BREAKING: Romney just said that Blacks just want Free Stuff from the Government!

[kpete]

It is being reported on the Rachel Maddow show that Romney has just said the following: see below

“Remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy - more free stuff. But don’t forget nothing is really free.”

— Mitt Romney’s response at a fundraiser to the crowd that booed his NAACP speech earlier today.

http://spinlighted.tumblr.com/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/07/11/1108841/-BREAKING-Romney-just-said-that-Blacks-just-want-Free-Stuff-from-the-Government

[demwing]

1. I knew Romney going to the NAACP was good news

for Dems.

[BeyondGeography]

2. He has had himself quite a day

[BumRushDaShow]

3. She was just on Lawrence at the top of the hour

and she was pissed!

[Dawson Leery]

4. The Young/Smith doctrine of white supremacy is clearly in Mitt Romney.

[maryellen99]

5. This election is now between good vs evil nt

[senseandsensibility]

6. The guy just has no inner core

He says what he is told to say, probably, for whatever short term effect. Tomorrow it will be something else, but always craven, inconsistent, and essentially meaningless.

[slackmaster]

7. I want free stuff too

[Spazito]

8. He is a racist pig n/t

[targetpractice]

15. Yup...

Yet, we'll see everyone on TV dance around and twist themselves into knots to avoid discussing that fact tomorrow.

[PatrynXX]

28. well sure and a bully too

and bully's can kiss their own ass in hell. it's very hot in hell.

[Maximumnegro]

41. Deflection

They're trying to pull focus away from tax returns/Bain. Desperate move if you ask me.

[Spazito]

73. Deflection or not, he is a racist pig...

the deflection is in addition to his being a racist pig.

[WCGreen]

52. I don't think he sees himself as racist in the conventional way....

I think he is just clueless...

[HangOnKids]

63. He has his magic underwear in a twist

He isn't clueless Green, he is a mendacious malignant fuck. A smirking nasty fuck.

[Spazito]

74. Most racists don't see themselves as racist...

but Romney was raised in a religion that WAS racist and that didn't change until he was in his thirties, I believe, so I doubt he is clueless. He knew exactly what he was doing and saying and why. It was to signal the other racists that 'I am one of you so vote for me', it's that simple, imo.

[Left Coast2020]

109. Please tell me if this has dug him into a deep hole.

I mean, not releaseing his taxes, Bain-Gate, now this scummy remark. I hope to God the country see's this dude for what he is: a heartless a-hole. I pray his poll numbers drop like a rock.

[enough]

9. Bringing his racism out into the open. This is his way of dealing with the "he's not tough enough"

grumbling that's been coming from the right lately.

"I am severely racist."

[SunSeeker]

44. "I am severely racist"

DUzy!

[GarroHorus]

10. So he's blaming it all on the Curse of Cain

Brigham Young would be so proud of the fulfillment of the White Horse Prophecy.

[meow2u3]

98. Rmoney IS the curse of Cain!

[bhikkhu]

11. He imagines that no one pays taxes

...must have mistaken them for himself.

Keeping in mind that everyone, on average, who makes less than $250k a year, pays about 40% of their income towards taxes one way or another. Which are then returned in various services - the basic roles and reasons for governments.

Those making more than $250k a year pay, on average, about 17% of their income.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. I'd hate to think what other stereotypes he talks about in private

about Mexicans, gays, Asians, Arabs, women among others.

[jenmito]

13. While energizing HIS base, he energizes OUR base, too. n/t

[PragmaticLiberal]

14. Well, I guess the battle lines have been drawn.

[Chorophyll]

16. Ho-ly sh*t.

I keep thinking, does he not have handlers? Why do they keep letting him speak?

Then I remember that this is a GOOD thing. Keep it up Mitt-meister, you raging racist d-bag.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. He is repeating a standard AM radio talking point,

that the only reason African-Americans (all of whom are either criminals or on welfare, doncha know? ) vote for Democrats is that the Democrats bribe them with free housing (where?), free medical care, and food stamps, all at the expense of hardworking (unstated: "white," because only white people work hard ) taxpayers.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

18. Sounds like this goes beyond the ACA and indicates the intent to drastically cut programs

Romney should be pressured by the media to now describe what programs he considers free lunches and what he intends to cut.

[Art_from_Ark]

55. Just another stage in the Republican devolution

starting, perhaps, with Reagan's diatribes against welfare mothers, and his ill-advised visit to the Bitburg Cemetery for Misunderstood Nazi Soldiers. After all, "They were victims, just as surely as the victims in the concentration camps"

[steve2470]

19. k&r, I hope this makes him go down in the worst way ! nt

[coalition_unwilling]

20. Romney's so fucking clever, locking down the (white) racist voting bloc

like that. (in case it's needed)

I knew I was correct to be despising and hating him even more than I hated and despised Bush.

[pinboy3niner]

22. It was a brilliant plan to win over the racist fence-sitters!

[coalition_unwilling]

26. God, I am really getting my hate on in a major way. I never

thought I could hate and despise anyone more than Bush. Boy was I wrong!

[Arugula Latte]

85. I know! It's astonishing.

I had no idea I'd come to loathe this cretin so much.

His debasement is even more egregious because, unlike Dubya, I think the guy does have more than two brain cells to rub together because he hasn't blown his brains out with drugs and alcohol.

[smirkymonkey]

112. He makes W look practically look benign.

And that's saying something. My hatred for the members of the Bush administration pales in comparison to Mitt. He's so blatent and wears his entitlement like a badge of honor He makes me physically ill.

[Cali_Democrat]

42. Well it appears that Billy Bob who lives in Alabama and has a confederate flag bumper sticker...

on his pickup might not vote for Obama after all.

Romney has successfully courted him.

[Downtown Hound]

23. I'm pretty sure he already had that bloc locked down. n/t

[coalition_unwilling]

24. You may be right. Let's just call today's dog whistles

an 'insurance policy.'

[ieoeja]

76. That was no dog whistle.

This was as blatantly racist as it gets. It will not get the attention it would have if he had used the N-word. But it should. He just said that Blacks just want free stuff. On a scale of 1-10 this has to be around 8 where 9 is for slavery and 10 is for genocide.

[coalition_unwilling]

79. Well, saying that people who favor the ACA want 'free stuff' in

reaction to the booing he received at his NAACP appearance to my mind qualifies as a 'dog whistle':

"Dog-whistle politics, also known as the use of code words, is a type of political campaigning or speechmaking which employs coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has a different or more specific meaning for a targeted subgroup of the audience. The term is invariably pejorative, and is used to refer both to messages with an intentional subtext, and those where the existence or intent of a secondary meaning is disputed. The term is an analogy to dog whistles, which are built in such a way that the high-frequency whistle is heard by dogs, but appears silent to human hearing."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog-whistle_politics

***************

In this context, people 'who want free stuff' is code for 'N*****s' (and 'Sp**s'). The larger audience will hear people 'who want free stuff' but the targeted subgroup will hear the racist eptithets embedded in the code.

I agree with you that it was blatantly racist and patently offensive.

[freshwest]

21. Ain't that precious. Bless your little heart. Now shut the fuck up, please.

[Downtown Hound]

25. Hey Mitt, who was it that received a nearly $800 billion dollar "bailout" from the government?

Was it poor black people? Um, no. It was rich white bankers, and they took the money and ran. And who was it that gave it to them? Oh yeah, it was a pampered white guy named George W. Bush, a Republican, just like you. Every African American on welfare today could continue collecting their welfare checks for many years, and it wouldn't be enough to reach the level of free stuff given to those already rich white guys.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

27. Or how about Mitt's own Olympics that got a $300 million gift from George Bush

so Romney could look like a hero?

[freshwest]

49. +1.000! Zing!

[gordianot]

29. He must have some internal numbers suggesting that he will never win enough real votes.

So why not say something so totally stupid what has he go to lose? When his tax returns are finally released what defense is left when you can scrutinize his "free stuff"! After all there is still voter suppression and machine election fraud to fall back on.

[ancianita]

30. LOL "...nothing is really free..." except all that tax haven money...

The double standard of treasonous tax evader cheats like Rmoney is criminal. He and his ilk have no loyalty to any country and they're all out to bilk the planet. ANYTHING African Americans get for free still does NOT compensate for the work, families, psychic abuse, rapes, cultural arts and their very lives -- everything -- that their past ancestors had stolen from them. This man is both stupid and evil. He's not fit to even run for the highest office, nevermind win it.

[zeemike]

31. Perhaps he is being so bold and open about it because

He knows he don't need the black vote or the gay vote or women's vote because he has the vote and full support of the ones that count the vote...and in the end that is what matters.

Besides getting all this stuff out now and should they steal it for him he can then claim a mandate to do all those things....see the American people have spoke and that is what they want him to do.
It is the set up for the game.

[Mimosa]

32. Blacks want good-paying JOBS

Blacks and whites don't want something for nothing. They want to put in work, hopefully meaningful rewarding work, which enables them to support their children and save for their old age. Even in the 1950s blacks did better than NOW.

Look it up Mitt.

[Mz Pip]

33. Unless they are a corporation

Corporatuions are people, my friend.

Those people should vote for Mitt because they will get lots more free stuff from the government.

[steve2470]

34. Screenshot from Rachel Maddow's show:

[Kalidurga]

36. Mitt is so right nothing is for free...

all that fee money he got from corporate raiding vulture capitalism came at the expense of thousands of pensions he stole.

[Maximumnegro]

43. HAHA

THat pic is awesome. I can not WAIT until debates. He better keep a stash of batteries, ready!

[MannyGoldstein]

35. Who let the dogs out?

RMoney is a perpetual Christmas, a new gift every day.

[HangOnKids]

64. Mouth Vomit

RMoney is so good at it.

[StrictlyRockers]

37. Did he really say that?

Are you kidding me? Really?? Man, is this going to be a fun year. What is it, like, July? Oh man, this is gonna get good. Willard is a total n00b at this.

[steve2470]

38. On Twitter some are trying to claim that "oh he says that in his speeches all the time"

We'll see how well that spin works.

[DCKit]

48. Not in front of the NAACP. I doubt most of those folks are exposed to much of that crap.

They sure as hell don't listen to AM hate radio.

He's just convinced the NAACP to begin a HUGE voter registration/education drive, and it's going to hurt the Republicans far more than it's going to help them.

As has been said here many times over the past few weeks, the Republicans already had the racist vote locked up, I can't begin to imagine how many people of color, liberals, progressives and sane Republicans he motivated to vote against him today.

[Blue_In_AK]

39. Romney is so clueless

he doesn't even realize how racist that sounded. What a pathetic excuse for a candidate.

[HooptieWagon]

82. He knows exactly how racist that was...

hes pandering to the white GOP base. "See, Im one of you".

[Blue_In_AK]

96. After my original post, I got to thinking about this more,

and I believe you're absolutely correct, unfortunately. I should know better than to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[steve2470]

40. "Greta Van Susteren posted an excerpt of the report with the fuller context..."

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/romney-on-naacp-booing-if-they-want-more-stuff-from-the-government-vote-obama/

<snip>

The quote comes from a pool report, which leaves open the slim possibility of a transcription error or two, but it is being reported as a direct quote. Greta Van Susteren posted an excerpt of the report with the fuller context, in which Romney brags about not attenuating his message to the NAACP crowd:

“By the way, I had the privelege of speaking today at the NAACP convention in Houston and I gave them the same speech I am giving you. I don’t give different speeches to different audiences alright. I gave them the same speech. When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare they weren’t happy, I didn’t get the same response. That’s ok, I want people to know what I stand for and if I don’t stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that’s just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy-more free stuff. But don’t forget nothing is really free. it has to paid for by people in the private sector creating goods and services, and if people want jobs more than they want free stuff from government, then they are going to have to get government to be smaller. And if they don’t want to repeal Obamacare they are going to have to give me some other stuff they are thinking about cutting, but my list takes Obamacare off first and I have a lot of other things I am thinking of cutting.”

This will probably help Romney with certain segments of the Republican base, but the broader electorate may well react negatively to the contemptuous attitude he displays toward people who support health care reform, who simply want the insurance that they pay for to actually cover them and their loved ones when they need it to.

It will also give the press, and the former Massachusetts Governor’s opponents, a chance to remind independent voters that Mitt Romney actually does give different speeches to different audiences. To his donors, people who favor government health care reform with an individual mandate are freeloaders, while he tells the people of several years ago that government health care reform with an individual mandate eliminates the freeloaders:

*end of excerpt*

[lunatica]

67. Imagine what his arrogance would be AFTER being elected

If this is him wooing the electorate with sweetness and promises, imagine what he'll be like when President and he no longer needs us to like him all that much. It would be Dubya on steroids.

[damnedifIknow]

45. Well who needs the black vote

when they have the electronic voting machines....Just purge a few, switch a few here and there and wala!

[Major Hogwash]

46. Romney sucks. He might as well just start calling Blacks thieves, drug addicts, pimps, and whores.

Because that's what he really thinks of Black people in this country anyway.

He probably had his hand on his wallet pocket through the entire speech.

[The_Casual_Observer]

47. Keep it up Shmit!

Sanctimonious piece of shit bears a strong resemblance to the martians in "Mars Attacks". Fuck you romney!

[VOX]

50. So Mittens now qualifies as a BIGOTED idiot...

A perfect fit for his knuckle-walking base!

[goclark]

51. That is it!

Keep on talkig idiot!

You must have been talking to that 999 Fool ~

[wandy]

53. This is a bit hard to believe..........

It's hard to believe that even a clueless BlueBlood like Romney would have said this.
It's hard to believe that even a dirty pool player like Karl Rove would have gone so fare to stir up the base.

I can't help but think that these people have some ultimate game plan.
Game plan or not, this is where the republican party well may have bitten off more than they can hide.

One things is sure; they have put their cards on the table.

[coalition_unwilling]

62. It's so gauche, so declasse, such a thorough repudiation of blueblood

'noblesse oblige'.

What a shitstain.

[TwilightGardener]

54. Wow.

[Lifelong Protester]

56. Yeah, all I can do is second your wow.

the man is completely clueless. I don't care how his handlers and Foxies try to spin him.

I can just see him afterwards "What? What did I say?"

[steve2470]

57. Twitter is afire with this, 99% against him

No trending hashtags for this yet

[steve2470]

58. now on NY Times:

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/romney-in-the-lions-den/

12:55 a.m. | Updated

According to Buzzfeed, this is what Romney told a group of donors in Hamilton, Mont. on Wednesday night:

<snip>

When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare they weren’t happy, I didn’t get the same response. That’s O.K, I want people to know what I stand for and if I don’t stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that’s just fine.

Revealingly, there was more:

But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy — more free stuff. But don’t forget nothing is really free. It has to paid for by people in the private sector creating goods and services, and if people want jobs more than they want free stuff from government, then they are going to have to get government to be smaller. And if they don’t want to repeal Obamacare they are going to have to give me some other stuff they are thinking about cutting, but my list takes Obamacare off first and I have a lot of other things I am thinking of cutting.

*end of excerpt*

[Skip Intro]

59. If this full quote is accurate, I think the accusation is wrong.

if this is true then Mitt was addressing the people in his audience, or people in general, but not blacks specifically, nor referring to his NAACP audience specifically. He specifically addresses "people," either people in general, or people there. He's talking to and about them at that point. I don't see any other way to read it. I don't think it is what people are trying to make it out to be. Not that Mitt isn't scary on enough other levels. But the reality of it needs to be there. It isn't, in this case, as far as I can tell. My opinion.

Here's what I have been told is the full quote:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=934139

"By the way, I had the privelege of speaking today at the NAACP convention in Houston and I gave them the same speech I am giving you. I don't give different speeches to different audiences alright. I gave them the same speech. When I mentioned I am going to get rid of Obamacare they weren't happy, I didn't get the same response. That's ok, I want people to know what I stand for and if I don't stand for what they want, go vote for someone else, that's just fine. But I hope people understand this, your friends who like Obamacare, you remind them of this, if they want more stuff from government tell them to go vote for the other guy-more free stuff. But don't forget nothing is really free. it has to paid for by people in the private sector creating goods and services, and if people want jobs more than they want free stuff from government, then they are going to have to get government to be smaller. And if they don't want to repeal Obamacare they are going to have to give me some other stuff they are thinking about cutting, but my list takes Obamacare off first and I have a lot of other things I am thinking of cutting."

[ZenLefty]

60. Dude, you're ruining a perfectly good outrage.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

61. I love when the left Breitbarts the right, though. Especially if it works...

I don't really care how accurate it is if it helps us.

[Skip Intro]

103. I just don't like bullshit.

Including cryptic insinuations, HangOnKids.

[Arkana]

69. It's still dogwhistle racism, even in context. I don't give a damn

if Romney tailored his message or not.

[HotRodTuna]

81. There will only be more of this from now until November

Out of context, partial and distorted quotes from both sides designed to fire up the outrage. It's depressing since it's basically being lied to, which I get really sick of.

[steve2470]

66. kick for AM crowd nt

[OnionPatch]

68. We "common people" will stop needing "free" stuff

when big business starts paying a living wage and stops sending all the jobs to cheap labor countries.

[Dawgs]

70. He said exactly what most Republicans think. I see it on facebook almost every day.

It's there number one argument.

[Ganja Ninja]

71. He's channeling Newt.

[Go Vols]

72. kick

[Mr Dixon]

75. IMO

His people are counting on GOP voters and billionaires, seems like he has run out of things to say way early in the campaign sucks for him, ROFL.

[KansDem]

77. Wow! You mean like free TARP bailouts?! And free subsidies?!

And free military excursions into foreign lands to fatten your corporation's profits?

That kind of free stuff?

[libodem]

78. Like some of that good free cheese

We used to stand in line for? Who took away the cheese? I'm white but I've stood in cheese lines.

[Tsiyu]

80. Rmoney: "I'm only giving out Free Stuff to RICH White people!"

"I mean, nothing wrong with wanting free stuff, but I'm the guy whose gonna pass out all the free stuff to the bejillionaires.

So, bejillionaires who want free stuff, please feel free to vote for ME!"

[Catherine Vincent]

83. Why didn't he tell them that when he had the chance?

[L0oniX]

84. If the corporations want more free stuff, tell them to vote for Rmoney.

[OverseaVisitor]

86. Hello

I need to reply some private mail and need the post.

[Fire Walk With Me]

87. Ruh roh rorge.

[HarveyDarkey]

88. ...

[cascadiance]

90. And they don't want their "free stuff"? When is this jerk going to stop lying and spinning to us!

[backscatter712]

89. Well, since he suggested it...

I'll take him up on that offer!

Though with the caveat that I know perfectly well how government services are funded with taxes, and I'm fine with that.

[LiberalLovinLug]

91. But I thought Obamacare WAS A TAX (ie. not free)

Make up your mind Mitt.

[catbyte]

92. Romney just can't help but be despicable. n/t

[judesedit]

93. That ass never worked a day in his liver pate eatin life. Daddy gave him everything, like most of

these old white fat cats. I hope his "fundraiser" failed miserably. I know he did.....as usual. Romney's nothing but a skunk of the smelliest order.

[Aerows]

94. Everyone, male, female

black or white have the right to cheat on their tax forms, abuse multiple animals, including one that ended up being a fraud settlement because you drugged it up so badly that even a high end Equine veterinarian noted it, and questioned you getting out of a lawsuit, which you ultimately settled.

No one has to obey the law if their last name is Romney. If your last name is not Romney, prepare to be destroyed because they have to prove they are tough on crime and threaten everyone in the bureau that even dreams of charging them.

Third world country shit, and the more we allow this bullcrap just because they are rich or of the political class, the more we get horrible political servants. Explain Mitch McConnell serving for that damn long if you want an illustration of the problem.

[elbloggoZY27]

95. Holy Cow!!!!!

Politics has hit the bottom on civility and the GOP cannot be more ugly.


BOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

[humbled_opinion]

97. I KNEW IT, I KNEW IT

He fully intends on putting Condi Rice on his ticket....

[tblue]

99. They want to say the N word so bad.

This is code for it.

[Skittles]

106. add the U word

Uppity

[progress2k12nbynd]

108. If they wanted to they would.

We WILL lose this if that's all we got.

[sulphurdunn]

100. Romney gets lots

of free money because he's rich and pays a lower tax rate than most, if not all, NAACP members. Isn't this sort of double standard called hypocrisy?

[the_chinuk]

101. When the hyperwealthy want something for nothing from the government …

… in the process emptying our pockets and beggaring us, this is something they are somehow entitled to.

If we want services in return for the taxes we pay, this is known as 'wanting free stuff'.

Well, if that's wanting free stuff, then put me in the same class as my black brothers and sisters, because I happen to think if I pay for a government, then I want one that works for me, too, not just Them.

[Sherman A1]

102. No, Mr. Romney that would be

banks, not blacks. I know both words start with the letter "b" and the campaign trail can be long, tiresome & confusing, but it really is B A N K S that want free stuff.

[Skittles]

104. nothing is really free?

I am sure Mitt's 20,000,000 trust fund kids would beg to differ

[sarcasmo]

105. Wow, the debates are going to be fun.

[Skittles]

107. hell yes he is racist

as much as I despised Dubya, I never really thought he was racist - he simply hated poor people. But Romney - that fucker is racist to the core

[Pakid]

110. Idiot and this fool is the best that the GOP has to offer

Why would anyone in their right mind vote for any of the current crop of idiots that the GOP has to offer. America needs free mental health care for about 45% of its people!

[The Wizard]

111. What next?

A campaign kick off in Philadelphia, Mississippi.............

[undeterred]

113. He really should have his vocal cords severed.

[humbled_opinion]

114. LOOK AT MY POST#97

Condi Rice will be Romney Pick and the internet is now all abuzz with it...

[magnifisense]

115. He wanted those attending to see his true heart.

Well, later that day he sure showed them with that comment.