Political Hotsheet
By

Sarah Huisenga /

CBS News/ July 16, 2012, 10:29 PM

Romney says waiters at fundraiser "aren't having a good year"

Firestorm continues over Romney's business career

Mitt Romney

(CBS News) Mitt Romney held up the waiters and waitresses serving donors at a fundraising event Monday night as examples of people who aren't doing well under President Obama.

Addressing 300 contributors at a Jackson, Miss., fundraiser who paid $2,500, $10,000 or $50,000 to hear him speak, Romney acknowledged that the people in the room were well-off compared to many Americans. It was the middle class that had been let down by Obama, Romney said, and he pointed to the wait staff serving finger foods as an example.

"It's tough being middle class in America right now," Romney said. "The waiters and waitresses that come in and out of this room and offer us refreshments, they're not having a good year. The people of the middle class of America are really struggling. And they're struggling I think in a way because they're surprised because when they voted for Barack Obama...he promised them that things were going to get a heck a lot of better. He promised hope and change and they're still waiting."

(Watch CBS News' Bill Plante's report on attacks heating up between Obama and Romney.)

As he did earlier at a fundraiser in Baton Rouge, La., Romney accused Obama of funneling government money to his own donors, while neglecting those struggling in the country.

"This is a time when it's good to be a friend of Obama campaign," Romney told the crowd at the River Hills Club in Jackson. "Because you might be able to get some money for your business. But it's not so good to be middle class in America."

Romney said it is "not true," as some have insinuated, that the Republican Party is only concerned about the rich. "We're the party of people who want to get rich...We also want to make sure people don't have to become poor. And we know what it takes to keep people from becoming poor."

They key to financial success, he said, it "economic freedom." Romney regularly contends that Obama's economic policies - which he describes as higher taxes and more regulations - are stifling innovation and entrepreneurship that drive the U.S economy.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
200 Comments Add a Comment
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smscbsnews says:
Mitt really does not have a clue. Poor Mitt
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nancy_naive replies:
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Yeah, but it could be because Mitt's daddy was loaded and Bain was Mitt's daddy's best friend who hired his kid into a VP spot straight out of school.
PatrickMmm replies:
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Mitt is very clued in. Obama's economy has been lousy for many Americans from top to bottom. We are all in the same leaky boat and its time to fire the capt. Obama's got a fetish for attacking businesses, success and job creators.
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55minus5 says:
by jschm2681 July 17, 2012 9:47 AM EDT
Obama has never worked a day in his life. Romney however worked as a missionary and built his company to be successful But let's punish that work ethic like a good liberal. We only want people to take handouts from the government.
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This is ridiculous, ignorant, and plain stupid.
Mr. Obama has written and published great books (BTW excellent style) about his work experience among regular people; that's exactly why the GOPer dumbos insult him - they have none of that experience and insight.
Make an effort and read, at least in part, "Dreams From My Father", but I know you won't, Bubba. You read tabloids, mostly looking at their dirty pictures.
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TEHieatt replies:
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"Obama has never worked a day in his life."
Haha! Wow. You do realize that the President taught law at the University of Chicago among other things.
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tonyatq says:
300 millionaires in the room I bet they didn't even leave a good tip.
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55minus5 replies:
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Nope. They are not going to buy those slaves.
moebius8 replies:
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they let them leave alive though sans self respect. after all when the serfs get uppity things go bad for the better classes.
/this sort of behavior makes me think the french had the right idea
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diamruby says:
They are struggling because employers like you do not pay them a working wage or benefits. Most employee wages have not kept up with the cost of living & we are now making less than ever, without any benefits. Most working class people were not born into wealth, nor have we been able to make enough to hide in off shore accounts, put away for any retirement, we are just paying our bills & trying to survive without welfare.
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credibility2 replies:
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...oh-boo-hoo-hoo...
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lesserof2evil says:
So how is cutting taxes for the millionaires/billionaires like Robmee himself going to increase this waiter's income?
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moebius8 replies:
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the rights answer is to let it trickle down

/thats not money they are trickling down though.
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LunaAzule says:
Wouldn't it be cool if instead of paying ad agencies millions to showcase their cars over and over and over, etc. they take those millions and lowered the price of the car.
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siberian99 says:
Well, Mitt ... did you offer them up one of your fine jobs you have available ... since you are a job creator?
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credibility2 replies:
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...your guy in the WH isn't offering anything to anyone and doesn't care...don't forget, your guy is also wealthy too he didn't really work for it, either...also, your guy has an abysmal record when it comes to being a job creator...he's a glorified community organizer and expander of government staffing bloat...your guy has also outsourced many jobs with how he divvied up the stimulus dollars...and his Jobs' Council is loaded with liberal CEOs who have outsourced millions of jobs...I guess that's somehow different since it's your guy and he's a liberal...
55minus5 replies:
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He did; however, they didn't want to move to a China labor camp.
He needs to sponsor Chinese language speed learning classes.
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Rick03466 says:
Good to see the only jobs created by the Obama administration Media Shills (Social Media Specialists) are still employed. The reality is that Mr. Obama has failed , most importantly by his own Metric he has failed. The only thing Mr. Obama and his sad little group is attack as they have spent 5 trillion dollars and accomplished NOTHING! The truth is few truly would choose Romney it's just that 56 % of Americans believe that America is worse off because of the direction that Mr. Obama took.
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moebius8 replies:
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you really shouldn't write down the faux news daily talking points
PatrickMmm replies:
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America is worse off because of Obama. Obamacare's job killing regulations and taxes put a damper and killed off grwoth in our economy. $6 trillion in new debt under Obama and fewer jobs now than when we was elected - simple facts.
Fools will attack you for stating the obvious because it would crush their self-esteem to admit their support of Obama was wrong and his policies hurt America.
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A_Canadian_Opinion says:
The waiters and waitresses in that room had less money than Romney, but more class!
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Lindag20 replies:
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Agreed. They just sucked it up and didn't respond to his tactless remarks. No one wants a fat cat to point out to a room full of OTHER fat cats how poor you are.
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stupa5 says:
a former Disneyland manager named Mickey Mouse said he wished Presidential canidate Romney "would learn how to be an American."
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