Romney heckled in Iowa; says "corporations are people"

Republican presidential candidate, former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to fair goers during a campaign stop at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011.

/ AP

DES MOINES, Iowa - Not long after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney began taking questions following his stump speech at the Iowa State Fair Thursday, he got into something of a shouting match with a liberal heckler who Romney at one point implored simply to "let me talk."

The questioner, who identified himself afterward as Joe Fagan of Des Moines, was one of a group of liberals who positioned themselves in front of the stage and interrupted Romney as he tried to answer questions.

One member of the group asked Romney if he supports raising the cap on Social Security taxes so "rich people pay their far share" in taxes. Romney responded with a line that garnered applause from the 200 or so Iowans gathered around him: "There was a time in this country that we did not celebrate attacking people based on their success."

When Romney began addressing entitlement programs, Fagan started shouting over him, discussing how he is on Social Security.

"Hold on just a moment," Romney said, as Fagan kept shouting.

"Hold on just a moment, hold on just a moment," Romney continued over Fagan, his voice rising. "You know what, I got a chance to - I'll let you speak in a moment." (watch at left)

Fagan shouted: "You came here to listen to the people!"

Romney responded: "No, no, no, no - I came here to speak." As Fagan and his compatriots kept making noise, he said, "hold on a second, hold on a second and I'll let you speak. Hold on a second, let me speak. Hold on a second."

In the crowd, where people were visibly disgusted with the hecklers, a chant of "Romney" went up. Finally Romney gave up, saying, "just let him talk, go ahead."

Fagan, his voice hoarse, asked what Romney would do to "strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid without cutting benefits."

Romney then seemed to taunt Fagan, saying: "You've had your chance - anything else you want to say?" Replied Fagan: "Well, I want to see what you're going to say." The crowd laughed.

"The way this is going to work is you get to ask your question and I get to give my answer," Romney replied. "If you don't like my answer you can vote for someone else."

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, grill pork at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011.

/ AP

"You ready for my answer? I'm not going to raise taxes," Romney continued. "That's my answer...and if you want somebody that can raise taxes you can vote for Barack Obama." As Romney went into an attack on Mr. Obama for "killing this economy," the hecklers began chanting "Wall Street greed."

At another point, in an effort to quiet the hecklers, Romney said, "We've got some people who want to raise taxes. How many people here agree with that?" The response was a chorus of boos. One woman shouted from the back of the crowd: "Get a job!"

Romney seemed to view the hecklers as plants; he asked them at one point, "Who are you working with?"

At the outset, Romney took the stage dressed in his newly casual style: Shirt-sleeve collared shirt, brown slacks and a belt. Despite his four years as Massachusetts governor and past four years as a de facto presidential candidate, he cast himself as a "citizen," not a politician, who, unlike Mr. Obama, "spent time in the real economy."

Romney said he spent "only" four years as a politician and didn't "inhale politics." He called the president a "fine fella, but he's out of his depth and he doesn't understand how the economy works." Nothing the president has done in office, Romney claimed, has created jobs.

In a line that was quickly seized by Democrats, Romney at one point said "corporations are people" as part of a response to a question from an audience member, who asked if he believed Social Security should be a part of deficit negotiations.

"Corporations are people, my friend," he said. "...Of course they are."

"Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people," Romney continued, prompting guffaws from the liberal hecklers. "Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? People's pockets. Human beings, my friend."

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz quickly released a statement calling the comments "a shocking admission from a candidate--and a party--that shamelessly puts forward policies to help large corporations and the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class, seniors, and students."

Romney's biggest applause came when he called for the country not to spend more money than it takes in; he closed his remarks by hailing American patriotism as a staffer waved an American flag behind him.

After Romney spoke, he walked over to the fair's "Iowa Pork Tent," where he put on a red apron and, joined by Sen. Chuck Grassley, flipped barbecuing pork for the cameras.

Larry Beyer of Marengo, Iowa, who is camping at the fair, said after Romney's speech that he "liked the way he handled the hecklers."

"And he didn't run anybody down of the other candidates," Beyer continued. "I'm going to watch him a lot closer than I have in the past."

Beyer's wife, Nancy Beyer, also had kind words for the candidate, who has decided not to make a hard push to win Saturday's straw poll. Romney spent lavishly to win the straw poll in the 2008 cycle but went on to lose the Iowa caucuses to Mike Huckabee.

"I thought he came across in person much smarter and more capable than anything I've seen on TV," said Nancy Beyer. "He's too canned and dry on TV and that concerned me. Here, when he had to handle the hecklers and all of that, and state his policy in a very short time, he was impressive."

In Iowa, GOP contenders in high-stakes battle for straw poll victory

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Mitt Romney on the trail

[uggugg]

When Mitt Romney said Corporation are people too, It show just how bad his understanding or comprehension is. We all know you can put people in Jail but you can't put Corporations in Jail. That is what that other fellow should have put on the T shirt.

[realist2010]

Soylent Green is PEOPLE! Enron and Tyco are PEOPLE! No bid war contracts are PEOPLE!

What's the matter with you people?

[Taylor1968]

The Republican Party stopped representing the American people a while ago. I have to hand it to Romney, at least he will stand up and take a little heckling and criticism from voters. If the Republican Party did more than represent corporations and the richest 2% of Americans, I might have to consider giving them a second look. Until that time I will not vote for them.

[starving1968-3]

by nottblu August 12, 2011 4:20 PM EDT
do you ever read what you write? your statement is completely obsurd, too bad you took him literally, explains alot or your just being sarcastic, for your sake I am hoping it's the latter.







Too bad I took him literally?

So when he speaks we should ignore what he says, or not listen to the words as they come out of his mouth?

[hunterkorvis]

You should learn how the English language works because what he MEANT was obvious. So yeah don't take everything literally.

[starving1968-3]

The republicans seem to be heading in this direction:

First companies have "free speech" rights, and may make unlimited campaign contributions - buying elections outright, per "citizens united".

Now Romney is saying that "businesses are people".

Next it will be "businesses may vote in elections, because they are people".

After that it will be, "when a business votes for a candidate, their votes will have a the equivalent weight of the number of people they employ". (GM has 2 million employees so when they vote for a candidate, it counts as 2 million votes.)

Then they can finally stop talking to the "citizens" altogether.

[nottblu]

do you ever read what you write? your statement is completely obsurd, too bad you took him literally, explains alot or your just being sarcastic, for your sake I am hoping it's the latter.

[starving1968-3]

Just watching the direction that the republicans are attempting to take us, that's all.....

[starving1968-3]

Kind of ironic that Romney says: "Nothing the president has done in office has created jobs."

Particularly when you look at his "business record" which consists of buying companies, firing most of the employees or forcing them to take wage cuts, and closing numerous plants and factories across the country, unemploying THOUSANDS of factory workers.

[hunterkorvis]

Turning the business around, making them better, and eventually creating thousands of jobs NET.

[yankskeptic]

Emotional Liberal Democrats will try to exploit Romney's statement which is one of those legally-correct, nuanced ones that they love to explain for their own politicians. Corporations don't make decisions based on emotions. It's a difficult concept for Democrats to understand.

[nearl451]

Anyone consider that these people may have been stereotyped plants bythe Romney camp?

After all, what Romney needs most is a wedge to separate his Mass. policies from that of the President.

They don't call it Obamneycare for nothing!

[tryhonesty]

Romney's record is that of job killer. His Dollar/Money God is all that is important. We do not need any more morons like this guy. Romney is the problem NOT the solution.

[hunterkorvis]

All business managers have to cut jobs from time to time, his business created far more jobs than they cut.

[RobAla]

Romney is right about corporations being made up of people; just like unions are made up of people. Sometimes CEOs don't do what is right, and sometimes union bosses don't do what is right. Nevertheless, corporations are made up of people. Corporations provide jobs for people.

When Americans buy stock in corporations, it is the hope of those Americans that the corporations will do well, make a profit, and give them a return on the investment. Those stocks are not all owned by the so called "rich", as a great deal of corporate stocks are owned by lower and middle income earners who invest in 401Ks. The left wing war against corporations, actually is a war against the interests of the American people. It needs to stop.

Anyone who heckles someone who says that corporations are people (meaning that they are made up of people) is showing ignorance.

[nearl451]

"Made up of" is not his claim.

Corporations are individual entities (i.e. people) with rights and free speech is what he claimed (correctly according the SCOTUS).

But his inference is that corporations should be afforded better breask than the common people.....and that is where the criticism is founded.