If the deal wasn’t already sealed, here it goes.
From MotherJones.com:
During a private fundraiser earlier this year, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a small group of wealthy contributors what he truly thinks of all the voters who support President Barack Obama. He dismissed these Americans as freeloaders who pay no taxes, who don’t assume responsibility for their lives, and who think government should take care of them. Fielding a question from a donor about how he could triumph in November, Romney replied:
There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who 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. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.
Romney went on: “[M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
Details as to the whereabouts of this meeting have been kept sketchy to protect the informant. Obviously Romney has disdain for those not of his class. Did it ever occur to him that some of those who don’t pay taxes have deductions that clear them to zero? I particularly like how he emphasized the word ENTITLEMENT.
It’s one thing to think that I am a lay about and freeloader behind my back. Its another thing to say it outloud. In fact, I would be willing to bet I’ve worked harder in my life than he has.
There’s more Romney video, this time on actual warfare rather than class warfare: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/18/us-usa-campaign-idUSBRE88G19620120918
I’m waiting for Rep. Todd Akin to hold a press conference and ask Romney to step aside for the good of the party.
Ronald Reagan would never have said such derogatory comments about democrats or people who do not vote for him. George W would never have said something like that. Romney should learn something from them.
Presidents Reagan and both Bushes were very gracious. They would have seen themselves as president of all the people.
I wonder if Romney considers veterans who get benefits part of the 47 percent. I think too many vets get disability.
Excellent point, Starry. Probably. They would be part of the 47% if they were disabled, for sure. I think George said that there were 40,000 vets with life alterning injuries as a result of the last 2 wars. George, if my numbers are wrong, please correct.
@blue
Blue, your laundry list shows you really don’t have a firm grasp of what that teachers’ union is protesting. Let’s do a little quiz on the evaluations you think they are avoiding.
1. Teachers in VA must be fully evaluated once every ______ years once they are on continuing contract.
2, How often must a teacher not on continuing contract undergo full evaluation?
3. What part of a Virginia teacher’s evaluation must be about test scores, if applicable?
4. True or false: The music teacher is except from test scores
5. Who evaluates the teachers?
6. What safeguards are in place to make certain that certain teachers don’t get students all below grade level?
7. What guantees are in place to make sure teachers of a subject or grade level have similar demographics?
8. Are you worried that Virgnia’s teachers will strike?
You may not call your union for the answers to these questions.
Answers:
1. 3 (that is for full evaluation–they are observed and have a conference annually to set goals)
2. yearly
3. 40% as of this year
4. True there is no music sol They might be tied in to overall school scores but I dont know this.
5. The Principal or assistant principals.
6. There are none
7. there are none
8. You should not be. It is illegal for them to strike. The minute a Virginia teacher strikes, one’s licensure is pulled. stick a fork in them, they are done.
#’w 6, 7 are the main reasons teachers fight test scores being tied to their evaluations. It is an easy way to set up people for failure. A change in test questions can make you look like a loser. SOLs are not standardized. They are what is know as criterion referenced tests. You teach the curriculum and then test exactly what you taught. Are you teaching to the test? Well, I think Virginia would prefer you to say you are testing what you just taught.
Verbs are important. If it says the child will list–then you are tested on listing. If it says you will write a paragraph…well…write a paragraph.
There is a whole new process for this year so some of my answers might be like me, outdated.
@Cargosquid
That isn’t the Obama message. My free stuff just hasnt arrived I guess.
Is he sending that message subliminally?
@Cargosquid
Impossible. What happened to all the stuttering and stammering? I have never felt so sorry for someone as I did him last night. Not sorry enough to vote for him but almost.
What would we call that? A mercy vote?
@Moon-howler
That’s his MESSAGE. His DELIVERY is lacking….remember…his voters thought that he was going to pay for their mortgages, their health care, their food….
I have said repeatedly that Obama is likely to be reelected. He’s got the 47% who receive government checks, the minority vote (which in total is close to a majority), and the lib vote (which is crowing today). A Venn Diagram would show significant overlap, but in terms of numbers Obama has a significant advantage.
Nevertheless, if this is all Obama’s got, I am growing more optimistic. Obama ought to be able to proudly list his accomplishments; instead he looks small and common with attacks like this.
This election has a long way to go — the fat ady isn’t even warming up yet.
Kelly, he isn’t the one attacking. Not saying he isn’t enjoying it but he isn’t doing this. Romney has shot his own feet. Jimmy Carter’s grandson turned over the videos.
Lots of people receive govt checks who aren’t going to vote for Obama– Federal employees, military folks, people on disability, people on social security for example. Some will, some won’t. Those are the kinds of statements that got Mitt Romney into trouble also.
You should know that moderates, for the most part, will vote for Obama rather than Romney. Why? The extreme right stance taken by today’s Republicans.
Sorry, the Republicans lost this one (and I think they have) without much help from the Democrats. It isn’t over yet but if I had to place any bets, your candidate looked like 40 miles of bad road last night. I think if he could have quit, he would have.
@Moon-howler
Moon, no kidding, that’s an interesting quiz you wrote and I’d like to know the answers.
I will find it and provide the right answers.
Ths strike in Chicago is over.
As I have said from the beginning, I have mixed feelings over the whole thing. Some of it is alien to me.
Keep in mind that many of the people who at some point don’t pay taxes are not in that boat permanently. Taking the risk of quitting a full-time job to start a business puts you there for a while. I can tell you from first-hand experience.
Many of those not paying taxes are small businesses on the way up. Hopefully, they will be those “rich” S-corporation, job-creators.
That’s why so many small business people are so offended at Obama’s remarks. Maybe some are making over $250,000 per year (not me yet, but I’m working on it), but they had to take a lot of risk and make a lot of sacrifices to get there.
Your answers are there.
They didn’t listen to what he said in context. Now, I will go march up to the red line and say I think it was a stupid thing to say.
I don’t disagree with it but it was a lofty achievement to expect to take something that abstract and fit it onto a bumper sticker and have people not misundertand. I will fault him for awkward delivery.
I just have bad taste in Republicans. Take Megahn McCain. I used to like her until about 6 months ago. She is on TV now. what a donkey. She has adopted this Valley girl talk …this fast illiterate speech.
She is rapidly becoming someone I will change the channel because of.
@rick,
But that is incorrect, in that 47% are many seniors and working poor that would “have”(notice past tense)voted for him until he insulted them!
I was using hyperbole when I used terminology like scum and parasites. Those narrtive words are implied to me when you purposefully degrade an entire group of people. It wasn’t “literal”!
another good one Moe 😉
@Cargosquid
That is a donkey statement if I ever heard one.
er “That’s his MESSAGE. His DELIVERY is lacking….remember…his voters thought that he was going to pay for their mortgages, their health care, their food….”
Seriously Cargo. You know better than that. You are taking an idiot statement by one, two voters and attempting to use it as a broadbrust. I simply will not allow that here.
It is stunts like that …let’s just call that out for what it is rather than me pussy footing around about it.
Are you speaking of a couple of those videos with some really stupid acting black woman saying Obama was going to get her free gasoline and pay her mortgage? Or maybe it was a similar video. Thought so.
His voters….????? I was one of his voters, as were my friends and my relatives. We didn’t want anything or expect anything for free.
Never once have I represented all the Republican voters as spitting through the two teeth in their head while clinging to God, guts, guns nor would I. Do I think someone fitting that description is going to vote for Romney? Sure I do. I also think lots of other people are going to vote for him that probably look and sound a lot like me.
Let’s be fair. Honestly, that is just desperate and really speaks to the same message sent my Romney.
Ask yourself why Democratic supporters have come out swinging. It could be statements like this. You might also want to do a little reflection about culture wars and who started them.
I am simply not going to let you fly boys otherize me.
@Elena
Apparentlhy it is becoming obvious to them that they have stepped over the line.
I see sweat. No one said parasites and scum but I sure heard “parasites and scum” in Mitt’s voice.
I am looking at him in his press conference last night. He looked awful. His hair was all standing up…he looked on the brink of hysteria.
No wonder Obama never seems to mis-speak these days–his silence is almost deafening when it comes to unscripted moments and press conferences.
Don’t worry, just because I’m voting for the guy doesn’t mean I won’t criticize the hell out of him.
Oh dear God, you have crossed over to the dark side. Do you need Censored, Elena and me to help you through this? We can ply you with liquor.
Yeah, 47% do not pay taxes – BS.
The bottom 1/5 of the US population pays an average of 16% of their income towards taxes – exceeding the amount Romney paid.
18% are seniors, making below $20K a year.
Many are students or disabled. Many are low income working families – just because their income is low, does not mean that they are on the Government Dole. I wish Romney paid the same percentage of taxes that I pay. Funny how Linsey Graham says that avoiding paying taxes is the American way, and that there is nothing wrong with Romney avoiding taxes – in legal ways, of course, but how do we know.
thanks for this info Pat.
I actually agree, nothing wrong with getting your taxes down as much as you can. We pay to have ours done for that very reason. However, Romney is just being smug. Anyone making millions per year shouldn’t be at 14%. Most Americans cant get theirs that low.
Great points Pat!
The “secret videos” were supplied by none other than Jimmy Carter’s grandson. He is a democratic operative who was doing oppositional research. He usually doesn’t do national election as much as general elections.
He was on the Chris Matthews Hard Ball show.
To vote for Obama? Dude, there isn’t enough liquor on Earth. I’d need a truckload of psilocybin for THAT to happen.
Makes sense. Carter’s grandson needs Obama to be in office…it’s the only thing that makes people wish his grandfather was still in office.
A recent poll showed Obama at 47%……Mitt was RIGHT!!
“The trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some [wealth] redistribution — because I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody’s got a shot.”
Please, tell me again how Obama is NOT a socialist?
Cargo, is that all it takes to make a socialist?
Every time you pitch a quarter in the Salvation Army bucket you are redistributing wealth. Every time you put a buck in the collection plate at church, same thing.
Tell me how come all of us aren’t socialist?
@Moon-howler Large quantities of Grey Goose might take the edge off.
you can count on us for support. We know this is going to be tough on you!!!
I just have to figure out what Grey Goose is.
Got it, Vodka. You shall be plied with booze–so much you will be doing the Kozachok.
@Cargosquid
You realize that “socialist” is code for “n-word”, right? 🙂
On a positive note. This thread really does demonstrate that any talk about ‘civility’ in politics is just talk.. I’d much rather have everyone in Congress at each others throats and not getting anything done. Means they’re less apt to pass anything that will decrease my civil liberties or increase my taxes.
Another one who would sacrifice the country for his own self interest. Oh well.
“Please, tell me again how Obama is NOT a socialist?”
If you go by the original definitions, America is and has been as socialist as capitalist, for a long time. Since the days of Theodore Roosevelt.
I don’t like that 47% or whatever of Americans don’t pay any Federal income tax. But I recognize it’s done to compensate for wage disparity.
We need serious people to pull us upwards out of what we are becoming. Not career politician pretty boys like Romney. I’m pretty down on him. He’s managing to offend me (by his vacuousness and downright unpreparedness) to the point that I’m forgetting about Obama’s shortcomings. Obama may be inexperienced and ineffectual, but he’s not an outright idiot.
Part of me wants to make everyone pay a little, even if those people just pay a dollar. But…I want those who have been skating for a decade to have to belly on up to the bar and take their medicine.
It is immoral that The Romneys and I pay the same tax rate.
Romney is looking like what GOP insiders feared Sarah Palin would be. A big turkey of a candidate.
And I still don’t see how all the fundamentalist Christian types plan to swallow their nose and vote for a Mormon. That’s a trip.
Romney isn’t quite as much of a twit as she is. Getting there but not quite. He is out of his league. Its the federal experience that is needed. She would have drowned. She wasn’t even close. She is an utter and total fool.
You just know that if the Democrats had nominated a non-Christian at some point, some of these nimrods would be marching down the street wearing crosses on their backs telling us it was the end of the world. But they’ll vote for Romney without raising a peep.
Didn’t the GOP used to rant and rave about the importance of “Judeo-Christian values”?
This is our first class warfare election. I was wrong, guess it can only get worse.
You must have missed it. I sure don’t think it is the first class warfare election. Perhaps its the first time its been verbalized as such. I think perhaps what has changed is the balance of class.
The huge amounts of money held by few has tipped the scales as to where some of us fit on said scale.
Indeed: Has there been a presidential race in modern times featuring two candidates who have done so little over their lifetimes for our country, and who have so little substance to say about the future of our country?
yes Nixon McGovern springs to mind.
I actually think Obama has substance…more so than I thought he was going to have. It just doesn’t show up in traditional ways. That is somewhat of a relief.
@Moon-howler
When you do it through the force of law, by government, THAT is socialism
When you do it voluntarily, that is charity.
So, if you believe in redistributing someone’s private property by force of law…you’re a socialist.
s-t-r-e-t-t-t-t-c-h
So grabbing up some druggie’s car, selling it, and putting it in the cop fund is socialist? Happens all the time.
In the 2008 election, only 63% of the electorate voted – record turn out – I wonder – does Romney really think that this 47% that he talks about came out? Really?
Can anyone find the video where Obama said he was going to pay my mortgage – or do the few just keep repeating this lie, in the hopes that some believe it?
You guys are funny. You think the rich won’t just take their money and put it somewhere else if you go after it? They’re just sitting on it right now, and if Obama gets elected, they’ll not only sit on it, they’ll probably out and out hide it, then you can enjoy more unemployment fun. You and Romney pay the same rate, but liberals can’t separate rate from total amount. You think you and Romney paid the same amounts?
I see how they have been helping out right now.
So you are basically saying the rich will do whatever they want to do and screw the middle class? When it will have to be painful for them to do that.
Did I just get a lecture about the difference in rate and amount? [giving Pokie a stern look]
If that is case then shame on the American people. When 1% rules the 99% the 99% is asleep at the switch. Actually, that is sort of what I have been saying all along. Why are you Republicans protecting the rich? There are more of you than there are of them. One man one vote. Vote in people who will stop treating the rich like royalty and will hold them accountable. If they don’t like the rules, perhaps America isn’t the country for them. Just a thought.
time to stop protecting people who want us as their serfs. I didn’t start the class warfare. It was confirmed on that video. Romney has shown us who he is. Those bastards paid for a rubber chicken dinner that cost more than many people make in a year.
There is simply no argument that makes that ok.
@Moon-howler
Better not tick off the rich. They may hide their money (which they appear to have enough of to support candidates’ PACs but not jobs). Waaah, it might not trickle down to the fearful serfs if we say bad things about them.
@Censored, nothing has been dribbling down on me. I have been waiting since Reagan for that to happen.
The Chicago fix is already in. And who’s to blame, why its the military service people themselves of course. Hey, lets have an old school soviet style election for Obama. Get the 47 percenters and block the military what a strategy!
In the Capital Region last year, local boards of elections sent 2,613 absentee ballots to servicemen and woman serving overseas. Only 53 percent were counted. A 92 percent drop in absentee-ballot requests by military personnel in Virginia is raising concerns that the Pentagon is failing to carry out a federal voting law. With only 1,746 military voters in Virginia requesting absentee ballots so far this year — out of 126,251 service members in the state —the Military Voter Protection Project says the system has broken down. Yep, those women are going to throw the vote.
And it’s not just in the Old Dominion. MVPP Executive Director Eric Eversole reports significant declines in absentee-ballot requests by service members across the nation.
Compiling data from Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, Alaska, Colorado and Nevada, Eversole’s organization found that military families have requested 55,510 absentee ballots so far this year. That’s a sharp decline from the 166,252 sought in those states in 2008
blah blah blah blahhhhh blah dee blah dee blah…..
They can get a ballot right now.
Why do you care Blue? Joining up?
An administration that constantly talks about voter disenfranchisement appears unconcerned that a study by the nonpartisan Military Voters Protection Project found that in 2008 less than 20% of 2.5 million military voters successfully voted by absentee ballot. In 2010, that participation shrank to a scandalous 5%. We need to encourage military voting and make it easier.
Is there a method in the administration’s madness, a reason it doesn’t want to make it easier for soldiers to vote? It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact that John McCain won 54% of the military vote in 2008 or that a May 2012 Gallup poll showed Mitt Romney pulling 58% to President Obama’s paltry 34%.
I just bet that the military thinks old Mitt is out there watching out for them. I saw the troops out there in Boga Raton eating that $50,000 rubber chicken.
Rick,
Please read this article that explains the 47% and how they do pay taxes, just no federal income tax and why they don’t pay, 83% or either working poor or retired. It’s the republicans that have granted exemptions to the working poor in order to pass tax breaks for the wealthy, it began with Reagan actually. Take a look at the article, I think you will find it very enlightening.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/09/who-are-47/56965/
blah blah blah Blue! Change you tin foil hat, it’s beginning to look a tad dull 😉
I hate facts, they get in the way of conspiracy theories!
There are no credible investigations suggesting military personel are being disenfranchised!
http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/military.asp
Elena, I read the article. I am not angry at the 47% who don’t pay in to Federal income tax. Mostly good hard-working Americans, I’m sure. I’m not comfortable at all that the system has become so imbalanced though. We need to address wage disparity in a more direct manner than by giving tax breaks, and creating an expectation in half of America that Federal taxes are something that other people pay. I’m very disappointed in the Democratic party for ceasing to fight for living wages and for dignity in labor. I consider this issue to be entangled with the issue of illegal immigration.
But that’s not to sympathize with Romney’s rhetoric. Which, coming from him with his tax history, is indefensible. And from a moral standpoint, pretty messed up. And from a political standpoint, moronic.
@Elena
Snopes is your counter source of information – really, google it.
@Moon-howler
Yep. socialist. Especially since current law states that the property can be seized PRIOR to conviction.
Well now …what if the socialist police department doesnt sell it until after conviction?
What do you think would happen if that car wasnt picked up until after conviction? It would be long gone.
did you answer my question?
@Emma
Nobody has asked the question, so I will take the bait. When someone announces whom she is voting for, many times she wants to be asked why. I seem to recall you are a self-proclaimed conservative who has bitterly criticized Obamacare. So what logical thought process has led you to support Obama?
It’s pretty easy in most cases to figure out who will vote for whom. The more interesting cases are those that “crossover” for some reason from expectation.
If Mitt Romney had turned out normal, I would say it isn’t strange to have moderate independents who would have to think about which way to vote. However, he didnt.
Where would you place yourself on the political spectrum? Far right, right, center right, center left, left, far left?
I would put myself left on reproductive issues (womens issues in general) and center left on everything else. I absolutely could NOT gross over now.
@Kelly and I know you didn’t ask me…but I chimed in.
I vote my pocketbook and womens issues. On the other hand, generally speaking, the women’s issues tell me 100 other things about a candidate and I am right 95% of the time.
Someone like Chuck Colgan throws me off–just for example. I like Senator Colgan but I could no longer support him because of his ignorance on womens’s issues.
He doesn’t understand that a person can be opposed to abortion without thinking he has the right to make decisions in each and every case. I blame him directly for the clinic shut down. I am sorry. He and Herr Cooch don’t have the right to determine what other people do with a legal procedure.
Actually, if you read the definition of socialism, it’s government ownership of the means of production and the abolition of private property. Period. People throw words like this around to scare people for the most part. When you collect taxes to improve the human condition for everyone, it’s called “government.”
This is really a key point in this discussion. The FEDERAL income tax issue is very misleading. When you run the numbers, the majority who really don’t pay FICA or other payroll taxes are either retired or elderly or both. The vast majority of that 47% do pay INCOME taxes. It comes down to about 1% who truly pay no taxes.
The political construct that there is this huge group that sucks off the public teat, has a vested interest in big government and votes Democratic is a fantasy, but it stokes the base. I think it has bit ’em in the hindquarters this time, though…
Why would Romney want the military especially enlisted to vote? Many are in the 47%. Many are on assistance. Many wounded cant get good medical care.
They are invisible. He didn’t remember them at the convention either.
I keep seeing a comment about how much Romney has paid in taxes. There’s no cap on the lifetime payment of taxes. Tractor Trailers used to post signs telling us how much THEY paid – as if it was an excuse to drive as they choose or if they owned more of the road.
The tax system might need a tweak but at least it should be relative or at the very least appear to be.