaud you as well Mr Harris for your story. Just as you have had challanges throughout your life so have I.
At the age of 17 I thought I knew everything, became a stastic, pregnant, got married to a man who started to beat me about 6 months after we were married because he now owned me, of course promising it wouldn't happen again. Another baby when I was 20, and at 21 decided no more beatings, threw his butt out. I had to be on welfare for a short time, which was devasting to me, however, the state put me through LPN school and they never saw me again on the welfare line.
I worked 2 jobs at times to support my daughters as well as lots of overtime, he was to pay 25.00 per week, lucky if we got it, I to never blamed anyone except myself for my poor choice of a first husband.
I was very lucky to work for a nursing home that put me through RN school and have worked hard all my life. Now at the age of 54 I am disabled secondary to breast cancer with mets and chemo treatments, so therefore that makes me part of Romneys 47%. Trust me when I say I would rather be working than being told, the chemo isn't working and the cancer is renting new places in my body.
It's not bad enough that I feel quility and depressed for not being able to work, which I loved to work, I and all Americans have to listen to Romney say we expect the goverment to support us. Let me take this moment to say Nittwit Romney, I worked and paid into the social security, therefore I am not living off of the goverment. I have had to use my 401K to pay for my cobra, to the tune of 1400. per month, have taxes taken off of the social security, so no I'm not living off of the goverment.
Now if our goverment would put the money back into social security they have taken for things other than what it was intended for there might not be such a problem.
If Nittwit Romney WINS WE ALL LOSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama has added a cushion of funding to the heath-care so Obama care's real effects will not be felt in-till after the election. He's hoping to slide into office again and than he'll completely ignore the american people because it'll be his second term and last term in office.
I don't like Romney either; i think he's a republicans' puppet. I conclude that he's probably just as capable of selling out our country's values and freedoms as any of the last two presidents were.
in a couple of states including mine, they are actually refusing to count the write-ins. From my point of view i think that you might as well play eny-meny-miny-moe to decide which of the two candidates you'll vote for!