Political Hotsheet
By

Leigh Ann Caldwell /

CBS News/ September 19, 2012, 4:00 PM

Poll: Voter reaction to Romney's "47 percent" comment leans negative

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks to reporters about the secretly taped video from one of his campaign fundraising events in Costa Mesa, Calif., Monday, Sept. 17, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Charles Dharapak
(CBS News) A new poll released by Gallup Wednesday reveals a generally negative voter reaction to Mitt Romney's comments about "47 percent" of Americans being dependent on government.

Thirty-six percent of voters say Romney's comments make them less likely to vote for him, while 20% say the remarks make them more likely to vote for him, and 43% say the comments won't make a difference, Gallup reports.

Meantime, 29 percent of independents, who Gallup notes are less partisan by definition, say they are less likely to vote for Mitt Romney after being read the comments that were caught on video at a May fundraiser. Fifteen percent who say they are more likely to vote for him after hearing the remarks. Although the poll indicates that independents view Romney's comments as more negative than positive, just over half - 53 percent - say his comments will make no difference in their vote.

The poll, which surveyed 885 registered voters on Sept. 18 and has a +/-4 percent margin of error, is the first snapshot of how Romney's remarks, which have caused a political firestorm, are being viewed by the electorate.

Gallup also asked respondents their income and found that 42 percent of those voters who make under $24,000 per year are less likely to vote for Romney after hearing his comments with only 14 percent saying they're more likely. On the other end of the income spectrum, 28 percent of voters making more than $90,000 say they're less likely to vote for Romney after his remarks, while 24 percent say they're more likely to vote him.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
114 Comments Add a Comment
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marychgo says:
AP has a very smart story spelling out the three DIFFERENT 47%s candidate Romney mashed together in his Boca Raton speech.

There's the 47% (or more) who support Obama, the just under 47% who didn't pay federal income tax in 2011, and the 47% (actually 49%) who received some sort of government benefit that year.

There's OVERLAP between the three circles (think: Venn diagram), but there are probably MORE American voters in the parts of the circles that DON'T overlap than in the parts that do.

What that means, of course, is that Romney has now offended the members of all THREE groups; probably 60 to 75% of likely voters!

Mitt is correct that he's not going to win the votes of committed Obama voters, but there are an awful lot of seniors and college students (and their parents) and people who earn less than $50,000 a year who probably won't like being called moochers who refuse to take responsibility for their lives.
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GOP-R--Con-Men says:
No story about Romney giving tips on that just released secret recording to terrorist on how best to attack America? Why CBS?
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infantryman1968 says:
Poll: Voter reaction to Romney's "47 percent" comment leans negative


LOL!

All of the polls are over sampling people who claim to be Democrats by 3% to 22%.

This Gallup poll was 18% more Democrats sampled

Come on CBS.
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dj_chi replies:
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They keep saying that about the election polls. Even though Rasmussen and Fox News' polls give Obama the edge as well. Rasmussen just trends 2-4 pts to the right, but even with that they still have to give Obama the lead.
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RNPRN says:
Fortune magazine recenly had a listing of the 400 richest people in America. The Kock brothers were # 3& 4. They are invested in oil. Romney and Ryan are beholding to the oil industry.If Obama gets in, he will end the tax subsadies for big oil that the 47% are paying.
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infantryman1968 replies:
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LOL!

Obama has been "in" for the past 4 years.
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infantryman1968 says:
by TimeToEvolve September 20, 2012 1:37 AM EDT

If you say 47% of the American people are freeloaders who don't deserve food and that millions of American military folks are lazy, government dependent people and Americans get made at your sorry butt, "blame yo'self" - Herman Cain, 2012


LOL!


Its no big secret the top 50% pay for everone.

Whats your point?
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infantryman1968 says:
Poll: Voter reaction to Romney's "47 percent" comment leans negative


LOL!


Yesterday, The followers of Obama said "Romney Lost the Election" over the 47% remark. Today they "leans negative" about it?

The Irony is Jimmy Carter's grandson released this video (with 2 minutes missing) to avenge his Grandfather. He may of helped Romney win.
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GOP-R--Con-Men says:
Republicans have been redistributing the wealth of middle and working class Americans up to the wealthy for decades. In fact the republican propaganda pitting the 99 percent against each other over the crumbs the rich leave would make Joseph Gobbells nazi minister of propaganda proud. The question remains to be answered whether the 99 percent will continue to vote republicans into office to continue screwing our great nation.
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infantryman1968 replies:
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LOL!

How do you justify your so called 99% remark when 53% pay for everything?
GOP-R--Con-Men replies:
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Public and tax policy is is written to favor the one percent over the rest of us, correct/true?
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rebasfla says:
Like Romney said, the 47% are in Obama's pocket and OF COURSE THERE WOULD BE SOME OUTRAGE AMONGST THEM. Not a surprise to we Independents who note that he spoke the truth which seems a diminishing occurrence during this election cycle for both campaigns.
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GOP-R--Con-Men replies:
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The truth is Romney, Ryan and the republican party hates anyone not wealthym big oil or a corporation. In Fact ealier this year Romney said "corporations are people".
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infantryman1968 says:
Poll: Voter reaction to Romney's "47 percent" comment leans negative


LOL!

All of the polls are over sampling people who claim to be Democrats by 3% to 22%.

This Gallup poll was 18% more Democrats sampled

Did CBS-Obama mention that Independents are more likely to vote for Romney because of the 47% remark?
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venusvegasvada says:
This just out-

Latest sequel, "Harold and Kumar: The Naked Gun 47%", to feature updated "Loser's Bar"

Among the star studded cast in the new sequel, "Harold and Kumar: The Naked Gun 47%" includes a return to the famous Loser's Bar from The Naked Gun 2.5.

The new updated Loser's Bar will now feature photos of the Hindenburg, RMS Lusitania, the San Francisco Earthquake, Ford Edsel, Samsung Galaxy Smartphone, Neville Chamberlain, George W Bush, Wall Street's Financial district and Mitt Romney.

Special guest stars include the Supreme Court of the United States (as poor hospital operating room patients), Paul Ryan (as the Brain Surgeon), Sheriff Joe (the Gay Sheriff), AG Eric Holder (DA), Sen. John Boehner (as the crying lounge singer) and Rep Ken Yoder (R) Kansas, (as the Congressional diving instructor in the Sea of Galilee).
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