Romney Video: Another Gust of Wind for a Campaign Already Teetering

[simple]

Romney Video: Another Gust of Wind for a Campaign Already Teetering

In politics, timing is everything. And so it might be with gaffes.

Mitt Romney’s declaration that 47 percent of Americans -- all of President Obama's supporters -- want handouts from the government, secretly caught on tape during a private fundraiser earlier this year and published Monday by Mother Jones, is the latest errant remark in a presidential race replete with them. But unlike previous gaffes, the timing of this one could be more troublesome -- because there isn't time for it to fade.

Romney’s campaign has been besieged by reports of internal disputes and worrying poll numbers, and was already fighting to prove it remains on track to win in November. The perception of a dire predicament might not be fair -- surveys show Obama’s post-convention bounce fading -- but it was the reality faced by a campaign forced to deny rumors its chief strategist was on his way out.

Concerns about the Romney campaign’s ability to win are now amplified. If the campaign wanted to change the subject from its own troubles, Monday’s videotaped revelation will make the task impossible for at least a little while longer. Instead of telling people why they should vote against President Obama during the race’s home stretch, the campaign will be forced to explain why it can still win.

That’s not in itself fatal, but it’s hardly the discussion a presidential campaign wants to have in mid-September.

Beyond timing, there are other reasons why Romney’s gaffe could leave a mark:

• In an election the Romney campaign has said will be a contest between each party’s base, liberals are likely to use the GOP nominee’s comments as a rallying cry.
  
• It reinforces the harmful narrative for Romney, crafted by a barrage of ads critical of his career at Bain Capital, that he is indifferent to the concerns of many middle-class Americans.
  
• Despite his suggestion that Obama’s supporters don’t pay federal income taxes, many voters in that category – seniors and working-class men and women – disproportionately back Romney. The former governor might have insulted many of his own backers.
  
• Anything related to who is and isn’t paying taxes gives the Obama campaign an opening to bring up Romney’s own unreleased tax forms.

He's not making it easy on himself.

Edited September 18, 2012 by simple

[stlou]

it would help if they printed the ENTIRE conversation..

[dog53]

Bullcrap what he said was the truth. But there`s a lot of Americans out there that don't want to hear the truth. Anyone soaking up GOVT handouts and are able-bodied most likely wont vote for Romney. In there poor uneducated minds they truly believe that land of the free means Free housing, Free food, Free health-care, They need to be educated so they understand that Govt handouts is a form of Oppression designed to control the masses.

[Gamble101]

Why would anybody give a minus to someone pointing out the plain and simple facts that Romney is good at shooting his self in the foot. He is as good as Joe Biden.

[billbill]

In politics, timing is everything. And so it might be with gaffes

(Liberals trying to make something a gaffe)

Mitt Romney’s declaration that 47 percent of Americans -- all of President Obama's supporters -- want handouts from the government, Sometimes the truth hurts..., secretly caught on tape during a private fundraiser earlier this year and published Monday by Mother Jones, is the latest errant remark in a presidential race replete with them. But unlike previous gaffes, the timing of this one could be more troublesome -- because there isn't time for it to fade. This article is trying to lead the reader to believe that Romney just said this. The liberal media are attempting to make this an issue.

Romney’s campaign has been besieged by reports of internal disputes and worrying poll numbers, and was already fighting to prove it remains on track to win in November. According to the liberal left news media… The perception of a dire predicament might not be fair -- surveys show Obama’s post-convention bounce fading -- but it was the reality faced by a campaign forced to deny rumors its chief strategist was on his way out. Always an excuse…

Concerns about the Romney campaign’s ability to win are now amplified. If the campaign wanted to change the subject from its own troubles, Monday’s videotaped revelation will make the task impossible for at least a little while longer. Instead of telling people why they should vote against President Obama during the race’s home stretch, the campaign will be forced to explain why it can still win. They shouldn’t have to tell anyone why they should vote against President Obama. If they don’t know why yet, then they are probably one of the 47% anyway.

That’s not in itself fatal, but it’s hardly the discussion a presidential campaign wants to have in mid-September. Then why bring it up in September?

Beyond timing, there are other reasons why Romney’s gaffe could leave a mark:

• In an election the Romney campaign has said will be a contest between each party’s base, liberals are likely to use the GOP nominee’s comments as a rallying cry.
  
• It reinforces the harmful narrative for Romney, crafted by a barrage of ads critical of his career at Bain Capital, that he is indifferent to the concerns of many middle-class Americans.
  
• Despite his suggestion that Obama’s supporters don’t pay federal income taxes, once again I will say, “The truth hurts sometimes.” many voters in that category – seniors and working-class men and women – disproportionately back Romney. The former governor might have insulted many of his own backers. I doubt it.
  
• Anything related to who is and isn’t paying taxes gives the Obama campaign an opening to bring up Romney’s own unreleased tax forms.

He's not making it easy on himself. Let’s check the date of when the statement was made and who is releasing it now in September. I don’t believe he has anything to do with it being released right now so as to make it harder on himself.

[jonjon]

Bullcrap what he said was the truth. But there`s a lot of Americans out there that don't want to hear the truth. Anyone soaking up GOVT handouts and are able-bodied most likely wont vote for Romney. In there poor uneducated minds they truly believe that land of the free means Free housing, Free food, Free health-care, They need to be educated so they understand that Govt handouts is a form of Oppression designed to control the masses.

We are living in a land full of “People Of The Lie”

If Obama is reelected we will be out numbered.

Keep telling the truth it’s like pouring hot lava on them.

[Jaxinjersey]

Bullcrap what he said was the truth. But there`s a lot of Americans out there that don't want to hear the truth. Anyone soaking up GOVT handouts and are able-bodied most likely wont vote for Romney. In there poor uneducated minds they truly believe that land of the free means Free housing, Free food, Free health-care, They need to be educated so they understand that Govt handouts is a form of Oppression designed to control the masses.

Agreed. No gaffe... simply implied as one, as usual from the media... deflection from honest viewpoints. It's up to people to be intellectually honest in their personal assessments. Sometimes you just have to shame people into such... too bad. I enjoy hearing honest statements...

[simple]

He's not making it easy on himself. Let’s check the date of when the statement was made and who is releasing it now in September. I don’t believe he has anything to do with it being released right now so as to make it harder on himself.

From that perspective that's true BillBill... but his press conference last night didn't make it any better.

Bullcrap what he said was the truth. But there`s a lot of Americans out there that don't want to hear the truth. Anyone soaking up GOVT handouts and are able-bodied most likely wont vote for Romney. In there poor uneducated minds they truly believe that land of the free means Free housing, Free food, Free health-care, They need to be educated so they understand that Govt handouts is a form of Oppression designed to control the masses.

What he said of the 47% wasn't totally true. That 47% that do not pay federal income tax also includes folks who make over $2.17M who only pay capital gain taxes. Also, about 50% of the 47% make less than $20k a year or they're senior citizens who are not taxed on Social Security (and they shouldn't be). So there is working poor that is not looking for a handout. Most people who receive SS have already paid in.

[umbertino]

Just heard it now on Italian TV.

[TexasGranny]

From that perspective that's true BillBill... but his press conference last night didn't make it any better.

What he said of the 47% wasn't totally true. That 47% that do not pay federal income tax also includes folks who make over $2.17M who only pay capital gain taxes. Also, about 50% of the 47% make less than $20k a year or they're senior citizens who are not taxed on Social Security (and they shouldn't be). So there is working poor that is not looking for a handout. Most people who receive SS have already paid in.

Where did you get the idea that seniors do not pay tax on Social Security. They take it out of my check every month and unless I qualify for a refund, THEY KEEP IT!

[simple]

Where did you get the idea that seniors do not pay tax on Social Security. They take it out of my check every month and unless I qualify for a refund, THEY KEEP IT!

...meant (they shouldn't be), but some people have to pay federal income taxes on their SS benefits if they have other substantial income (wages, self-employment, interest, dividends and other taxable income that must be reported on their tax return) in addition to their benefits.

[sandstorm]

Mitt romney will win by 10 points. the polls are ficticiois. romney will win by a blowout!

[dog53]

From that perspective that's true BillBill... but his press conference last night didn't make it any better.

What he said of the 47% wasn't totally true. That 47% that do not pay federal income tax also includes folks who make over $2.17M who only pay capital gain taxes. Also, about 50% of the 47% make less than $20k a year or they're senior citizens who are not taxed on Social Security (and they shouldn't be). So there is working poor that is not looking for a handout. Most people who receive SS have already paid in.

Even if he got the % wrong most reasonably intelligent people word have understood that he meant those people who abuse our welfare system. I guess the key word here is reasonably intelligent

Edited September 18, 2012 by dog53

[dinar_stud]

The 47 percent number presumably refers to the percent of the population who don't pay Federal Income Taxes, which of course is just one kind of tax.

From the Tax Policy Center, these three pie charts show who those people are.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romneys-47-who-are-dependent-on-the-government-2012-9#ixzz26quKvYus

Kevin Roose at NYMag puts the data into words:

But back to the 47 percent. There are two primary ways to pay no (or negative) federal income taxes. The first is to be poor, and the second is to be elderly. In 2011, of the 18.1 percent of American households who paid no federal tax (meaning, no federal income or payroll tax), more than half were elderly, and most of the other half were non-elderly people making below $20,000 a year. The other sliver, roughly one in 20 non-payers, were people who made more than $20,000 in household income.

The reason being poor helps is because, with a combination of tax credits (like the earned income credit and the child credit) and deductions, many people earning under $20,000 a year can zero out their overall rate. The primary reason being elderly helps is that Social Security benefits aren't taxed as income, so if all (or most) of your income comes from your monthly Social Security check, your taxable income is marginal or non-existent.

So there you have it. The poor and elderly. (we should also include disabled American veterans that pay no taxes on service connected compensation.)

Meanwhile, Jim Antle at the conservative site The Daily Caller makes another salient point: The elimination of taxes on the very poor has been GOP policy starting with Reagan, and continuing through Bush:

When Ronald Reagan signed into law the Tax Reform Act of 1986, he boasted, “Millions of the working poor will be dropped from the tax rolls altogether, and families will get a long-overdue break with lower rates and an almost doubled personal exemption.”

Both the initial Reagan tax cuts of 1981 and indexing income taxes to inflation in 1985 had a similar effect.

In the 1990s, the Republican-controlled Gingrich Congress passed a $500 per child tax credit that also wiped out the income tax liability of many low- to moderate-income households.

“Fully 93 percent of the tax relief in our bill goes to taxpayers with annual incomes under $100,000, 76 percent goes to taxpayers with incomes under $75,000,” then-House Ways and Means Committe Chairman Bill Archer, a Texas Republican, said at the time. “If ever there was a tax plan for America’s forgotten middle class, this is it.”

SOURCE

[Captjohn]

Think about it.......Romney is up against an incumbant president with the bully pulpit and an accomplice media jumping to discredit him at every turn. Meanwhile, they (the media) shamefully cover up the truth about what is happening across the Middle East in a desperate attempt to keep Obama from any criticism. The true tragedy will be if the American people don't wake up and hold the mainstream media accountable. Were the roles reversed, Obama would fold like a cheap suit (apart from the fact that he would never have been elected in the first place without his palace guard media).

[dinar_stud]

Even if he got the % wrong most reasonably intelligent people word have understood that he meant those people who abuse our welfare system. I guess the key word here is reasonably intelligent

What most reasonable intelligent people have understood is that as usual, true verifiable facts are not part of his campaign, and the he is running for president to pander to the to 1%.

[simple]

Even if he got the % wrong most reasonably intelligent people word have understood that he meant those people who abuse our welfare system. I guess the key word here is reasonably intelligent

No Dog53, that's not the intelligent assumption.

[dog53]

What most reasonable intelligent people have understood is that as usual, true verifiable facts are not part of his campaign, and the he is running for president to pander to the to 1%.

Well you run with your dog studly and I`ll run with mine.

[jonjon]

...meant (they shouldn't be), but some people have to pay federal income taxes on their SS benefits if they have other substantial income (wages, self-employment, interest, dividends and other taxable income that must be reported on their tax return) in addition to their benefits.

It's another penalty for being self supporting.

[yota691]

Hey Simple Stud, your Jimmy Carter the 4th has left out a lot of the Video... That he so proud of.... Wonder what else was on the Video... We will soon Find out....

What most reasonable intelligent people have understood is that as usual, true verifiable facts are not part of his campaign, and the he is running for president to pander to the to 1%.

I agree that everything Mr O states is a Lie!!! And you have the Nerve to talk the crap you spew!!!

Edited September 19, 2012 by yota691

[simple]

Hey Simple Stud, your Jimmy Carter the 4th has left out a lot of the Video... That he so proud of.... Wonder what else was on the Video... We will soon Find out....

Haven't you seen it all now? - 49 minutes right!

Lot of political heads are voicing their discontent. Ouch!

[dinar_stud]

I agree that everything Mr O states is a Lie!!! And you have the Nerve to talk the crap you spew!!! [/size]

Its nice to see you use deflection to try and change the subject. People that are not blinded by political parties and party BS know Romney is a compulsive liar that only wants to be president to help himself and the top 1%.

Edited September 20, 2012 by dinar_stud