Just listened to it. The election is over. The Senate and congressional races are all that matter now. The presidential drama is done unless you want to bet on how dramatic Mitt, Paul and national Republicans will get in a vain attempt to swing for the fences.
Maybe - or it could simply be that it's what he thinks his wealthy fundraisers want to hear and he's trying to convince them to give him money. Obama wouldn't spew disdain for half the population because his targets are more diverse than "poor people" - but I'm pretty sure he rails on Wall Street or big business or other groups of that sort in a way that he doesn't actually believe. Ultimately, I don't think this moves the needle at all the election, even if it is how Romney views the world. If we've learned anything from this election, it's that people don't care about this stuff for whatever reason in this race. Very little has moved the needle over the last 6 months, and it's all been policy type stuff. Clinton's speech and defense of Democratic policy in detail can move the needle. Specific policy solutions from the Romney/Ryan camp can move the needle (though maybe not in his favor). Obama & Romney's reactions and performance to crises (like Libya/Egypt) can move the needle. But all of these other things that are interesting chatter to us haven't made any dent in anything.
This will not shift any of the GOP voters. What he said is exactly what Fox News addicts believe. He will lose this election by the same % he was going to lose it before this came out.
Romney campaign responds "Mitt Romney wants to help all Americans struggling in the Obama economy. As the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps, nearly one in six Americans in poverty, and the 23 million Americans who are struggling to find work," Romney spokesperson Gail Gitcho said in a statement. "Mitt Romney's plan creates 12 million new jobs in four years, grows the economy and moves Americans off of government dependency and into jobs."
Leaving aside Romney's ideology, I am not sure his facts are even correct. A large portion of those who don't pay income tax (47% ir whatever) are probably retirees. As we know, Romney does better amongst seniors than he does with any other group. So, it is not close to be true that folks who don't pay tax are a solid Obama block. Also, doesn't Romney have an advantage on the working class white people vote? I have to guess that a good number of these are not paying income tax given how the recession has hit industries like construction really hard.
Possibly analogous but when you think through the implications it looks pretty bad. I mean does he truly believe that 50 percent of Americans are soulless parasitic moochers (from a dude who pays an embarrasingly low tax rate via redistributing money to himself on riskless deals...) and that his life would have been easier if he were born black? Either he believes this lunacy and got caught saying it amongst the fellow 0.1 percenters, or he's really that much of a cynic who will hustle this nonsense so the big cigars will give him some cash- more of a judgment and a gaffe, another in a series of poor ones.
Agreed this will not shift "core" voters such as those addicted to Fox News. Your 2nd point could prove true if this makes Obama's team more cautious from now on because they don't see the need to attack Romney as much. For them, it's about winning, not the margin. But if you don't think swing voters will be turned off by what Romney says, feel free to be wrong.
Romney 2012: Screw you for being sick, screw you for being poor, screw you for being pregnant, screw you for being hungry. I'd use more choice phrasing, but this is a gentleman's board.
While this is based completely off of nothing other than what I think, I believe most independent/swing voters have already made their decision. If they feel voting for Romney will help the economy, I don't think the stupid remarks he makes will change it. My parents are hard core Republicans, and these remarks will be battle cries for them. They believe that if Obama wins more than half the country will be dependent on the remaining working class. Anyways I think he's going to lose, and little will change the final result. I do plan to vote for Republican on most of the ballot, but I will not vote for Romney.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...ong-to-pin-obama-s-edge-on-welfare-state.html Here is Ramesh Ponnuru, a conservative commentator, backing up my obsevation that what Mitt said is simply factually incorrect. Not that Mitt and his crowd ever let facts get in the way of their pandering. Edit: Ezra Klein also with some factual explanation: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...theory-of-the-taker-class-and-why-it-matters/
Agreed Romney would have lost anyway. People like your parents will like Romney MORE because of what he said, but the 5-10% of remaining undecideds are nothing like your parents. Romney needed to win the vast majority of late-deciders, which was unlikely. Now there is no chance of that happening.
But there has already been a ton of information about both Obama and Romney out there already to make a pretty striking contrast. If you're still undecided at this point, you're most likely a low information voter - you probably didn't pay attention to the conventions, you might pay attention to the debates or you might just go vote based on what your friends are doing and what your gut tells you. You probably don't watch the cable news networks and certainly don't read political websites. So chances are, you're not even going to hear about these comments, which will be all the talk of the political class but will never reach your ears.
One of the things I find very interesting are the small number of undecided voters in several crucial states. Sure, that number could still change, but there simply isn't much "swing" there, not right now. Romney's not helping himself, either, as you point out.
It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.” Jim Messina, Obama campaign manager
Now is when "low information" voters start paying attention and this is exactly the type of buzz many of them will hear about. This may be the first impression of Romney for some. Deckard, agreed on the low number of remaining undecided voters. Romney's very unlikely chance just became nil.
wow! @ 10PM via TPM BREAKING Mitt Romney will reportedly hold a press conference momentarily to address the 47% comments. We have unconfirmed reports he’ll take the ‘wish I’d chosen my words more carefully’ line. More soon. Josh Marshall
press conference at 10pm. i have heard it all. no way in hell this turns into a reagan vs carter election. but romney is going to get stomped.
