Romney: 'I'm not concerned about the very poor'

[maddezmom]

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he's "not concerned about the very poor" because they have an "ample safety net" and he's focused instead on relieving the suffering of middle-class people hit hard by the bad economy.
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON--

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he's "not concerned about the very poor" because they have an "ample safety net" and he's focused instead on relieving the suffering of middle-class people hit hard by the bad economy.

In comments likely to become fodder for his critics, Romney emphasized, "You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus."

He brought up the subject of the poor in a CNN interview marking his big win in Florida's GOP primary Tuesday night, a major step toward becoming the party's challenger to President Barack Obama in the fall. A multi-millionaire former venture capitalist, Romney has been criticized by Democrats and his Republican rivals alike for earlier remarks seen as insensitive, such as saying "I like being able to fire people" and declaring that he knew what it was like to worry about being "pink-slipped" out of a job.


more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2017387811_apusromney.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Confirming what we already knew about this pompous ass!

Exactly what is wrong with republicans
They don't care about anyone but the 1%

[BeyondGeography]

2. Fucking guy is hopeless

PLEASE nominate him, GOP. Unlike the real cons, he doesn't even pretend to have ideas that can work for everyone, or jive phrases like "the soft bigotry of low expectations." There is no better standard bearer for your "cause."

[baldrad]

25. Your buttons are too easily pushed.....

......I think Romney meant that, since we've found 13 trillion to spend on the War on Poverty since Johnson, the safety nets are in place; his statement is not difficult to understand.

[BeyondGeography]

28. I'm a dispassionate observer of political ineptitude

He has a tin ear. Can you relate?

[BootinUp]

77. $600 for getting the bonus question, pick your next topic. nt

[Bjorn Against]

39. Again where the hell do you get the idea that we spent $13 trillion on the War on Poverty?

You are pulling that number out of your ass, unless you consider the Pentagon budget to be part of the War on Poverty which would be idiotic then you are completely 100% wrong. If we had spent even a fraction of that number on ending poverty we would have ended poverty, but the right-wing has done everything in their power to make sure the poor stay poor and our social safety net has been gutted. You are either lying about the 13 trillion figure or at the very least you are believing the lies of the right-wing but either way you are flat out wrong.

[Ruby the Liberal]

44. Welcome to DU. Got a link for that claim?

We like links. Helps to facilitate conversation and weed out things just being tossed about.

[SOS]

51. Benefits available for a non-disabled adult in New York City:

$0 in public assistance
$7 a day in food stamps.

Ample!

[lunasun]

76. That is what I thought ! There really isnt any more 'welfare checks'

What is the safety net ?? I think some states will give said person like 200 a month for 2-5yrs (but I could be wrong maybe that is if you have a kid ) so I know that the money would not get you much every month and you need a mailbox to get food stamps I would think . Do some states still provide welfare?

can you get aid enought to really survive without a job in some states?
sure aint in places like NYC.

[tabasco]

61. LOL!

[IndyJones]

90. I agree. Much to do about nothing.

[Ricochet21]

56. "What you do to the least of these, you do to me."

He is fucking clueless.

[IndyJones]

91. Okay, well, he did donate like $7 million to charity last year so I think he's okay on that issue.

I'm not his fan, but let's find real issues to talk about.

[Ricochet21]

97. It's very real

He spreads poison and lies. What's more damaging than that? He has no policies.

[highplainsdem]

3. He would shred the "ample safety net" he claims they have.

[shireen]

4. Keep talking like that, Romney.

ANYONE that says that is an ignorant, callous, and totally devoid of empathy.

But please don't let me stop you, keep saying all the stupid things you can think of. It will save on the advertising budget -- all the Democrats would have to do is string together those ridiculous utterings into one commercial without commentary. Mitt Romney, in his own words.

[toddwv]

5. By "very poor", Golden Mittens Romney means anyone earning below $300,000 a year.

We're all poor to Golden Mittens Romney.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

63. $300,000 to $1,000,000 = poor, below $300,000 = very, very poor

after all he is the 0.5% oor maybe even the 0.1%?

[cstanleytech]

81. I am in the last category :(

And I mean wayyyyyyy last like not even 1/5 of that amount.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

109. me too

[harun]

98. lol, probably true

[treestar]

6. FFS the middle class is still

better off than the poor. What twisted "thinking."

[Roland99]

7. Freudian slip? Or just a glimpse into his true nature?

[cstanleytech]

82. Only if cluelessness is a nature.

[Kablooie]

93. He's a politician and politicians always lie, so actually he cares a lot.

Hows that for a defense?

[Madmiddle]

8. A guy

this rich, so out of touch with real people, is a one man disaster. I'm am astonished at how stupid these GOP bastereds are. The GOP is chucked full of seriously untalented assholes of the hightest order.

[bayareaboy]

9. So When Mittens was singing Americal the Beautfui lately ...

Did he notice a Ronnie Reagun jumped into his magic pants?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. See where he's going - he just has no filter or sense on how to say

these things. No matter how hard his handler try to prep him...there's some things
you just can't teach to a silver-spooner

[reformist2]

11. Keep the soundbites coming, Mitt!

The GOP is betting on the wrong horse with him. What a horrible candidate.

[csziggy]

59. Mitt is the perfect candidate for the GOP

Uncaring, ignorant about how the average American lives, and so inept we should be able to beat him in the general election.

What I worry about is the immense amount of money that corporations are ready to pour into his campaign and the ability of the GOP to steal elections. Otherwise Obama should have a pretty easy re-election.

[lunasun]

79. I worry too -what you said + the sheepie voting block that eats the corp crap doled out for them

[think]

12. May the very poor be there to welcome you everywhere you go Mitt /nt

[Stuart G]

23. +1

[OKNancy]

13. I don't even know if this will hurt him at all

People seem just so damn selfish now. Those who are offended by this remark are going to vote for Obama anyway.
Maybe a good PR person could use the quote to show how he is an insufferable 1%er. I would hope so anyway.

[thesquanderer]

14. "...because the poor aren't going to vote for me anyway." (n/t)

[Zoeisright]

15. Riiight, Willard.

So kindly explain to me the huge number of homeless, hungry children, and people who die because they can't get preventative care in this country?

I hate that dog-abusing asshole.

[Bjorn Against]

37. Where the hell do you get the idea that $13 trillion was spent on anti-poverty programs?

For your information the poverty rate dropped significantly when Johnson instituted his War on Poverty programs, the claim that it was a failure is a lie. You know what has been a failure? Deregulation of banks and the shredding of the social safety net, Republican policies have devestated the poor. Check out the poverty rates before and after Johnson declared War on Poverty and tell me his programs were not successful, they would have been more successful however if the focus had stayed on poverty rather than shifting to war. Despite that however it is an indisputable fact that the poverty rate declined sharply after Johnson started taking the issue seriously, if the War on Poverty had continued to be taken seriously it would have suceeded fully but the Republicans and the DLC don't care about poor people so they killed it.

[Skittles]

38. LOL...........baldrad

you are either INSANE or a fucking REPUKE - "privately funded charities" (INCLUDING CHURCHES) have NEVER even come close to solving America's ills

[lunasun]

80. privately funded charities have been more efficient at this effort oh pleez

I vote delusional AND repug (as is often the case)

[cstanleytech]

83. Ok..no more sugar for you skittles as its making ya way to hyper :P lol

Anyway ya I have heard that line of BS from a guy I know who claims that we dont need social programs by the government because the churches used to do so much. He is clueless and totally ignores the truth which that the churches did very little to really solve the problem and in fact before the current government run programs it was common for children to be on the streets homeless, unfed and without shelter.
Makes me shake my head in wonder at times.

[racaulk]

40. Are you lost?

[gopiscrap]

16. What a fucking asshole!

This is part of theproblem with this country and it started with that bastard Ronald Reagan

[raouldukelives]

17. Neither is his God. nt

[Smilo]

18. We need to watch

this guy - he will be the nominee and he has a good way of hiding things and forgetting about things that may be detrimental.

Willard is a lying sack of excrement and good at it. How many people have been "pink slipped" to make an extra million here and there for him? How many people has he fired because it's a likable experience for him? This guy is disgusting, but he plays to the GOPT and they love him for it.

I hope that Obama does not go "we must be nice and not attack" because Willard will be just the opposite.

[ladywnch]

19. "....are there no prisons, are there no workhouses? Let them die and decrease the surplus

population..."


-Charles Dickens/Scrooge
-Mittens Romney

[baldrad]

27. Don't forget....

George Bernard Shaw.

[tblue37]

85. Remember how Gingrich once said we need to bring back orphanages to house kids who, he believes,

should be taken from their parents if their parents are too poor.

[hfojvt]

20. I think that statement will actually play well with many middle class voters

and Obama could say the same thing. At least I think Obama shows the same thing by always talking about the middle class instead of about the poor, and also with policies that help the upper middle class far more than they help the bottom 40%, to say nothing of the very poor.

But this was the same card that Reagan played so well. Many voters, working hard at their jobs and paying taxes and perhaps, as Obama and DU claim, struggling to get by, do not want to hear about the poor. They feel like the poor already get all kinds of free stuff - food, heating assistance, housing, medical care. Stuff that the middle class has to work and pay for, not just for themselves, but for the poor as well. Many of them are more concerned with their own troubles than they are with the poor.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

48. After Mitten's tax returns were released one can see who's getting the free stuff.

It aint the poor.

[Beacool]

101. Neither party really cares about the poor.

They don't vote.

[hfojvt]

105. some of them vote, but not as many

the top 20% probably makes up twice the voting power as the bottom 20% even though the two groups should be the same size.

But even if they do vote - they don't donate, and thus are far, far less important than those who do donate.

[Beacool]

106. I was being sarcastic.

The poor have no power, no paid lobbyists and few advocates. Therefore, very few politicians truly care about their plight.

[MaineDem]

21. And the ALEC playbook has state legislatures cutting these "ample safety nets"

A total POS.

[klook]

22. This is exactly the same BS that Reagan spewed --

Saying he wanted to provide for the "truly needy," while simultaneously slashing huge holes in safety nets.

[SoapBox]

24. ...dirt bag bastard.

The asshole can't even FAKE it that he has concerns for America's very poor.

[Evasporque]

29. Riiiggghhhttt....

http://www.familyhomelessness.org/children.php?p=ts

One in 45 children experience homelessness in America each year. That's over 1.6 million children. While homeless, they experience high rates of acute and chronic health problems. The constant barrage of stressful and traumatic experience also has profound effects on their development and ability to learn.

[patrice]

30. If the poor are okay, why is he concerned about the MC becoming poor? His resume shows that he

supports economics in which there are winners and losers, so why would he be concerned about the MC losing? Based on his background, couldn't that be a good thing to him?

Or is it really that he knows the poor aren't okay and if their numbers grow they could more of a problem to the winners?

[mikekohr]

31. Jesus cares. just sayin'

"Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?" And Jesus will answer them, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"
-Mother Teresa of Calcutta-

[Evasporque]

32. You can't focus on something under a bus.....nt

[progressoid]

33. Sadly, that will gain him votes from GOPers.

disgusting.

[lefthandedlefty]

34. He should be

If not for the poor and working class, rich people could not get rich.The money comes from the bottom up.Think about it the money has to from somewhere it goes up to them and never really comes back.

[hue]

36. Lol! Mittens would never think this way!! His money came from daddy &

has been earning interest & dividends in "tucked away" accounts since the beginning of time
for all he "knows".

[hue]

35. another example of a Repub demonstrating lack of empathy--true to Ayn Rand & ALEC n/t

[solarman350]

41. mutt WRONGLY: "Pardon me… could you pass the Grey Poupon?"

and just like bush I, mutt doesn't EVEN know the price of a carton of milk or a loaf of bread. Hopefully, those who do will not vote for him.


rePIGphuKKKer Party is the KKKlan of Cognitive Dissonance and Vulgarity.

[lunasun]

84. I thought of him too !

but thought the comparison was too dated

Kennebunkport didnt even know about UPC scanners in grocery stores

At least he faked his 1000 pts of light that were going to help the needy for the crowd
Romster just flat out declares I dont care

Refuses to address any needs below middle class
GOP evolution

[DCBob]

42. Tell us something we dont know.

what a maroon.

[Denninmi]

43. Ah, just tie them on top of the car with the dog.

They'll be fine. They may even prefer it up there.

[tclambert]

45. Say something stupid, Willard!

Wait five seconds . . . and there it is.

[Blasphemer]

46. Well, at least it's the truth

The GOP is not concerned about the very poor. However, many of the "middle class" people that they wish to relieve are now living below the poverty line.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

47. Once again Mittens show how clueless he is.

He's going to lose big time come November.

[Thrill]

49. How is the media trying to defend him on this one?

I haven't watched today?

[SaintPete]

50. Even if it were a misconstrued statement

can't he see that SAYING so can easily be used against him? Do Republicans really want such an idjit as their nominee?

Yeah I guess they do...

[Ricochet21]

57. The rest of the clowns are worse!

[DCBob]

52. Funny, the morans on RW talk radio are only pissed about the "safety net" comment.

They want to kill it not fix it. Sick bastards.

[Harry Monroe]

66. Until they need it.

BTW, why the hell am I seeing a banner on top of this Reply page that says "Help Rick Santorum Win The Republican Nomination For President" with a "Donate Now" button. (paid for by Rick Santorum for President). Is this some kind of sick fucking joke?

[tblue37]

87. Ads are determined by the content of a page, not by the owner of the website.

If Rick Santorum is mentioned on a page, the adbot makes the connection and posts a Rick Santorum ad.

In most cases, such a process works fairly well, but when something or someone is mentioned on a site that opposes it or him/her, then you end up with incongruous ads promoting the thing or the person that the page criticizes or opposes.

[boppers]

111. Click through.

They pay for every click.

Their loss if they offer *us* a way to *increase charges* to them for every click.

[humblebum]

53. He said the very poor have a safety net. If he considers sleeping on a nice sidewalk

or in a short term homeless shelter to be their safety net, then I guess he's right. Personally, when we are living in an age where homeless shelters are a big business, it is a national disgrace. That is not a safety net Mr. Romney. You have no clue.

[sellitman]

54. Did you know that Mitt is taking Yoga?

He claims it helps him remove the foot from his mouth.

[SaintPete]

58. i thought you were going for

head from his ass

[RBInMaine]

55. He's a silver spooned silver tongued corporatist SHMUCK !

[louis-t]

60. He's already making excuses for saying it.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/way-florida-romney-signals-won-t-let-gingrich-185925558.html

[wordpix]

103. LOL! His big issue now is cap & trade! Which is now DEAD, thanks to repugs!

So now he's whipping the cap n trade dead horse that SHOULD have passed, and I believe it was the pukes' idea in the first place to tie carbon emissions to carbon credits, just as the nation did in controlling acid rain. But NO! They had to KILL cap and trade after they proposed it.

CLUELESS MITT! This guy is going down in flames big time if that's the best issue he can think of, an issue that the repugs already "took care of."

[Rosa Luxemburg]

62. He has a lovely safety net in the Cayman Islands

[agentS]

64. Over at RedState, total frickin meltdown.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/01/1060813/-Red-State-losing-its-mind-over-Romneys-very-poor-remarks-(Updated)?via=siderec

They're starting to sound like us on the issue of Romney's money.

In an era of crooked politicians and business, will America elect a leader who got his money being crooked? AND who doesn't care about the poor? Maybe, maybe not....

[BeyondGeography]

67. Oooh, hey, thanks for that

Everyone should check that out.

[Harry Monroe]

65. Mitt needs to be hit upside his head with a clue by four.

Of course you aren't, Mitt. I'll bet you never even think about them. When you live a live of privilege like he has, you never give them a second thought. Millions of Americans are one paycheck from joining the ranks of poverty and the poor, yet Mitt is not very concerned.

[Chill Keney]

68. Obama just got reelected

Thanks Willard!

[6000eliot]

69. Geez, this guy knows exactly what to say, doesn't he?

[unkachuck]

70. "not concerned about the very poor"

....do all rich wall-street Mormons feel this way or is it just you, willie? Seriously, there are many god-pukes and baggers that would disagree with you, many of them being 'very poor'.

....many good Christians spend a lifetime volunteering their time to help the 'very poor'....maybe we should ask them if there is an 'ample safety net'?

....to the best of my knowledge, Newtie with all his fascist charm, has never divided the rich and the poor along class lines like you have....worst than your comment, is the callous, disconnected mentality behind it....willie, you're dangerous....

[tblue37]

88. When he was Speaker, Gingrich advocated removing children from their homes

and housing them in orphanages if their parents were too poor to properly provide for them.

In other words, don't give the parents assistance when they fall on hard times, just take their kids away and put them in orphanages.

[jmowreader]

71. It's just that the GOP is doing its damndest to get rid of that safety net

The real answer is, he's not concerned about the very poor because they're not sending him campaign contributions.

Just like he wasn't concerned with the employees of K-B Toys or Ampad when he bought those companies and forced them into bankruptcy.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

72. But he's passionate about the "somewhat poor."

[Al Rowden]

73. Wow.

Mittens, Mittens, Mittens... When I first read this I though it HAD TO be wrong or a joke or something. It's just so ridiculous, but then again he's a Republican. It's a given that they think like this. You know? The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the GOP don't give a shit about the poor.

[lonestarnot]

74. Stupid motherfucker. Can't fucking see past the nose on richassed mugliCON.

[LostinRed]

75. Unfortunetly this kind of rhetoric might work with Independents

And the very poor don't vote usually because they're disenfranchised.

[lunasun]

86. voter ID laws will make that more so now

[BootinUp]

78. This is the kind of shit that turns my stomach...

but he is essentially throwing gasoline on the OWS movement in my opinion. So go for it dickhead.

[Kablooie]

89. You're taking his comment out of context!

In the proper context he actually meant that he's not concerned about the very poor because they have an ample safety net.

So please let's be fair about this.

[IndyJones]

92. We need to not focus on this statement. The contrast of what percentage of what he donated to

charity last year vs what Obama's percentage is huge. Obama donated 1% of his personal income to charity and Romney donated nearly 15% of his personal income. This will be turned around to say that your heart is where you put your treasure (not other people's treasure). I'm not contrasting just dollar amounts, but total percentages of their personal income. And before you say well, Romney makes a bazillion more, that's not the point. I'm talking about percentages of income, not dollars.

[DCBob]

95. Whats funny if you listen to the entire comment concerning this..

its even worse.

[florida08]

94. Sounds very Randian to me

Keep hearing Newt's famous line.."anyone who quotes what I said now is lying"

[DCBob]

96. I hope this gives comfort to those who thought Gingrich would have been the easier opponent.

We can count on Romney saying dumb stuff like this about once a week.

[denem]

99. The Cayman Islands are a safety net, my friend.

[wordpix]

104. so are Switzerland and Bermuda

[Beacool]

100. Poor choice of words.

I understood what he meant, but he could have phrased it better. He meant that there are services to help the poor that the middle class doesn't have, unless they become poor themselves. Such as Medicaid, food stamps and welfare.

[wordpix]

102. First, if the poor DID have an ample safety net, it's no thanks to you, Tax Haven Mitt

Second, they do NOT have an ample safety net. I have firsthand knowledge of THAT via my work.

[jxnmsdemguy65]

107. Mitt Romney is a white-bread jello-eating Mormon turd

nt

[sarcasmo]

108. Kick!

[LeftishBrit]

110. Let them eat cake.

[sarcasmo]

112. Kick!

[Vidar]

113. Clueless, utterly clueless!