Mitt Romney’s Poverty Problem
Posted on February 1, 2012 in: Politics by Chris Barnhart. 3 Comments.
Tagged:Cake, Mitt Romney, Soledad O'Brien, Very Poor.
Photo by Gage Skidmore, taken from Wikimedia Commons
With the Florida primary in the bag, Mitt Romney has let his hair down. In an interview with CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, the noted capitalist ensures us he is in it for the heart of America, not the very rich, or … the very poor.
As others have pointed out, Romney could defend these comments – indeed, O’Brien gave him the chance and he smugly dismissed her – but he won’t. At least, not well.
There are two ways to view Romney’s “poor” gaffe, neither of them leaving the presidential candidate smelling anything like a rose. Either 1) he is pro-entitlement. “Hey, the very poor have a safety net! It may need some fixin’, but it’s swell.” (Hint: the swelling has gone down.) 2) Romney is so out of touch with the pulse of the America he cares for he has no idea how many people view the economic trend and worry that they themselves are about to become … the very poor.
Washington State suspended its 2012 Presidential Primary because we can’t afford it. Where is our safety net on that? (But hey! Most Washingtonians have televisions, so we can watch Americans who still get to vote party it up when Obama gets re-elected.)
What poor Americans who vote red want to hear is how the economic problems will be solved: job creation, spending reduction and a restoration of American Exceptionalism. Not “but you have a CD player so shut your traps.” Not “take your food stamps and skedaddle, losers. ”
Romney’s clarification provides further obfuscation and worry: if the safety net has holes, he’ll fix them, by golly! But most conservatives hate the welfare state, so the only acceptable solution is to abolish it, which brings us full circle to Romney not caring about the poor.
On the other hand, Romney is still trying to sell the individual mandate as a conservative idea, and there’s the little problem of Massachusetts ranking 47 out of 50 in job creation when he was governor.
Since Romney has developed a fondness for gifting baked goods, maybe he can send the “very poor” a cake. That’ll end well.
Comments:
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I think what Romney did to save the Olympics in SLC (and apparently in Atlanta as well) is fantastic, but it's not president-making.
I'm not really excited about any candidate either. I've been in the Gingrich camp. Paul doesn't appeal to me, though he has some great ideas. It's just a bad, bad year, and I agree with your assessment that it's media driven. It's like we're slowlyg voting candidates off the island.
I was till a raging liberal when Quayle was VP. Like everyone, I made fun of his spelling error and his frequent gaffes, but you aren't the first person to show me another side of him. I'm frequently socially awkward and say things that come off wrong, but I like to think I can make it through the day without too much drooling and knuckle-dragging. From what I hear, Quayle is a stand up guy. I would like to see more of him, too.
Great to know how supportive he was (and is, I imagine) of the troops.
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[...] isn’t quite about throwing silver coins out of a carriage window at urchins while simultaneously endorsing the welfare state. It doesn’t bode well for Mitt’s campaign that he’s been running for over half a [...]
I was down in the south when Atlanta had all but pissed away the Olympics. Romney's work there saved their asses. That was great and all, but I'm not feeling much love for him or Santorum. I dig Ron Paul but I don't see his numbers taking over with no coverage in the media. That is a sad thing for everyone. Media has long forgotten what facts are. All sales driven now. Have to satisfy their sponsors with veiwer numbers. I don't think we can take 4 more years of BO. If he does hold his seat I pray there's a shift of power in the senate and the house holds as it is.
I don't know about many of the guys still in the running. I have had the great displeasure of meeting high power lawyer scum in the guise of public servants while I was in the Navy. Only one guy out of the 20 or so I had met was worth talking with. Dan Quayle. I had the pleasure of meeting him twice (in person, 4 times he visited our base). I could give a rip about his spelling ability, most of those who mocked him should probably try turning their spell checkers off. Dan Quayle was a very good VP who came and LISTENED to military members on a regular basis.