Romney says he's "not concerned about the very poor" because of safety net
Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET
Republican presidential frontrunnner Mitt Romney, fresh off his victory in the Florida primary, drew fire from conservatives on Wednesday after remarking that he's "not concerned about the very poor" -- the kind of remark that Democrats are sure to seize on as Romney inches closer to the Republican presidential nomination.
Romney appeared on CNN this morning and reiterated a point he's often made on the campaign trail -- that he's more concerned with the middle class than the very rich or very poor.
"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I'll fix it," he said. "I'm not concerned about the very rich.... I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 to 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."
CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien asked him to clarify his remarks saying, "There are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, 'That sounds odd.'"
Romney responded, "We will hear from the Democrat party, the plight of the poor and there's no question it's not good being poor... but my campaign is focused on middle income Americans... people who can't find work, folks that have kids that are getting ready for college."
He went on to say that the nation has a strong safety net for the poor, including food stamps, Medicaid and housing vouchers. (Watch the remarks in the video below.)
AP Photo/Gerlad Herbert
Indeed, the middle class has struggled in the past few years. But a large portion of those middle class Americans have, in fact, fallen into poverty. U.S. Census data revealed last month that nearly half of Americans qualify either as poor or low-income. Many low-income Americans don't qualify for programs like food stamps. Meanwhile, as Congress negotiates an extension of the payroll tax cut, Republicans want to reduce the maximum number of weeks a person can claim unemployment insurance from 99 weeks to 59 weeks.
Later on the campaign trail, Romney was asked if he thinks there are holes in the safety net.
"Oh I'm sure there are," he responded. "I'm sure there are places where people fall between the cracks. And finding those places is one of the things that is the responsibility of government."
Romney also emphasized once more that he is focused on the middle class.
Still, conservative commentators Wednesday morning were lamenting that Romney was giving more ammunition for the Democratic party to cast him as an out-of-touch elite. Indeed, Democrats have jumped on Romney for similar gaffes: President Obama's party hounded the former governor after he made a $10,000 bet in a Republican debate, and liberal groups attacked Romney after he said "I like being able to fire people" (in regard to people who provide health care services to him).
Other Republicans have taken heat for remarks emphasizing class differences -- the White House fired back after Newt Gingrich started calling Mr. Obama the "food stamp president."
But as Romney starts accumulating delegates for the Republican nomination, his remarks will have more ramifications, conservatives worry.
"Earlier today, I said that only Mitt Romney could derail Mitt Romney this month. Did my prediction come true already?" conservative blogger Ed Morrissey of HotAir.com wrote. "Romney fell into a class-warfare trap, one he should have seen coming."
On CBS This Morning today, Romney said he's ready for the attacks Democrats may launch against him, in part because of his contentious primary battle against Gingrich. "Clearly, what Barack Obama comes with will be a lot more money, even more vitriolic than what we faced so far, but we're prepared," he said.
Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul said later that it's Mr. Obama's policies that have "destroyed the middle class."
"His policies have given us a stagnant economy, high unemployment, declining wages, increase in poverty, and record amounts of new debt," she said. "President Obama is so detached from what is happening in the real world that he finds it hard to believe an unemployed engineer can't find a job."
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Romney said that he was not concerned with the rich, because they have the money to take care of themselves. He said that he was not concerned so much with the very poor, because there were government provided safety nets (and if it was found that the safety nets had holes, he would fix them). He meant that his focus was on the middle income Americans. President Obama has noted repeatedly that he is concerned with the middle income Americans being squeezed.
President Obama like to call them the "middle class", but we do not have a system of classes in the United States. Any American can move from one income bracket to another. We do not keep Americans in one spot, as a class system does. Marxists like to use the term "class" to create "class warfare" in undermining societies and bringing about a Marxist revolution. Regardless of why a politician uses the term "class", I don't like it.
CBS and Stephanie Condon didn't elect to focus on President Obama's misstatement when he said we have 57 states, but they are having a field day with Romney.
Mint RawMoney would sell his mother snow in Alaska.
Anybody who is honest and has half a brain understands what he meant. He just stated poorly. He said that he didn't care about the risk, because they had resources to take care of themselves. He then state that he didn't care about the poor (meaning he wasn't going to concentrate on the poor), because they had government provided safety nets - and if the nets were found to have holes in them - he would fix the nets. He stated that he wanted to concentrate on middle income Americans. President Obama has said that he is concerned that middle income Americans are becoming squeezed. I wonder if President Obama realizes that it is his stupid policies and his idiotic health care law that are squeezing the life out of middle income Americans. Talk is cheap. President Obama's actions and policies have been a disaster.
"he stated that if he found holes in the safety nets for the poor - he would fix them"
To the contrary, he's always been complaining that the safety nets are too generous - how often has he complained about the "47% who pay no taxes" (because the make so little they are eligible for the EIC)
Mitt "let them eat cake" Romney is not anyone an informed person would rely on the "Fix holes in the safety net"
Baah-ZING!
Seriously though. he should have been talking about how he wants to help the middle class with his economic plan, AND provide the very poor with better opportunities to make a decent living. It's not like you have to choose one or the other. The very rich though, yeah we don't really need to cut any more breaks to that segment of the population. They really are doing just fine.
The manner in which it was said, clearly shows this man's disdain for the poor, whether it is taken in, or out, of context.
Get over yourself and that very failed "supply side economic lunacy" robbie, since those "job creators" you seem to worship have been creating jobs in China and every other 3rd world country -- NOT HERE!
Even the creators of SSE back in the saint ronnie era -- conservative republicans like Bartlett and Stockman -- have been telling Americans it is time to bury that failed GOP economic lunacy!
Tax Cuts And 'Starving The Beast'
by Bruce Bartlett
"The most pernicious fiscal doctrine in history"
http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/06/tax-cuts-republicans-starve-the-beast-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html
Reagan insider: 'GOP destroyed U.S. economy'
David Stockman, President Ronald Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in "Four Deformations of the Apocalypse," the economic decisions of the GOP the past 40 years has been destroying not just the economy and capitalism, but the America dream.