Bill Kristol: Romney’s 47 percent remark just as “stupid and arrogant” as Obama’s cling-to-guns-or-religion comment in 2008.
As no shortage of people have already noted, it’s factually incorrect for Mitt Romney to dismiss 47 percent of Americans as members of a dependency class. It’s also misleading in the same sense that it’s misleading for Republicans to attack President Obama for failing to create any jobs, or increasing unemployment, or ballooning the deficit.
But if you assume the remark wasn’t just cynical pandering to rich people — that Romney and other conservatives genuinely believe this stuff — then it’s also hard to escape the conclusion that either Republicans have accepted their own demographic mortality, and that they have a truly bleak outlook for the country as a whole. Read More
If the first woman in this video from the new “Women for Akin” group is any indication, supporting Todd Akin these days requires going into the witness protection program.
Jon Chait captures why the resemblance between Romney’s 47% remarks and Obama’s “cling” comments are purely superficial …
Some pundits have likened Romney’s comments to Barack Obama’s 2008 monologue, also secretly recorded at a fundraiser, about his difficulties with white working class voters in rural Pennsylvania. But the spirit of Obama’s remarks was precisely the opposite of Romney’s. While Obama couched his beliefs in condescending sociological analysis about how poor small town residents vote on the basis of guns and religion rather than economics, the thrust of Obama’s argument was that he believed his policies would help them, and to urge his supporters to make common cause with them.
In case you missed it, here’s video of Romney’s hastily called press conference this evening. Not pretty. Basically dodged the questions, said he stood by what he said in the video without quite saying what it was. And his campaign is about helping everyone find opportunity and jobs. Watch.
Mitt Romney will reportedly hold a press conference momentarily to address the 47% comments. We have unconfirmed reports he’ll take the ‘wish I’d chosen my words more carefully’ line.
More soon.
Oddly enough, Mitt Romney is by his own account a member of the 47%.