President Obama’s deputy campaign manager, Stephanie Cutter, said on MSNBC that Mitt Romney’s dismissal of 47 percent of Americans as hopelessly dependent on government and unwilling to “take responsibility” denigrated many groups Romney is courting in the election.
“I think it is troubling that Mitt Romney went behind closed doors to say there is a reason why my policies help people like myself, I don’t care about the other 47 percent,” she said. “Half of all seniors don’t pay taxes. We are talking about veterans coming home, getting veterans benefits. It is extremely troubling that you’re running to be the president of the United States and you’ve written off half the country.”
Cutter suggested that his comments shed light on many of his previous statements that Democrats have attacked as indicative of a lack of empathy towards the average Americans.
“That comment would be bad enough on its own if it wasn’t reflected in other things, including Mitt Romney’s policies,” Cutter said. “Now, remember this is the guy that said I like to fire people. This is the guy that said if you need help going to college, shop around, go borrow money from your parents. This is a guy who said to millions of families on the verge of foreclosure of their homes, we are just going to let the market hit rock bottom, we are not going to worry about you.”
