When Mother Jones released videos of Presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaking to a small, elite group of donors at a fundraiser, people immediately began forecasting the end of Romney’s presidential hopes.
What was it that was so troubling about Romney’s statements? This section in particular seemed to really stick with people:
[The 47 percent are people] “who are dependent upon government, who believe they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to take care of them, who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it.”
Uh-oh.
People quickly called his math into question. That 47% of people who receive government benefits, according to many, includes children and the elderly, too.
David Brooks of The New York Times offers an insightful Op-Ed about the issue, explaining the problems of Romney’s statement:
In 1960, government transfers to individuals totaled $24 billion. By 2010, that total was 100 times as large. Even after adjusting for inflation, entitlement transfers to individuals have grown by more than 700 percent over the last 50 years. This spending surge, Eberstadt notes, has increased faster under Republican administrations than Democratic ones.
There are sensible conclusions to be drawn from these facts. You could say that the entitlement state is growing at an unsustainable rate and will bankrupt the country. You could also say that America is spending way too much on health care for the elderly and way too little on young families and investments in the future.
Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad freeBut these are not the sensible arguments that Mitt Romney made at a fund-raiser earlier this year. Romney, who criticizes President Obama for dividing the nation, divided the nation into two groups: the makers and the moochers.
So who are these moochers that Romney may have offended in that speech?
David Brooks sums it up:
Who are these freeloaders? Is it the Iraq war veteran who goes to the V.A.? Is it the student getting a loan to go to college? Is it the retiree on Social Security or Medicare?
What do you think? Did Mitt Romney misspeak or is this an inside peek to what Romney truly believes?
Watch the Mother Jones Mitt Romney tapes here.
AP Photo
Contempt for the poor has been a standard Republican attitude for quite some time now. It’s widely shared by many Republicans–interestingly, even by those who are poor themselves!
If you’ve got a good media-and-marketing machine, you can convince people to vote for just about anything, including their own destruction.
Is dependency on government spending( both in terms of individual recipients, and in terms of the economy as a whole) a good, or even a merely benign thing in a republic? Is it, should it be, acceptable, for a large percentage of citizens of a republic not to have any ‘skin in the game’ because they pay no taxes?
Can these issues even be raised?
See my previous comment:
“ADDITIONALLY, it’s important to note that even if you didn’t pay federal income tax you probably still paid sales taxes, gas taxes, payroll taxes, etc, so saying that the 47% doesn’t give anything back is ludicrous.”
They do pay taxes, just not one specific tax.
I am a British man married to an American here in the UK but I am afraid that your guy MITT ROMNEY is an idiot does he really believe that through your Strength you can be better well good luck with being stronger than China, Russia and others Romney you think the world hates you now well if you keep this up then they will be forming a Que to have a go at you because they think you are bullies. Oh and by the way you have a problem with being stronger than China because you owe them billions… Read more »
Romney’s sentiment is certainly keeping with the drum beat of a lazy, simplistic, and uninformed viewpoint held at the base of the Republican party. He has failed to move towards the center. He continues to pander to the base for one reason, he has to. They don’t like him all that much and if he starts stepping out and flirting with ideas of income equality, tax increases, and healthcare compromises they will pile on him so hard from within his own party they will be afraid that voters won’t turn out in places like PA, VA, OH. The reality is… Read more »
I can’t believe anyone honestly thinks that Mitt Romney’s remarks refer to Iraq war veterans or a social safety net in general. That is being willfully dishonest, plain and simple. In case anyone has not noticed, this election is going to be close, closer than 2008. So it will probably come down to a 51-49 or 52-48 vote, and Obama will draw a lot of the entitlement vote, which has been the Democrat model for sometime. Look at the ‘life of Julia’ example. Her existence is due to government and things she can get from it. How do you think… Read more »
He’s referring to the 46.4 (which doesn’t even round to 47) % of the country that paid no Federal income tax in 2010. This includes Iraq war veterans. It includes pensioners who have worked their whole lives. If you say that everyone who didn’t pay income tax is a lazy so-and-so then you are including these people. Moreover, entitlements and tax benefits (allowing someone to not pay income tax) increased far more under presidents Reagan, Bush & Bush than under Carter, Clinton & Obama, so your claim that it’s the democrats who court the vote by offering more and more… Read more »
I think this is coming from an anti-utilitarianism view of ethics/morality. In the viewpoint of Mitt Romney, many republics, and even a couple of the above commenters, doing something for the greater good is never ethically necessary. Giving to charity is a good thing, but you can never be required to do so. However when the government uses taxpayer money and gives it to the poor, elderly, disabled, single mothers, etc. it is effectively forcing taxpayers to give to charity. Forcing people to use their money in a particular way constitutes a human rights breach, i.e. the right to your… Read more »
If you don’t help support those who are jobless whilst there is a decent level of unemployment, crime rates will skyrocket. What choice would they have? They can’t work for money so they have to survive somehow….Let that level get high enough and you’ll see a huge revolt against those who do have money, especially when you see sickening levels of wealth for a small %. The gap between the rich n poor is growing from what I’ve seen, even the middle class is eroding away, can society survive whilst a few hold megariches whilst many are starving? When one… Read more »
Thank you for framing that so clearly. May I use your text if I grant you credit?
No, I don’t think it will affect Romney’s chances of winning. Most people have already picked their team. In my experience, his supporters are almost gleeful in their disdain for facts and logic. They have a story that sounds good and allows them to feel self-righteous. Many of them, in fact, are among the people who pay no federal income tax. But since they do file a tax return, so they don’t even realize it. Romney’s speech in the video is simply a recitation of that feel-good narrative. His supporters won’t abandon him over it; instead they’ll get to gleefully… Read more »
Call them freeloaders, that’ll work.
Yea, Gary! Stick it to those freeloading soldiers in Afghanistan! I’m sick of carrying their weight, too! Just like the elderly that are too sick to work, and those lazy-ass premed students. It’s not like anyone but me has paid in to Social Security, or college graduates end up paying more back than we invest! Trying to become a doctor? F*ck you, get a real job! And all these goddamned babies that just march up and demand to be treated on my dime. To be serious, momentarily, I would like to point out that I do pay taxes, never finished… Read more »
It’s not the phony “1%” that think that way.
It’s the 53% who are sick and tired of carrying the load for the others.
What’s really ridiculous is that the 47% pay up to 15% in payroll tax.
Unless they own their business, for any of the employed in the 47%, their boss pays 15% payroll tax on them.
I’m ot a 1% by a long shot. I am a 53% . You know the one’s who pay income tax. Last year was a wash, I owed the state of NY more that I got back fom the’Feds’ ($240). So, if you add up federal, state, FICA, Medicade deductions along with local property taxes, it comes to about 44% of what I made. That doesn’t include NY sales tax (Almost9%). I’m not looking for a handout, just leave me somemore of what I earn so I din’t have to struggle so much!
Irony #4: Mitt Romney didn’t even earn his success, he was born into it and inherited it. Even though he’s convinced that “freeloaders” shouldn’t be given government help.
Mitt Romney’s kids didn’t somehow work harder from the womb to have earned the lives they lead. Other people’s kids don’t choose to be born into poverty, to parents who abuse them, in countries torn by war and corruption… you get the idea. We used to call George W. Bush a “post turtle” because he acted like he got to where he was all by himself. Romney comes from wealth and political power. He didn’t haul himself up by his bootstraps.
Irony #1: red states tend to receive more federal funding than they pay out in income taxes, while blue states tend to pay more tax than they receive. Many of the people most dependent on the evil federal government are the very same people who vote Republican in the first place. The states with the most outspoken “secession” movements, like Alaska, are the most dependent on the US government anyway. Irony #2: a candidate may only need about 47% of the vote to become the next president. It could be the magic number. Irony #3: you don’t get to be… Read more »
I really think this is a turning point in the election. I can feel it with my friends. I don’t think it will change anyone’s vote, whether Democratic or Republican. But there are Democrats, myself included, who were previously respectful to the other side, always saying “the other side makes good points,” just to be civil. When my friends demonized the Republicans, I always made fun of them. I would say something like, “Hey, I know plenty of cool Republicans, who just believe in strong defense, or the free market system. Liberals aren’t perfect either.” But now that I can… Read more »