The reaction to the Marquis de Mitten’s* line about the very poor provides interesting insights into the difference in how Republicans and Democrats process information:
“I’m not concerned with the very poor. We have a safety net there,” Romney told CNN. “If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.”
Zandar (and many others) said that this makes Romney sound out of touch with the suffering of millions of Americans and noted that Romney’s alleged indifference to the fate of his fellow plutocrats is unconvincing. I agree.
But that quote was received very differently on the right, who accused Mittens of wanting to patch the hammock containing shiftless, t-bone-buying young bucks and Cadillac-driving welfare queens. Charles Krauthammer:
The idea that somehow we can sign [consign, stupid Daily Caller! — ed.] the poor to the safety net and we patch it and dependency is a liberal idea. Romney is a guy who came late to his new ideology and still can’t speak it very well.”
Even the wingnuttiest of Mittens’ detractors noted that the “I’m not concerned about the very poor” line made Mittens sound like a clueless fat cat. It’s obvious that Mittens was trying to appeal to “Real Americans” with that argument. He just really, really sucks at it.
*H/T: Zandar
[X-POSTED at Rumproast]
Mino
Meanwhile, the states are defining down what poor means. I can’t imagine what will be the final qualification level…living on a Tijuana dump?
Donut
“Marquis de Mittens” should be plastered far and wide across the Intertubez and beyond. Brilliant.
Schlemizel
This is yet another example of why I would be more worried about the slimy amphibian winning the nomination, say what you will about him the man KNOWS how to campaign. He may not be able to stay interested in it for a long haul but he can certainly reach the lizard brain.
OTOH the Marquis de Mitten’s (I LOVE that, THANKS!) has the campaign personality of cold cream-o-wheat who in a single ill=thought out blurt can piss of the right, the left and people who are not even paying attention. This could yet turn into a fun fall.
Linda Featheringill
I got brave and wandered onto the Redstate reservation. Interesting. They also think that “not worried about the very poor” was a dumb thing to say. And they are beginning to entertain the idea that Mitt is just not terribly bright. And they are tearfully whispering about the possibility of an Obama second term.
All of this was very gratifying to me, of course. But I’m beginning to wonder if Romney is destined to be the nominee.
jonas
Well, from Romney’s perspective, being poor and being super rich are a lot alike: you sit around and do nothing and at the end of the month a check arrives in the mail.
Except in the case of the poor person, it’s a $220 SSI check and some food stamps and in Romney’s case it’s a $2 million trust payout. But, you know, tomatoe — tomahto.
Linda Featheringill
@Schlemizel:
The talented Mr. Romney.
:-)
Alex S.
Indeed, Mitt is a very bad politician. He has the advantages of political nobility, personal wealth, and a focus on numbers instead of people. And he’ll get the nomination more or less by default, by being the last ‘serious’ man standing.
Still, he looks to me not as a member of the modern GOP, but as someone running on the sidelines. His attempts at sounding manly are just goofy. He won’t be able to catch the populist Tea Party/Occupy spirit as well as Newt does.
A VP Marco Rubio won’t be enough to excite the base. He needs someone more vocal. Can Rob Portman do it?
kd bart
It’s the casual “If it needs repair, I’ll fix it.” regarding the safety net that I love. He’ll make a few calls. Call in a few favors among his prep school buddies. Pull some strings. That should take care of it.
c u n d gulag
Mitt,
You’ve got to get it through your thick head and carefully coiffed hair, that you can’t show any concern for the people that you laid-off or fired.
They deserved it!
You, on the other hand, are a Glorious “Job Creator” (let us pray), come to save the nation, and all should kneel before you.
So, skip the Noblesse Oblige crap, and talk about war and tax cuts, abortions, and dog-whistle about the black and brown folks.
That way lies the nomination!
Meanwhile, the rest of us hope that the ignorant and stupid people in this country finally realize that you’re out to make all of us poor, and finally vote in their own best interests.
Yeah! Like THAT’LL happen…
RossInDetroit
Maybe Mitt’s problem is hubris. All politicians know that while campaigning they have to closely follow the instructions of their writers, handlers and strategists. Mitt’s not accustomed to being told what to do. He’s a Leader, not a follower. Therefore what’s in his head tends to come out of his mouth, leading to Kinsley gaffes like this one.
J.
So if Mitt Romney becomes the President of USA, Inc., is he going to sell off all those States that aren’t performing up to expectation or are a drag on earnings? And will Bo Obama have to ride on top of Romney’s car?
Kirbster
Mitt’s native language is MBA. At best, “middle class” is a third or fourth language, imperfectly learned, and not often practiced.
Michelle
I currently live in Prague and, being a massive political junkie, it has been so hard to be outside of the US during the election. I want to be a part of the action! Do people (outside of the blogosphere) really see how much of a clusterfuck this election cycle is? I mean in terms of the PACs and the horrible candidates?
I listen to progressive radio 24/7, so I think my understanding of the mood of the average American is skewed.
dr. bloor
.
And yet, he’s going to get a minimum of 46-48% of the vote this November just for having an R next to his name. Pulse optional.
I really loathe this country sometimes.
cmorenc
@Betty Cracker:
Krauthammer’s clip is a marvelously succinct expression of not just how criticism of Mitt’s “poor folks” blunder is being framed on the right, but of the right’s whole economic ideological approach in a nutshell.
1) Calling attention to the economic disparity in the country leads to class warfare (which is the dems turf);
2) conservative policies of cutting marginal tax rates benefit everyone everywhere on the economic ladder by creating growth.
Yep-that’s it. The new welfare for the poor is tax cuts for the rich. That’s the patch needed to fix the social safety net in their view.
goethean
Can we please get a pic of Mittens dressed as the Monopoly millionaire?
kdaug
@jonas: Awesome. Stoled.
Linda Featheringill
@Michelle:
Hi, Michelle. And greetings to Prague! [wave]
I think that the blogging community is way ahead of the general population but not really that much different from it. Most folks in the US probably don’t have intense feelings about the upcoming election yet. They’ll catch up with us eventually.
UNLESS something happens in the next nine months to change the entire tone of the campaigns. In that case, all bets are off.
JPL
ugh
JPL
Mitt’s tax policies don’t favor the middle class that he speaks of. I’m not surprised. By the way what is this 90-95% that he often mentions. There are 15% classified as poor so the numbers don’t add up.
@Michelle: Hate to burst your bubble but I live in GA and the view is that our current president is a fasc$st, soc$alist, commie loving liberal.
reposted to correct the male dr.ug…word
Egg Berry
Newt Gingrich has already said in a speech: “I care about ALL of the American people.” Yeah, right. But it’s the perfect counterpunch.
Also, does anyone really believe that “I’ll fix it” line?
kdaug
@RossInDetroit:
It’s the opposite.
He has no center, no core, no keel.
He’s bouncing around between the best advisers money can buy asking “How do I get the proles and plebes to like me?”
The guy just doesn’t get it.
Michelle
@Linda Featheringill: Hey right back at ya! :)
RossInDetroit
@kdaug:
Could be both. When Mitt got a new debate coach and followed instructions he did much better. He knows he needs expert advice but his instincts override him and the truth comes out of his mouth. As a former CEO he’s as bad at taking advice that he knows he needs as doctors famously are at being patients.
Michelle
Yea, I get that the mouth breathers are paranoid that Obama is leading the invasion of Kenyan/fascist/Muslim/pinko/commies into the US. But, apart from the inbreds and looking at the sane members of the population, do they get how Mittens bought his victory in Florida? Are they even paying attention?
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
Watching the Daily Show last night about this, there are plenty on the right who are concerned about Romney’s line about how the Democrats are going to be the one’s defending the poor. The fact that he conceeded taking care of the poor to Democrats was a message that was not supposed to get out.
Chris
@kd bart:
Yeah, that’s the part that really invited follow-up.
“I’ll fix it” indeed. Yeah, you’re running for the nomination of a party that’s tried to break it up and sell its parts off for thirty years – what’s it been now, three times, four if you count the Ryan Plan, which you said you’d sign? But somehow we’re supposed to believe you have even the slightest intention of fixing the safety net.
“If it’s broke…” Uh, back up a minute, that seems like a pretty crucial “if,” doesn’t it? IS it broke? Does it need fixing? How much is the fixing going to cost? I mean, that’s a pretty crucial thing, especially if caring for the poor is as ruinously expensive as you and your friends make it sound.
Schlemizel
I’d say no, not yet because they really don’t pay attention until late September
Schlemizel
@JPL:
Well, in his defense Willards idea of middle class is $250k/yr so yeah his tax policy does work for them
kdaug
@RossInDetroit:
And you know where that leads?
Michelle
@Schlemizel: Yea. That’s what I thought. Sometimes I forget that not everybody is as obsessed with politics as I am.
Chris
@cmorenc:
I think Mitt’s speech was an attempt, however clumsily executed, to get outside the bubble that the upper crust of conservatives live in and address the concerns of the people at large – most of whom are middle-class and don’t necessarily believe that trickle-down works just like magic.
Krauthammer and the rest of their “intellectuals” are upset because he’s going outside their frame of reference. But guess what, he’s going to have to. The United States is not Conservative-Only turf, no matter how devoutly you may wish it was.
Amir Khalid
“Oh, there it is on my to-do list: item #7, repair the safety net for the very poor.” President Romney picks up the phone, punches in a number. “Ms Simpson? Get me the Secretary in charge of, um, the safety net for the very poor. Yeah, Secretary Smith. Hello, Secretary Smith, this is the President. President Romney. Listen, I’ve got an action item here, it says repair the safety net, and you’re the man in charge. I need it done by this Friday. So I’m delegating the job to you. You know I’m counting on you. No problem? Great! Thank you, goodbye.” President Romney hangs up and whistles cheerfully as he crosses the item off his to-do list.
WereBear
It’s funny, but back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and didn’t have premarital sex, I could see the Republican appeal. The whole world was white and married and climbed the ladder of success, and Republicans embodied that. People, even marginalized people, could identify.
But what do they have now? The two faces of the party are heartless mega-rich Romney, munching on dollar bills in quiet rooms, and Newt before a burning cross, surrounded by screaming old people on scooters.
Obviously, they have their fans. But I don’t see a broad spectrum jumping on board.
General Stuck
They say in Washington DC, a gaffe is someone accidentally telling the truth. I think that is exactly what “not ready for primetime Mitt” did with his unfortunate for a POTUS candidate slippage on “not concerned about the very poor” remark. He was telling the truth about how the GOP views the poor through their aristocratic caretaker mentality over the poor, or about anyone not rich. It can be seen in Jim Demented’s analysis of Mitt’s foopah.
You see, this is a plutocrats social safety net. They, the rich, will meet those needs (taken care of) of the less fortunate in something like “a social safety net” delivered by patrician wingnuts. But it won’t be without strings attached, for their own purposes of controlling the poor as more like their retarded spawn, to lend a hand, when and how they think is necessary. Usually, as a caricature of peasant working status to keep the profit monster fed, and the rich swimming in Caviar and Mint Juleps. They will put them to work, and pay them just enough to stay alive and healthy enough to keep the cogs of commerce turning round the clock. And Unemployment will be solved by peasant wages creating more job openings by stretching each labor dime over a greater number of warm bodies. Or, that cotton ain’t gonna pick itself, and you can pick more paying 5 drones the same amount as 1 drone. What a great country!
jibeaux
@kd bart: Brings back memories of “I’ll get bin Laden, my friends. I know where he is!”
rikryah
@Donut:
I have to agree. it’s friggin’ hilarious
jibeaux
I realize I’m not the first or last person to complain about politicians speaking in empty platitudes, but Romney also talked about how without raising taxes (and of course his budget cuts taxes on the rich), he’s going to balance the budget. I mean, honestly. How can he put that out there without at least tagging on the “by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. And regulations!” How else will the voters know exactly how he plans to trim a trillion dollars a year from the budget?
RalfW
And here’s Mitten’s constituency in Minnesota. From MinnPost.
Mitt Romney campaign stop includes all the standard stuff and some surprises
By Doug Grow | Wednesday, Feb 1, 2012
The presidential campaign of Mitt Romney made a brief stop in the Twin Cities this afternoon, bringing with it a surprise glitter attack, the candidate again singing “American the Beautiful” and some humor.
Start with the humor. Two mayors, R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis and Mike Maguire of Eagan, were standing outside the gates leading to the parking lot at the Eagan freight company where Romney was to hold a quickie rally.
Standing almost alone, the two mayors were preparing to deliver an anti-Romney, pro-Obama message to the media, when a woman, driving a white Lexus SUV pulled up.
“Where do I park?” the mayors said they were asked.
Despite opposing Romney, the two said they were helpful. The mayors and a couple of their associates pointed to the freight company’s large parking area.
“Are you the valet service?” the woman asked.
Laughing, the mayors, told the woman they were not.
“I call myself a full-service mayor but not that full service,” Maguire said later.
***
Yeah, a valet service for a campaign rally. Precious!!!
ETA: Note that Eagan is a second ring suburb, but has an Obama-supporting mayor. Not all of suburban Twin Cities is Bachmann country, thank FSM.
Hoodie
@General Stuck: Exactly. The tone deafness lies in an assumption that the elite gets to decide what the non-elite do or don’t deserve. It undermines wingnut theology regarding America being the land of free enterprise and equality of opportunity (but not results) because it reinforces the suspicion that the deck is stacked in favor of the playas. It’s the condescension of David Brooks and Charles Murray.
Dr.BDH
Shorter Craphammer: “Here, Mitt, let me show you how a real asshole does it.”
Cacti
Mitt’s greatest hits…
“Corporations are people, my friend.”
“I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”
“The banks aren’t bad people, they’re just overwhelmed right now.”
“I’m not concerned with the very poor.”
Keep ’em coming Willard!
Hoodie
@rikryah: My personal favorite is “Rmoney.” Ought to be able to subliminally insert that in an ad or two.
Palli
@Kirbster:
Yes, Romney never saw a “middleclass” day in his life!
His experience in American culture is extremely deficient and he has made no effort to gain an understanding or develop an imagination to empathize.
Hr could never be a President of the American People. He should be made an archetype of the American 1% .
Palli
@Alex S.:
Would Portman have to give up his senate seat to campaign? As an Ohioan, I’m all for that…but Lieberman didn’t…
bemused
@RalfW:
Hilarious.
Cacti
@Palli:
But he once crapped in a bucket in France*
How much more middle class can you get?
(*where he was hiding from the Vietnam war on a ministerial deferment)
Elie
@cmorenc:
Part of Mitt’s problem (aside from not being terribly bright), is that his party and the right in general, have no real ideas anymore… they cannot (because its not possible), hold that cutting tax rates for the wealthy leads to “raising all boats”. We have seen that “idea”, (such as it was), fail miserably and with a ton of collateral damage – leaving this country with huge income disparity and major damage to its institutions that were to oversee and safeguard all Americans from the excesses of go go capitalism. They got nothin but meanness and cutting taxes for the rich some more.. that is their only “fix” to the mess they got us in..
They know that the reckonning is coming, but hope to avoid it for as long as they can…problem is that they have no tools to avoid it except shear brazen denial and trying to pull up every bogeyman (racism, classism)they can to get the White Tribe ginned up and distract the real issues. Given the reality that the Republican turn out in these primaries has been weaker than expected, and that they are having a heck of a time settling on their candidate, I am not thinking that the approach is really working for ’em like they would like… And Mr foot in mouth is just making the situation worse (heh heh heh)
Hatmandu
So Mittens isn’t a 99%, but he is a 90-95%? Where is the outrage from the right for this anti-americanism/class warfare? I guess it’s okay to rise up with some of the proletariat, as long as you hate the dusky, poor peoples.
New Mitt campaign slogan: I’m Trotsky, not Lenin.
Cat Lady
@RalfW:
What a ridiculous scene – Pumped Up Kicks for the old white farts? FAIL. Is he going to sing America The Beautiful for the next 8 months? Really? I guess if you don’t want to be a gaffe machine you should only sing America The Beautiful.
Cat Lady
@Hoodie:
It should always be written as Mitt ( R )money.
Palli
@RossInDetroit:
I don’t think the term “leader” describes Romney well. He may pretend to it but he is really the “follower”.
What he does know he is an ENTITLED PERSON. He knows he and his family is an American royalty.
That is what this election should be about. A beginning step to refining success in America. Re-defining taxes, bottom line profits, class…
He is also very sure that Newt and Callista are “Pretenders to the Crown”.
Insultingly, Romney knows our President and the First Lady are the help.
The right hate usurpers whose intelligence, commonsense, social skills and character surpass their own. Romney is campaigning for the American Royals and their privledge to dismantle even the slight democracy we have.
4tehlulz
You know who Donald Trump thinks can help Mitt get out of this jam?
Donald Trump
Palli
Sorry for grammatical error “is” instead of “are” above.
Palli
@Elie:
Absolutely.
Chris
@Elie:
I agree.
I don’t think this is a new problem for Republicans, though. Reagan didn’t rise on the strength of his inspirational ideas, he rose by exploiting the shit out of racial and cultural fears by doing exactly what Romney just did with the “poor people = lavish safety net = stop worrying about them!” routine.
What’s different now is that they’re running in a public that’s less and less receptive to their ideas (e.g. less white). So, they’re going crazy. It’s like someone whose computer suddenly stops working for no apparent reason and starts frantically pushing buttons and slapping the monitor just to get a reaction.
Palli
@J.:
about the dog harrowing ride in 83- did you hear that Two of the Romney son’s have disputed the family folklore. They say the poor dog ran away when he was taken down from the top of the car and released. The dog was not sent to Romney’s sister in California to live the life of Riley. As a dog rescuer myself, I hope the dog found a safe loving adoptive home to live out his time. PTSD in dogs is real.
Elie
@Palli:
They probably don’t think that this story is going to have “legs” — but folks don’t like people who mistreat dogs and the fate of that dog is going to be of serious interest and if negative, add more shit on top of Mitt’s Many Mental Mistakes. How did the story about strapping the dog to the roof of their car even get out anyway?
FlipYrWhig
@Elie: IIRC one of the sons told it as a funny story about how Papa Mitt didn’t like to deviate from routine, as for instance by making unscheduled rest stops while driving in the Romney Family Truckster.
The Other Chuck
@Schlemizel:
As opposed to McCain, who merely appears to be sculpted out of it.
Elie
@FlipYrWhig:
Doesnt say too much that is nice about the son either… Yeah, pretty funny that Daddy doesnt mind driving our dog nuts to get somewhere 15 minutes faster…
xian
@Elie: It was intended as an amusing story about Mitt’s problem-solving skills, served up by his own campaign hagiographers I believe.
grandpa john
@Egg Berry:
Well no, because if the asshole had a fucking clue about the separation of powers then the idiot might realize that it would not be within the designated powers of the executive branch to fix it, all he could do is try to persuade congress to “fix it”
grandpa john
@JPL: he’s using MBA math
Elie
@xian:
Again — it is an unintended mirror reflecting character traits that are less than stellar. Maybe everyone around him has that broken key? Effing scary to think about on a relatively small issue — think about the big stuff and what this might reflect…
grandpa john
@General Stuck:
Except as Georgia found out this past summer ,If you keep fucking with the drones, you wind up with no drones available at any price
Gust Avrakotos
More bad news for Obama. He is definitely losing the youth vote just like Republican shills said.
http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-google-hangout-wins-over-republican-questioner-170401200.html
hitchhiker
The mormons I know (lots, from my years living in SLC) will say that one of the things people don’t get about their church is how good it is at taking care of members in need. When I heard that line out of Mitt’s mouth, it reminded me of that . . . from his perspective, taking care of the losers and the unlucky is just something that’s been bult into the system because it’s what nice people do. He probably thinks the federal social safety net is just like the one the LDS people run.
What rich people do not (and can’t ever) get in their bones is what it feels like to not have that giant wall of certainty standing behind them at all times. They live their lives in its shadow. This is what comes across whenever Mitt tries to act like he’s “one of us.” He has no idea what it means to spend every minute of every day in the glaring light of economic hardship stretching to every horizon. He might as well be from another planet.
General Stuck
@grandpa john:
yea, that little xenophobe law they passed backfired on them, if I remember correctly.
Kilkee
@Michelle: Short answer, I think, is yes, at least as much as one could hope the non-junkies would. I am pleasnatly surprised by the extent to which people see what a clown car of asshats the GOP has put up this year. Not that 45% of them won’t vote for whichever moron gets the nomination, but at least they will do so reluctantly, and the indies should lean Dem.
Beautiful city, that Prague. I envy you. Have a nephew who married a girl from Plzen. Lovely country.
Veritas
So then why is Obambi tied with Romney in the latest poll?
Looks like it’s down-to-the-wire. And that’s BEFORE the Super PACs turn their massive fire on Obambi. Grab your tums, “progressives”, this election is going to be giving you some real heartburn…
http://www.gallup.com/poll/152240/Romney-Ties-Obama-Swing-States-Gingrich-Trails.aspx
Kilkee
Wow. No better way to cement ones bona fides as a man of the people than to trot out a Donald Trump endorsement right after announcing that you “don’t care about” the very poor. Nicely played, Mitt.
A.J.
Love Krauthammer’s answer – TAX CUTS!!!
“…lower the marginal rates in taxes so you encourage economic expansion and creation of jobs.”
He means again.
moderateindy
Time to defend Mitt. His point is at least close to valid. If your dirt poor, granted your life sucks the big one, but we do have a social safety net for those that have absolutely nothing. We have very little in the way of programs for those in this society that have a regular amount of nothing. Right now, that is a pretty large chunk of our citizens. If we had a better safety net for folks that are one bad event away from absolutely nothing, the returns on investment for those would be dramatic. People who couldn’t afford healthcare being able to go see a doctor early in their ailment’s progression would save us billions. More liberal access to food stamps, would help families, farmers and other parts of the economy as people would have more cash in their pockets, and less stress on their lives. How do you imagine it feels if you’re a man or woman that can’t feed your family. I have to believe that it would carry so much shame that it would affect your entire existence.
So, while Mitt is a total douche-bag in magic undies, and he didn’t phrase it fabulously, and it was little more than a talking point to get the unwashed masses to believe he gives a crap about them, I still see his point
The Other Chuck
@moderateindy:
I might see Mitt’s point if eliminating said safety net wasn’t at the very center of the Republican agenda.
Kilkee
@Veritas: Of course, they really haven’t met Mitt yet.
Kola Noscopy
test
AA+ Bonds
What was cute was how he weaseled in that line about “if the safety net needs fixing, then I’ll fix it.”
Note the if-then construction: in other words, nothing needs fixing, so fuck off.
I called this hours after the quote and the press still hasn’t caught on.
AA+ Bonds
@moderateindy:
LOL, no you don’t, or you do and you’re lying, which is what the name “moderateindy” makes me think. It makes me think, “Kochsucker with little imagination”, like there’s any other kind.
His point was that people in the middle don’t need to worry their precious little heads about reaping the rewards of the middle-class society they’ve built,
because The Magic Market will solve all the middle class’s problems.
So no help for you, middle class! Mitt’s gonna let your mortgage hit rock bottom and see how you like it! And “the market” will solve everything!
JUST LIKE IT DID IN 2007! See, people were working long hours with sinking income then. BANG!
Mitt’s dream for the American worker: zero work hours, zero income! PROBLEM SOLVED
AA+ Bonds
@FlipYrWhig:
Mitt Romney: he likes to decide when you get to pee