Conservatives Do Massive Facepalm Over Romney’s ‘Very Poor’ Gaffe

[ProSense]

Conservatives Do Massive Facepalm Over Romney’s ‘Very Poor’ Gaffe

Benjy Sarlin

Once again, Mitt Romney is on the defensive over his wealth on Wednesday after telling a CNN reporter that “I’m not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there.” And once again, pundits on the right are smacking their foreheads in amazement the usually controlled candidate can’t stop handing Democrats’ more “rich guy” gaffes.

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Over at the National Review, Jonah Goldberg said the quote raised concerns that Romney is “simply not a good enough politician” to beat Obama.

“There are plenty of things one could say to defend Romney on the merits of what he says here,” he wrote. “But great politicians on the morning after a big win, don’t force their supporters to go around defending the candidate from the charge that he doesn’t care about the poor. They just don’t.”

“Romney’s ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ line may be the most idiotic thing a politician has ever said,” The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack tweeted.

- more -

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/02/conservatives-arent-happy-with-romneys-very-poor-quote-either.php?ref=fpa

Red State losing its mind over Romney's "very poor" remarks (Class Warfare Updates)

by mic check oakland

Fresh off a dominant win in the Florida presidential primary, Mitt Romney managed to unload a clip of .45 ammunition in both feet on national television this morning. In an interview with Soledad O’Brien,

This morning the members of Red State had their collective heads dunked in a bucket of iced cold water, otherwise known as Mitt Romney. What they fear is that Romney's remarks on CNN that he's "not concerned about the very poor" will make Republicans seem like they're somehow callous, cold-hearted moneygrubbers who don't give a fuck about the poor. Imagine that.

And now that their cover is blown they're scrambling:

The fact he didn’t mean precisely that is immaterial; you simply can’t say that in a political campaign, particularly when you’re (a) already filthy rich (and have never spent a day of your life in the middle class, let alone as a ‘poor’ individual), and (b) running for the top position in a party that is already portrayed by media and opposition as being unconcerned with any Americans outside of the super rich. Again, the fact that (b) is entirely inaccurate is immaterial; just as every possible Rick Perry gaffe contributed to the narrative that he was incoherent, inarticulate, and mentally challenged, every statement by Mitt Romney that could possibly be construed as being out of touch with (and unsupportive of) “the 99%” adds to the narrative that the rich, white, out-of-touch GOP is preparing to nominate a rich, white, out-of-touch automaton to lead its party and the country.

I love that he has to say "The fact he didn’t mean precisely that is immaterial". Yeah, sure he didn't mean it, buddy. Even a commenter on the story doesn't buy that:

Problem with it is, these comments are just Romney being genuinely honest…and that speaks volumes about the kind of mindset he truly has...

Join me after the jump for more Red State intrigue as lost in the woods Republicans create the narrative that will lead to an Obama victory, as well as a possible retaking of the House. Seriously? They seem to believe it. Here's a teaser:

Mitt Romney’s demeaning words not only ended up shooting himself in the foot the day after his huge victory in Florida, it also ricocheted right through the heart of the Republican Party

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/01/1060813/-Red-State-losing-its-mind-over-Romneys-very-poor-remarks-

Looks like Mitt stepped in s*** (rhymes with Mitt)

[JNelson6563]

1. This will certainly keep the contest going!

But Mitt will still win the primary. Thanks to Newt he will be quite bloody and battered.

Julie

[barbtries]

45. not just newt,

thanks to himself!

[brewens]

2. Now Nooot needs to bring back his orphanage program! n/t

[jorno67]

3. the first rule of republicans hate the poor club...

Is that there is no republicans hate the poor club!

[ProSense]

4. Yup. It

isn't that they care about the poor, it's that this will cost them the election.

[begin_within]

30. No, the first rule is...

...you do not talk about the poor club.

[arely staircase]

5. he's providing some really good material for a montage of out-of-touch-rich guy comments

we and everyone else in the country will see it - betcha ten grand.

[HughBeaumont]

6. I don't know. Is he lying? Is that really NOT what he meant to say?

Is the Republican party actually INTERESTED in the needs of people making less than $100,000 per year?

"gaffe" would imply there's some kind of mistake made. This is who Republicans and their candidates ARE.

I call it "honesty". It's about time.

[Mopar151]

8. The Republicans don't give a shit for the working class

But they sure do give a shit about the working class finding out!

[caseymoz]

11. Actually, I think most believe that they do.

That if they gave the working class more "tough love" by removing anything that could help, the worthless ones will die until the system straightens out, and then all the worthwhile ones will be able to thrive. (Unless, of course, the rapture intervenes.) Creating a system where the best of the poor could become rich, or at least middle-class, by allowing all the bad ones to either straighten up or die. The survivors would then be the better, worthwhile people.

I think that describes what they characterize as "caring." The fact that it allows them to be as selfish as they want by being taxed minimally is just coincidental. The "worthwhile poor" becoming rich could then benefit from being equally selfish, so by being selfish, the GOP is actually generous.

And I've characterized a mind gone insane.

[HughBeaumont]

23. Darwinism as Economic Policy.

It's why I'll NEVER support a modern Republican.

[caseymoz]

49. Ah, but they avoid that by denying evolution.

No, this is God's order via Calvin. Most don't care who the the hell put it into place or why, they're just glad it's the law of they're universe.

[Dawson Leery]

7. Romney is going to give Obama too many opportunities to go on the offensive.

[Obamacare]

9. LoL

"Problem with it is, these comments are just Romney being genuinely honest…and that speaks volumes about the kind of mindset he truly has..."

I mentioned this in another thread about Mitten's gaffes. They are not gaffes, just the truth as Mittens sees it.

[wandy]

44. I would say this is the true Romney shining through. Ask you're self this question..

Would you strap another lifeform to a car roof and then drive for 12 hours? In Romneys world view 'yes my friend corprations ARE people', and if 'you my friend' are not a fellow Blue Blood then 'you my friend' are another lifeform.
Mitt Romney has less in common with you and I than we have with ducks!

[aquart]

10. That man is a treasure. Or he has a treasure. Whatever.

Seriously, I am filled with delight.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

12. Maybe they should call him "Mitt Wrongney"

I'm getting the impression not many of 'em are too thrilled with his ascension.

[CAPHAVOC]

20. Mitt McDole

[HughBeaumont]

24. Awesome moniker . . . three bad Republican politicians in a crap-filled burrito!

[CAPHAVOC]

41. Saturday Night Live

I can see a skit with Romney as the Mormon High Priest in the Oval Office. Complete with the White Top Hat and the Diamond encrusted special glasses. Trump can be the Angel Moroni from another planet. I blew my mind when I looked up Joseph Smith. And this lunatic believes it.

[cstanleytech]

42. I'm partial to Mitt Mistake

Edit: Though I am sure his supporters would rather it be Mitt Muzzle.

[caseymoz]

13. The political chameleon is color-blind.

Both Romney and Gingrich are both equally unelectable now.

The irony here is thick. The guy who will take any position, say anything to get elected turns out to be too blunt and too politically tone-deaf to look like anything but a rich, privileged aristocrat with negligent contempt for the poor.

Ow! What does the GOP do now? Choose Newt? By comparison, he looks like the one who will say anything, take any position to get elected, and do it competently. If only he weren't such a dick.

[Cali_Democrat]

14. Romney will never be able to shake his "Uncle Money Bags" image

Put these gaffes together along with his tenure at Bain Capital, offshore bank accounts and tax dodging and I think he's pretty much screwed.

[JHB]

18. ...provided that we make sure he can't bury it.

I mean, a silver-spoon idiot could never get into the Oval Office, right? Surely the liberal media would make an issue of his hypocrisy, right?

*

[Major Hogwash]

15. What size of shoe does Romney wear?

Because that's a mighty big mouth to put your foot in today, only to have to take it out tomorrow.

What kills me is Lawrence O'Donnell has an ad on MSNBC saying there is "no class warfare", that it is just a meme drummed up by the Republicans.
I laughed until my sides hurt when I saw it.
Lawrence knows better than that.
Robert D. Novak made a career out of advancing the class warfare concept for over 30 years!!

[66 dmhlt]

16. Hey, Rmoney - not only Corporations ...

[renate]

34. nice!

[JHB]

17. Conservatives to Romney: "You're supposed to keep the cat IN the bag, idiot..."

"Not let it out, not even tie it to the roof like you do with dogs. The cat-bag gets kept underneath, with the muffler and other junk that we don't care it it's dirty."

[madrchsod]

19. i think jonah and his mommie are backing the newt but.....

the newt is not going to get the nomination.

[tanyev]

21. Psst, Mitt! That's another one of those things the GOP think is fine to talk about in quiet rooms.

But not in front of a camera and a microphone.

[Chill Keney]

22. I heard on MSNBC this morning

that Rush Limbaugh is shitting on Romney too.

[2ndAmForComputers]

25. AND he likes to be able to fire people. Let's not forget that.

"I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor. I like to be able to fire people. I'm not concerned about the very poor."

[FailureToCommunicate]

32. THAT have taken you some time...but it was worth it.

And belated welcome to DU!

[zipplewrath]

26. It's him

As much fun as these "gaffes" are, the bottom line is that they aren't "gaffes" at all. Some talking head one time said the modern definition of a "gaffe" in politics is when someone gets "caught" telling the truth.

I wish there was an effective way to make the larger point. Look, even if you take in the whole comment in full context, the larger point he is making is just plain wrong, especially for someone who is running for president. Clinton made the point that one of the harder parts of being president is that EVERYTHING is your problem. And as has been pointed out frequenctly, under any president, only the really HARD problems make it to your desk. You have to be president of ALL the people. You get elected because you advocate a certain set of policies, and you end up working a boat load of other problems instead.

In the larger context, he was trying to say that his primary focus will be on the middle class. He'll work to improve the middle class, and do maintainance on the "safety net", and ignore the upper classes. But as president there is literally no way to do that. You not only have to "pay attention" to everyone, but you have to actively work to address issues that come up with all of them.

The Kennedys were raised with an understanding that they were privileged and that this meant they had a larger responsibility to those who were not (well, politically anyway). They weren't taught to "look down" upon them and believe they had to "lift them up". They were taught to look upon them as peers, who deserved their attentions.

Romney believes he is priviliged because he "deserves" to be. He believes those that are not are primarily there because they deserve to be. He's concerned about making sure that everyone "gets" what they "deserve", and he wants to be the person that decides what they deserve.

It's the dog on the roof syndrome. The dog didn't deserve to be in the car, he only deserved to be ON the car, and only because of his "social safety net" attitude. He wouldn't abandon all responsibility for the dog, so he did basically the minimum he felt the dog deserved.

One of those "funny" short hand descriptions of the two parties I heard once was not all that far from the truth.

Democrats live in constant fear that somewhere, someone isn't getting something they need.
Republicans live in constant fear that somewhere, someone is getting something they don't deserve.

Democrats will give too much to too many to ensure that no one goes without.
Republicans will give too little to too few to ensure that no one gets too much.


Romney wants to make sure the middle class gets what it deserves. The rest belongs to the 1%.

[NJCher]

47. ability to empathize

It's the dog on the roof syndrome. The dog didn't deserve to be in the car, he only deserved to be ON the car, and only because of his "social safety net" attitude. He wouldn't abandon all responsibility for the dog, so he did basically the minimum he felt the dog deserved.

Your post is full of truths, but this one hit me the hardest. Yes, it says everything about him. There was no empathy for his own animal, so how could there be any empathy for the anonymous "poor person?"

I think this is the common denominator with republicans: they lack the ability to empathize.

Empathizing isn't easy. it's a hard way to live in the world because one feels the pain of others. How easy Mitt's life must be, not having that ability/burden/responsibility.



Cher

[Broderick]

27. From what I gather

Conservatives hate Romney. Average Republicans do not. He is not a tea party favorite.

[Rozlee]

28. It won't be his last gaffe.

I'm more psycho than psychic, but this truth I know: Mitt will do it again, and again, and again. He has absolutely no comprehension of the lives of everyday Americans. Having known nothing but privilege and American royalty and currently living a life of leisure, he has no knowledge of the daily grind of the typical worker, getting up each day to scramble to pay bills and the percentage of the average paycheck that goes to rent, utilities, groceries, etc. The man will continue the path of having his brain operating on 33 and his mouth on 45.

[magical thyme]

29. I still think "I LIKE firing people!" tops it

if you watched the actual video, his passion when he said it, the stunned silence of the audience, followed by his long, long silence before he started babbling about being able to fire health insurance companies and stammered his way to choice. Not that any real people have a lot of choice about their health insurance, beyond whatever crappy plan their employer offers and none.

It really left only 2 possibilities: either 1) he stupidly thought he was making a big, bold statement, or 2) he had a freudian slip that left him struggling to come up with a plausible context to spin his way out of it. Heh. Take your pick.

Terminal Foot-in-mouth disease stupidity, or sociopath.

[Roy Rolling]

31. It's even worse...

If you take his statement at face value then it means he is happy that the government provides a safety net for the poor and supports social welfare programs. That's not the Republican line that poor people should just renounce their poorness, stop being lazy, and pull themselves up by their bootstraps and magically become rich like Mitt.

No wonder his statement is a problem for the "let them eat cake" party.

[dbackjon]

36. I am glad so one else caught that

His support for the social safety net is appreciated

[joeybee12]

33. Teh Repuke establishment may be behind Romney, but the rightwing echo machine

clearly is not.

[progressoid]

35. They better get used to it.

They are going to be doing a lot more face palms in the near future.

[kemah]

37. He Only Speaks the Truth

The GOP really do care about poor people, never did, never will. Mitt is only expressing out loud what the GOP base believes in. Show me any program or bill that the GOP has passed or introduced that will help any poor people. NONE
All their agenda is on how to screw over the poor. Cutting regulations, abolishing unions, cutting public education, the list goes on and on. All designed to help the 1% at the expensive of the 99%. They use the poor people's taxes to enrich themselves.

[kemah]

38. Let's propose a Gaffe Watch or Gaffe Pool

How many hours before Mitt makes a serious gaffe. The person who predicts the exact time to the minute wins.

[yellowcanine]

39. Wait - isn't Mitt supposed to be the "steady as she goes, no drama" candidate?

“Romney’s ‘I’m not concerned with the very poor’ line may be the most idiotic thing a politician has ever said,” The Weekly Standard’s John McCormack tweeted.

Ah well, plan B I guess. Oops, Mitt IS plan B. plan C?

[yellowcanine]

40. I SAY LET MITT BE MITT!

[texshelters]

43. For Once, Romney told at least a particial truth

Romney isn't concerned about the poor. In fact, his whole party is against the poor and wants them to "die quickly" and stop committing "class warfare" on them. They are hateful and the fact that they get any support in our nation shows how messed up our nations is. Not you, the Republican voters and haters.


Peace,
Tex Shelters

[agentS]

46. Money can't win elections if a candidate is hated

Sorry Romney, money can't save you this time.
This and "Corporations are people too" are heavy stones around your neck.

[AtheistCrusader]

48. Ok, it's hilarious.... as long as he DOESN'T WIN.

If he wins.... fuck.