Josh Marshall: "This tape strikes me as absolutely devastating."

[ProSense]

Devastating

Josh Marshall

This is a Holiday for my folks. So I’ve only been half in touch with the news today. And I’m just getting up to speed on this purported tape of Mitt Romney saying he thinks the 47% of Americans who support Barack Obama are moochers who thinks the government has to take care of them. It’s rare when the impact of some gaffe or embarrassment or revelation isn’t overstated on first blush. But this strikes me as possibly that rare exception. This tape strikes me as absolutely devastating.

<...>

This is a fine distillation of the most rancid version of the libertarian conservative worldview. Democrats are moochers and losers who can’t get their act together and think the government owes them food, board, health care and basically whatever else they want. You don’t need to look long to find this version of reality on the web. But this isn’t some right-wing blogger. It’s the Republican candidate for President of the United States.

Here’s the actual text…

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.

And here’s the video …

<...>

So the country is divided in two: on one side, the self-sufficient and high-achieving Republicans and on the other side the losers who think government needs to take care of them.

This is the caricature of Mitt Romney, who was born on 3rd base (in Ann Richards memorable phrase), thinks he hit a triple and thinks the broad middle class who’ve relied on government for student loans or social security or anything else are losers who can’t get their act together and take responsibility for themselves. Only this tape says that caricature Mitt Romney is the real Mitt Romney.

Big problem.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2012/09/devastating.php

[nichomachus]

1. "These are people who pay no income tax." Speaking of which,

Mitt, where are your tax returns?

[kestrel91316]

5. "....People who pay no income tax...." - you mean people JUST LIKE YOU, Mitt??

[Harry Monroe]

28. I'll be more than happy to provide my entire history of income taxes to the Rmoney campaign

47% of us pay no income tax? What planet does this guy live on? Willard, I'l show you mine if you show me yours. Man oh man, this guy is so losing in November. He makes GWB look like Stephen Hawking. Shrub may have been stupid, but he was never this mean and selfish. Mitt is dangerous for all of us.

[reflection]

30. "He makes GWB look like Stephen Hawking"

[pangaia]

42. Priceless !

[DemKittyNC]

33. He makes GWB look like Stephen Hawking.

OMFG Hilarious!!!! Made my laugh so damn hard my ribs hurt now, damn you!

[Left Coast2020]

54. So Does This Make The rMoney Campaign Officially Over?

Everyone can pack it in and go home. Obama starts his second without further distractions.

[left on green only]

68. I would like to think the same thing too....

....but then I remember back to how naive I was when the Michael Moore movie came out during shrubs quest for reelection. On the basis of it, I shouted from the rafters that the shrub was washed up because *no one * will vote for him now. How wrong I was.

There are so many people who live among us who don't shive a git about something as trivial as the truth. For so many people, it is only about feeding their paranoia.

[Diclotican]

66. Harry Monroe

Harry Monroe

You know things is BAD when even GWB looks like Stepen Hawking (who by the way, is the smartest man around today)....

I just hope, and pray for one thing - that the republicans are not able to cheat this election out.. They did it in 2000, and surly did it in 2004, and will presumably do it this year also, if possible..

Mitt might be dangerous to US, but he is also dangerous to the rest of the world.. Anything else than Mitt Romney thank you..

Diclotican

[bhikkhu]

36. Everyone under the 250k income bracket pays about 40% of their income to taxes

and everyone over 250k yearly income pays about 17% of their total income to taxes.

That's total taxes - which includes state and federal, sales tax, gas taxes, vehicle taxes (registrations, etc), property taxes, and all the little miscellaneous. I'm probably forgetting some, but you get the point. Federal income taxes are progressive, most other taxes are not, so its more honest to look at one's total tax burden.

The GOP doesn't get it at all, and Romney is sincerely echoing one the most boneheaded unfair and stupid talking points they have.

Example: I make a little under 29k a year, as the breadwinner for a family of 4. I figure my tax burden, all together, is about 28%. It will go up to about 40% or over once the kids are grown. In any case, I pay taxes at a higher rate than any rich guy, especially Romney.

[JDPriestly]

63. Are you including your payroll taxes?

Social Security, FICA, Medicare?

They go into trust funds. The government borrows from that money, but theoretically, if you live long enough, you get some or all of that back.

Mitt was talking only about income taxes not payroll or other taxes.

The problem is that most people do not have enough income to permit them to pay for taxes and also pay the water, electric, heating and medical bills plus rent and transportation.

If the poorer portion of the 47% he is talking about had to pay higher taxes, they would not be able to purchase much of anything that is discretionary. We would all be wearing used clothing and taking the bus. That would not be good for the economy.

[bhikkhu]

69. Yes, including payroll taxes

And I think its only fair to look at the total of tax burdens, even if some goes to local schools, some goes to the SS trust fund, some goes to road funds, etc.

If you look at how we got to the point where 47% pay no federal income taxes, the short story is that Reagan and Bush Jr passed big tax cuts. The long story would have to include that as those tax cuts were taking effect, wages were stagnating. So rather than actually benefiting from the tax cuts, the middle and lower classes gave them back by accepting lower wages (adjusting for inflation).

[marions ghost]

70. A lot of people dont have much discretionary income now

I never thought at this point in my life I'd worry about buying a book, or about the cost of food or average clothes (both of which have jumped bigtime). Not to mention healthcare & the loss of retirement income.

WHY DO PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY PUT UP WITH THIS?

I feel like an alien in this land of my birth. No longer connected with what is going on here.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

53. Mitt, where are your tax returns.. Exactly !!! Mitt???

[Spitfire of ATJ]

64. I'm waiting for the bombshell news that Mitt got a refund.

[Cha]

2. I saw where Josh tweeted he was going

to have a post on this soon. Thanks Prosense!

Mitt is so wrong..and, he knows it's another lie like his Vile Embassy Lie. Mitt doesn't give a shit because he's toxic.."how much more toxic can he get?"..he asks himself. We won't have to wait long.

[immoderate]

3. You still don't know what's real...

That could be, though!

--imm

[msanthrope]

4. Listen to cll the clips---it's amazing. nt

[randome]

6. I had thought the GOP might last ONE more election -2016.

Now I'm wondering if they will last that long. Romney is our anti-hero! Palin dug the grave and he's filling it with naked GOP philosophy.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

51. +1

[Arugula Latte]

7. Ahh, Mitt. How is that "man of the people" thing goin' for ya?

[Generic Brad]

46. More like "man of the person"

He does represent the one percent, after all.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

52. lol lol lol

[ArcticFox]

67. He meant corporations

"Corporations are people, my friend"

[FightingIrish]

8. That leaves him with 53%

Of those, 50.8% are women. In a perfect world, that should drop him to 26%. Of that percentage, only 63% are white. Now he’s down to 16% to draw votes from. Gallup says 21% of those are gay leaving Romney with 13%. He still has time to alienate that rare demographic. I know getting zero votes is a big order but I think Mitt has what it takes.

[leeroysphitz]

26. Go Mitt! lol

[CatWoman]

9. facebook is on it

[CrispyQ]

10. I believe that government SHOULD provide health care, day/elder care, education, three hots & a cot.

However, unlike you, Mr. Romney, I, & many, many millions like me, paid a much higher tax rate than you did, so why don't we get more say in how that money is spent, than you & your greedy, welfare-queen friends?

[renate]

15. good point

And well said.

[smirkymonkey]

40. God, He is SUCH a F***ing A**hole!

I never thought I could hate anyone more than W/Cheney, but R/R are starting to make them look like a fond memory. (Well, maybe not Cheney, but he's not going to last much longer.)

[myrna minx]

11. K&R

[A-Schwarzenegger]

12. First time I've heard Romney relaxed & natural & himself.

Talking to rich folks in private about the way things really are.
If only everybody in the country was a Republican millionaire,
he could be this relaxed & natural & himself all the time.

[yardwork]

18. Well, no, because they would have nobody to feed off of. They're parasites on us.

Without us, those rich folks would be panicking. They would have to go out and get a job that requires them to work instead of fly around on private planes laying off tens of thousands of people and attending board meetings where they pick up their multimillon dollar bonuses for the quarter. People like Ann Romney would have to get a job in order to obtain health insurance to cover her medical treatments, not to mention the cost of giving birth to all those babies.

If everybody in the country were a Republican millionaire they would all be starving.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

20. But Romney would be relaxed & natural & himself

as he starved.

[yardwork]

21. That's a win-win for all of us, when you look at it that way.

[spooky3]

31. That was exactly my reaction--surprised that others

Have not made this comment.

This is who he is.

[CrispyQ]

32. That was my thought, too!

He never sounds like this when he's talking to the proles (which includes the pundits, if only they knew!).

[catbyte]

13. No, Mitt. I am 57 and have continuously worked since I was 12 years old.

My only federal help were a few student loans before my Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver kicked in, so fuck you. The Tuition Waiver was a treaty right so screw you. I am voting for Obama because, amongst other things, my retirement accounts have almost recovered from being decimated in 2008 by your criminal Wall Street cronies. The sooner Thurston Howell, III & Lovey disappear the better.

Mom to Taz, Nigel, and baby Sammy, members of Dogs Against Romney, Cat Division
"Dogs aren't luggage--HISS!" And
"THANK YOU, DU, FOR SAVING OUR HOME--PURR!"

[avebury]

14. K&R nt

[Beartracks]

16. Cool, I guess I owe no income taxes!! n/t

[Beartracks]

17. Remember when broad-brush caricatures of Republicans used to be... well, actual caricatures?

Now they're real and running for president.

To believe that support for the Democratic party really does just boil down to the mythical "entitlement mentality" is absolutely unreal, a real rightwing pathology.

If anything, the Romneys of the world feel entitled to all the wealth and power they can amass, and they are not above gaming the system to make it happen. A real "too bad, so sad" nose-thumbing at everyone else. In the end, they'll thumb their nose at their own working-stiff supporters, too. For that matter, they practically already have.

========================

[underpants]

19. Josh needs to listen to RW radio (not that I would suggest it really)

this is standard fare in the echo chamber

[WestSeattle2]

22. The ignorance AND arrogance of this asswipe is really

becoming too painful to witness. Someone on his campaign team needs to sequester that fool before he ignites a civil war.

The republican party is so finished. What a joke they've become.

[paparush]

23. The size of Rmoney's Hypocrisy threatens to disrupt the space-time continuum.

Jesus on milktoast, this man has no shame, no guile whatsoever.

Mr. Hiding His Millions In Offshore Accounts is now harping about people who don't pay taxes?

Guess what fuckwad, if you don't earn enough you don't have to pay income taxes.

We are the 47%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hunter]

24. Hey Mitt Romney, Go Fuck Yourself!

You close our workplaces, you send our jobs to some country where slave labor is legal, you ruin our communities, you let us starve, you toss our old, ill, and disabled people out into the streets, and then you blame us 'cause we didn't have a rich daddy like you???

You're going to hell, dude.

I hope you get kicked down the street like a tin can from here until the election. I hope you have to sneak out of the U.S.A. in shame.

Maybe the Cayman Islands will take you.

That was vile, Mr. Romney, absolutely vile.

[RainDog]

25. what an entitled ass n/t

[WillyT]

27. K & R !!!

[MFM008]

29. what about GOPers who voted for Obama?

hhhhhmmmmmmmmmm?

[Bluenorthwest]

34. I hear Mitt didn't pay income tax for years. He sure has not shown that he has

and he has been asked repeatedly to share that information.

[aikoaiko]

35. this==> The caricature Mitt Romney is the real Mitt Romney

I hope all those Republicans on food stamps and housing assistance wake up and realize Romney hates them.

[cultofthehen]

37. i guess i'm a moocher in some obtuse way

Okay, so I have worked since I am 17 , first as a nurses aide, then as Psych attendant in a State Hospital, went and got part of an Associates degree, took clinical classes, etc..... I have worked as a residential counselor, PersonalCare assistant., Day program provider, Home provider, job coach, all direct care work with persons with developmental challenges.These folks and the good agencies that service them ARE dependent on public funding, Federal and State programs.....guess I am a mooching loser Mitt... I turned 62 this year, I provide a home for a man with severe autism, feed him, cook for him, manage his behavoir,drive him to appointments, take him swimming, stay up with him all night, bathe him, change and toilet him. I am mooching off the government, you betcha.Been moochin all my damn life...there are no words worth my ire around all of this. I am old enough to remember how Reagan dismantled the working class, how Carter tried to bolster it with education and CETA programs,how a long time ago what I make now for a living would have put me in the solid middle class. Now I drive 1996 Buick, what did support a family of four under Clinton- now has us thinking take out more than 2x a month is an extravegance...the government surplus that Al Gore inherited,which would have allowed me to go back to school to get the degree I needed so my tired ass could actually use the expertise I have acquired....well, as they say, is history. I am glad this plastic android said what he said, hopefully it will gaurentee Obama's victory in November....as is, I will continue to mooch off the government and do my good work,God willing, another 10 years, because I have to..by the way, I love my work, so please please please, allow me to continue to be the parasitic dependent woman I am.

[RagAss]

41. Welcome to DU....excellent post !!!

[uppityperson]

43. Welcome to DU, great post and love your username.

[Spazito]

44. Excellent, beautifully stated post!

Welcome to DU!

[druidity33]

45. Welcome to DU!

God (Goddess, whatever your preference) Bless You!

Cult of the Hen? Raise chickens do you? OK, i won't pry...

Personally, though you might call me a moocher too (i usually get some money back from my tax return), i'd gladly pay more in taxes to help support folk like you and the autistic man you care for. Why do rich folk not feel the same altruism? What is it about having money that makes folk want to hoard it? I guess that's an age old question, but it still begs the asking.

Moochers unite!

[coeur_de_lion]

49. Moochers Unite! Great slogan!

I love it!

I am actually very happy that this video slipped out. Shouldn't surprise anyone. This is who Romney is, and my repub neighbors spout the same crap all the time. Even the ones who make a lot less money than I do, and rely on unemployment when they are out of work (often).

Many dirt poor, red state, red neck republicans spout similar drivel. I live in a red state and I hear it all the time. From people a lot worse off than I am, with no health insurance, not enough work, and not much hope for their future, financially. They all talk as if they are as wealthy as Mitt and they don't want to give up any of their hard earned money for taxes. So they listen to Fox news, go to the bar and complain about Obamacare to anyone who will listen to them. They continuously vote against their own self interest.

I don't get it.

[maddiemom]

50. Wonderfully said!

Bless you and welcome to DU.

[Skittles]

55. what took you so long to get here, cultofthehen?

WOOO!

[VWolf]

62. Welcome, fellow moocher!!!

[M_M]

38. Kiss Romney Goodbye

[inchhigh]

39. Wait a mintute!

People who pay no taxes? And feel they are entitled?

Is Mitt saying he's going to vote for Obama?

[pacalo]

47. There are four other video clips, along with transcripts, at the Mother Jones site.

Plus this updated blurb:

UPDATE: After a restriction was lifted, Mother Jones reported that this fundraiser was held at the Boca Raton home of controversial private equity manager Marc Leder on May 17.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/secret-video-romney-private-fundraiser

[OmahaBlueDog]

48. I've met many Republicans who feel exactly that way.

I think this will energize his wingnut base, but won't win him many converts.

[Skittles]

56. even repukes know "THOSE PEOPLE" do not total 47%

...they HAVE to realize a big percentage of that 47% INCLUDES the wingnut base......Romney done stepped in it good

[SaveAmerica]

57. Hypocritical when he's trying to keep moneyed friends from paying

Who's dependent on the Government now Mitt?

[SaveAmerica]

58. Also we pay taxes BIG TIME throughout the year, let us have the $1500 we get back in returns

My husband has a good job; the amount he earns per year is a decent amount but after taxes we are squeaking by at a decidedly lower amount. We found out recently our take-home qualifies us for assistance in the school system. Even still we don't 'mind' the taxes, we know stuff has to be paid for and I watch closely to make sure the Government at all levels is using it right.

How dare he begrudge us filing our taxes and getting a small, no extemely small percentage back? Pay as much as us Mitt and stop depending on the Government without paying your fair share.

[vaberella]

59. Well there we go a devastating October surprise and it's not October yet.

If there is an October surprise....can it be any worse than this?

[allan01]

60. re:Josh Marshall: "This tape strikes me as absolutely devastating."

lets see mittins . hmm. 7 years for rental yard. 7 years for a transit company. 15 years for a church. all cleaning jobs. so mit would u say i worked hard and saved . took me and my ssi team 5 years of endless denials and finaly asking for a alg(administrative law judge ) to appeal. i am still in battle with ss over my account today. so , mittens , where are your seven years of tax returns . tax returns . tax returns , oh were are the tax returns mittins. you romney who doged the draft in paris ,whilst your comrades died . your ancestors who fled to mexico so they could have as many wives they wanted .

[TheKentuckian]

61. Welfare Queen Weird WilLIARd needs to show he pays his taxes

[Eddie Haskell]

65. Hey Mitt

I'm one of the 47% and I pay a greater % of my income in taxes than you do.