So, Willard “Mitt” Romney thinks 47 percent of Americans are victims who yearn to be dependent on government entitlement programs. That is quite a claim! It is so outrageous that not only has President Obama felt compelled to respond, but even Republican pundits have distanced themselves from his assertions. The day after the secretly recorded video of the Romney fundraiser aired on the major networks and exploded on the Internet, President Obama addressed the comments on The David Letterman Show. Obama responded with sincerity by noting that when he won the election in 2008, 47 percent of the American people actually voted for his opponent, John McCain. "They didn't vote for me," he said. "And what I said on election night was, 'Even though you didn't vote for me, I hear your voices, and I'm going to work as hard as I can to be your President.'"
Obama also said one of the many things he’s learned as president is that "you represent the entire country. I promise you, there are not a lot of people out there who think they're victims. There are not a lot of people who think that they're entitled to something."
The following day Obama told a gathering of Latino voters in Florida, “When you express the attitude that half the country considers themselves victims and wants to be dependent on government, my thinking is that you haven’t gotten around a lot,” Obama said of Romney.
One would expect that Obama would defend against these inaccurate assertions, but the big surprise in this saga is that even staunch conservatives severely criticized their candidate. Bill Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard called Romney’s remarks “arrogant and stupid.” Noting that many of the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay income tax are core Republican groups like seniors and active military. Romney seems to have contempt not just for the Democrats who oppose him, but for tens of millions who intend to vote for him."
Peggy Noonan, a long respected conservative commentator reacted by saying, "This is not how big leaders talk, it is how shallow campaign operatives talk." The Huff Post quoted Noonan, "It's time to admit the Romney campaign is an incompetent one. It's not big, it's not brave, it is not thoughtfully tackling great issues. It's always been too small for the moment. All the activists, party supporters, and big donors should be pushing for change. People want to focus on who at the top is least constructive and most responsible. Fine, but Mitt Romney is no puppet: He chooses who to listen to. An intervention is in order. Mitt, this isn't working."
The video leaked on Monday, and by Friday a “piling on” of pundits on both sides of the aisle created a media frenzy that isn’t likely to cease for a while. The controversy has taken a toll on Romney’s favorability ratings in the polls. Real Clear Politics reported the results of all of the major polls which showed that Obama has pulled ahead of Romney 50 percent to 43 percent. Even in conservative and swing states Obama now enjoys a newly found lead with margins of up to eight percent. The plummeting polls, along with the lack of support from his own party, have sent the Romney camp into a tailspin.
On Thursday night in an interview on Radio Iowa, Ann Romney told fellow Republicans who’ve criticized her husband that they need to “stop it” and realize “how lucky” the party is to have Mitt Romney as its nominee. “Stop it. This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring,” she said. “This is hard and, you know, it’s an important thing that we’re doing right now and it’s an important election and it is time for all Americans to realize how significant this election is and how lucky we are to have someone with Mitt’s qualifications and experience and know-how to be able to have the opportunity to run this country.”
If you think it is hard to be a candidate Mrs. Romney you need to try actually being the President! Who looks like they are victims now Mr. and Mrs. Romney? Who is pleading to be on the government dole? You are chomping on the bit to receive a government salary although you clearly don’t need the money, and you have paid little to no tax on your fortune. Perhaps it is time for the Romney’s to look in the mirror before harshly judging 47 percent of the American electorate for their mindset of entitlement.