Romney describes anti-Wall Street protests as "class warfare"

Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a town hall meeting, Oct. 4, 2011, in The Villages, Fla.

/ AP Photo/Reinhold Matay

THE VILLAGES, Fla. - Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney on Tuesday compared the current anti-Wall Street protests to "class warfare."

"I think it's dangerous, this class warfare," Romney said to an audience of about 50 people in response to a question about the protests over such issues as high unemployment, home foreclosures and the 2008 corporate bailouts.

He made his remark while greeting members of an overflow crowd that was unable to get into his official appearance before a larger group of about 300 at this central Florida retirement community.

The Wall Street protests, organized by a confederation of progressive groups, have spread beyond New York to other cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston. Two groups also have announced plans to set up an encampment in front of the White House as well.

During Romney's appearance at the retirement community in Florida, the former Massachusetts governor also took a shot at one of his rivals, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, for Perry's controversial likening of Social Security to a Ponzi scheme.

"I happen to think to fix Social Security, you have to believe in Social Security and I do and I will fix it," Romney said. " ... I don't think the major problem is Social Security becoming a Ponzi scheme, I think the major problem is keeping it from becoming a Perry scheme."

For the most part, however, Romney, stuck to usual strategy of concentrating his fire on President Obama. Referencing Obama's 2008 campaign slogan, Romney said, "We've gone from 'Yes we can,' to 'Gee, I'm sorry, we can't."

As he did at his last Florida town hall two weeks ago in Miami, he praised former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush when speaking about education. He said he and Bush have talked about Bush's Florida policy of testing students as a way to see if teachers and schools are failing.

Bush recently made headlines for defending Perry on his position to give tuition breaks to children of illegal immigrants in Texas, a stance of Perry's that has drawn criticism from conservatives.

Romney sought to empathize with the audience over the recent slew of GOP presidential debates. Responding to a question from a man who asked him to help him make sense of the debates, Romney lamented that the candidates have almost no say in how the sessions are run. He also said he believes too many have been held already, and that they have become repetitive.

"You're going to be calling your stations and saying, `Please return to your regularly scheduled programs!'" he joked.

[sammykid]

I finally figured out why the republicans in office keep crying about class warfare. Who wants to get into a war when 99 out of 100 people are on the other side? 99% versus 1%; who do you think will win in the long run?

[ThomasSense]

When I was a kid, it only took my dad's income to support the family. Now it takes my wife's and my income to support a family of 3. We both have Master's degrees. Just in my income earning days it has become more difficult to maintain our standard of living (no cable, no iPhone, no eating out ...)

[MoRacker1]

The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.

[zydeceltico]

Paid4Congress is truly forgetting or never truly understood what it is to be an American. Our entire foundation is based on rebelling against unfairness and inequality and the right to have a voice. It is what the Nation is founded on - period. What is unquestionably un-American is Herman Cain's retort that the protesters should be quiet and blame themselves - for what? The Establishment having so little regard for the other 99% of us that they rape and pillage the structure of this wonderful country for no other reason than to have more for themselves? When is it enough? Should I teach my middle-class children that they must learn to be sub-servient to their CEO "Betters" just because the "Betters" have learned how to play a corrupt corporate tax-code for their own benefit? I can tell you this sir - -as an American I bow to no one - not even the Billionaire Hedge Fund Managers and their lackey bought-out Congressmen who have brought our economy to its knees out of nothing but greed. Think already.

[MoRacker1]

He didn't say be quiet.. Typical lib changing words to suit his needs. He said they have noone to blame but themselves if they are poor. You should teach your middle class children that if they work hard and persevere they can become whatever they want to be. If they blame others they will become losers and go from the middle class to the poor class. You see in America we don't have statis classes. You can move to any level depending on your skills and drive. But you are teaching your kids to be subservient to Obama and the government. If you want government to control others they will control you.

[tryhonesty]

The Elite Better Than Thou Mitt Romney is out of touch with Average America! This Bozo is a good OLD fashioned corporate raider. He takes no prisoners and only supports the well connected rich & powerful! He prays to the Almighty Dollar God!

[askagain]

BlueSonicRevolution - That socialism thing is old hat. Communism in the old Soviet Union failed and China's social justice and equity are questionable. Many socialist countries are experiencing a lot of economic problems just as we are. Ever heard of Greece or Spain? European countries are deathly afraid of world economic collapse. Socialism is not the answer.

[askagain]

notyrants - It is called a changing world. Those who adapt will do fine. Those who don't will suffer. Call it an evolutionary process if you like. The world has been changing for thousands of years and mankind has survived. Why should it be any different tomorrow?

[askagain]

Those of you who expouse "class warfare" must be down and out. The middle class in America have jobs to go to, children to educate, savings to protect, and homes and cars to protect. True middle class people won't support "class warfare" because it undermines their security. Those who fall from the middle class might because they resent the system just as those of you who are down and out resent the system.

[notyrants]

Such BS commentary is not working anymore. Too many people, even those employed see their futures being threatened by a government that represents global non-democratic corporate government over the interests of the greater society as evidenced by the incessant bullying of the oligarchs who started class warfare on the people. Underlings whose livelihoods depends on private non-democratic corporate government have seen the con game imposed on them with 401k's in lieu of defined benefit plans while CEOs and CFOs enjoy elaborate executive guaranteed retirement plans and unlimited lifetime health insurance. Non-democratic corporate government is a set up for deep corruption and the cancer of this model has corrupted the public government as politicians have been bought and pimped by corporate cash.

[BlueSonicRevolution]

Interesting, but limited point. Without even addressing the erroneous idea that someone would have to be "down and out" to support social justice and equity, I would throw this out to you: What happens when the cost/price (complicity in most cases) no longer buys the security the middle-class seeks; and they find themselves eliminated, regardless of what they do or don't do? Well, in the words of Marx (yes, I am socialist!): The ruling class becomes "unfit to rule their slaves." The rich have created their own problems by their EXTREME, myopic, violent socioeconomic greed.

[askagain]

One of my uncles (now deceased) was very successful. He had an unemployed son who was a bum. He was always taking my uncle to court trying to get some of his money. My gut feeling is there are many Americans who think the taxpayers owe them something. There is an old expression, "You've made your bed, now lie in it"

[southpaw99]

I have several friends who are not very smart and have very little overall education, who are also very anti-Obama. I have been trying to understand why they feel the way they do.
I have come to realize it is racism. They always use the "N" word when talking about President Obama. It seems people who have little education easily embrace racism to form their opinions. Why is that?

[askagain]

They get to vote just like you. Sad.

[MoRacker1]

I have many black friends who say I am voting for the black guy because he is black. I ask them why don't you judge the person on his character and not the color of his skin like Martin Luther King said and they say fxxx that I want to screw the white guy who is holding me back. Why is that?