Romney was caught off-guard earlier this week after a tape surfaced of comments he made at a private fundraiser. On the recording, made surreptitiously in May, Romney told his listeners that 47 percent of the electorate would vote for President Barack Obama “no matter what” because they are completely dependent on the government to care for them. They “believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. ... These are people who pay no income tax.”
Continued Romney: “My job is not to worry about these people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
To conservatives, Romney was merely “telling it like it is.”
Democrats, though, were quick to pounce, claiming the comments are “proof” that Romney is out of touch and uncaring about nearly half the country.
Romney’s comments were, as he put it, “inelegant.” And while we are in fact fast approaching a “tipping point” past which most Americans will not be paying federal income taxes, indications are that at present it is not quite as high as 47 percent.
That said, Romney was 100 percent right to point out that a significant portion of today’s Americans — and especially those who typically support liberal candidates — are voters who see government as the answer to all problems. Too many such Americans have turned John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Speech admonition inside out. “Ask not what your country can do for you: Ask what you can do for your country!” has been dumbed down into “Ask not what I can do for my country: Ask what my country can do for me!”
It’s the difference between the “hand up” philosophy of conservatives and the “hand out” philosophy espoused by many liberals.
To his credit, Romney, as of this writing, has not backed off his remarks. Yes, it surfaced at an unfortunate (for him) time, as he and others were sharply criticizing the incumbent for his incompetent, bungled Middle East policy. But successful candidates play the hand that is dealt them and find ways to trump unfavorable circumstances. And that is what Romney must now do.
The candidate must keep hammering home the fact that Obama has driven the country off the fiscal cliff. He must remind people at every opportunity of Obama’s redistributionist policies and efforts to transform the United States from a free-people, free-market capitalist country into a government-centered entitlement society — an effort that probably has a tax-cutter like JFK spinning in his grave.
Romney is on the right track, as his comments Tuesday on Fox News showed.
“I know some believe that government should take from some to give to the others,” Romney said. “I think the president makes it clear in the tape that was released today that that’s what he believes. I think that’s an entirely foreign concept. I believe America was built on the principle of government caring for those in need, but getting out of the way and allowing free people to pursue their dreams.”
That’s his dream, and the dream of many other Americans. Too bad it’s not one shared by Obama. That’s a stark difference between the two men, and one that Romney and running mate Paul Ryan must stick to and amplify at every opportunity in the next seven weeks.
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The 47% Romney mentions. They pay sales tax on most of what they earn, as they spend most all of it on living.
And they pay state taxes. And they pay payroll taxes don't they? And don't their employers pay a similar amount, value that is generated by the employee??
Sales tax plus state tax plus the 6.2 percent plus another 6.2% from the employer, that would come to about 16% of gross income, at least.
Tim Pawlenty left his post as co chair of the Romney campaign today. Went to work for a lobbying firm.
But he lost before that, when the GOP became the party against "entitlements", there are just too many that make a living out of them and there is quiet a lot of individuals in real poverty too, more of them every day.
The solution is bankrupcy, that way that governement cannot spend more than it earn anymore.
And the Earned Income Tax was enacted at the bidding Richard 'Tricky Dick' Nixon and his adviser Milton Friedman and the Child Tax Credit was created at the bidding of George W. Bush tell the truth and shame the Devil, editors.
The governement owes the SSA and the Medicare Health Care and the VA. I am a former Gestapo Agent for the IRS and Romney's voters better pay their taxes and shut up. They remind me of a guy who dates a girl and when she get pregnent they have second thoughts because she a nag and the baby ugly. To bad Suckers. Pay up Punks.
Possibly you might consider printing your editorial section on toilet paper on order to better serve the community. Better still, try analyzing a political situation which may conflict with your own personal views and then maybe you will get somewhere closer to the TRUTH. Naaaaaaaa.......
Many families go through rough times and need help. Many families survive and are later able to thrive because they received help when they needed it.
There was a time when both the Romney and Ryan families were in that 47% that are now so despised, so written off as people who will not take responsibility for themselves.
It is ironic that Romney and Ryan are examples of the good that can come from the very kinds of programs they now want to destroy.
For one, his claims were absolutely not true, and your defense of his claims is absolutely incorrect.
The only thing that is true, in this election, is that there are people simply unwilling to do anything, and in your case, this includes critical thinking and fact checking.
Unfortunately, it is getting harder and harder to think of the GOP as party valuing honesty, and that says a lot.
PS. America was not built on the dream of "free people pursuing their dreams." You, sir, have been hoodwinked.
47% of U.S. Americans believe the goverment should take care of them.
So what does that mean for the remaining 52%?
Do 52% of U.S. Americans believe the top 1% will take care of them?
If we just make the rich a little richer, then everything will be great for the rest of us?
Trickle-down will save the economy?
The money in U.S. America is as top loaded as its ever been in history. 1% has 80% of the money.
How much do the 1%ers need? 90% 95? 99%? At what percentage does trickle down trigger?????
Let's elect Romney to make a few more Romneys. That will help us all somehow, right? Nobody can explain how that works, but it will work if we just keep giving the rich more money. SOMEDAY!
But following the official rate of inflation (the real one is higher), growth have been negative since 2005.
The economic situation is worst than when the "recovery" started.
Most of the US population believes their governement will take care of them in a crisis, they are in for a rather uncomfortable awakening.