Romney Remarks He’s Unemployed, DNC Slams Him as ‘Out of Touch’
EmailABC News’ Emily Friedman (@EmilyABC) reports:
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was criticized today by The Democratic National Committee for being “out of touch” after remarking during a campaign stop in Florida today that he too is unemployed.
The DNC’s “Rapid Response” team circulated a New York Times article this afternoon along with the message “Out of touch much…” to subscribers.
Romney was in Tampa today as part of a three-day trip to the Sunshine State for multiple fundraisers, and made a campaign stop along the way at Buddy Brew Coffee to talk to small business owners and Floridians looking for jobs.
After listening to stories about how hard it is to find work, Romney said, “I should tell my story, I’m also unemployed,” the Times reported.
“I have my sight on a particular job,” Romney added, according to the report, before saying that he might be without a job for “longer than [he’d] like.”
But aides who were with Romney at the event told ABC News that his remarks garnered laughter from the crowd and that the remark was meant to be self-deprecating, an attempt by the candidate to make fun of himself.
Romney has so far focused much of his campaign on pegging President Obama as the one who is out of touch when it comes to creating jobs to spur the struggling economy.
Following the May jobs report that showed an increase in the unemployment rate – it went up from 9 percent to 9.1 percent – Romney remarked at a town hall in Manchester, N.H., that President Obama has “failed the American people.”
“The borrowing and the spending and the 1.6 trillion dollar deficit these numbers are his, they are on his back, and that is why he it’s why he is going to lose,” Romney said.
And earlier this week the Romney campaign released a new web video “Bump in the Road,” a jab at President Obama’s remarks that there are “always bumps in the road to recovery.”
The video featured individuals declaring, “I am an American, not a bump in the road.”
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The guy made fun of himself. Get over it. I think being really out of touch results when a failure to create jobs on your watch doesn’t even effect you.
Posted by: Li | June 16, 2011, 1:47 pm 1:47 pm
Not FUNNY! Romney is a pinhead.
Posted by: Tyler | June 16, 2011, 2:19 pm 2:19 pm
That’s the problem. You can spin anything and make appear to be whatever you want. The DNC are the masters of this tactic.
Posted by: Alan | June 16, 2011, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
Sorry, Mr. Romney, but there’s absolutely NOTHING funny about a multi-millionaire joking about being “unemployed” to actual unemployed people.
Posted by: Travis | June 16, 2011, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
Mittens made the majority of his millions by unemploying workers. Best we keep this dillweed unemployed. I think he’ll be able to last a few years without a job.
Posted by: pamp205 | June 16, 2011, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
Hey Li,
Check out Mittens record on jobs while Gov of MA. And then go back to your original post.
Posted by: pamp205 | June 16, 2011, 3:14 pm 3:14 pm
Congressman Romney proved his stupidity. His claim he is unemployed if false. If he were jobless, what on earth is he employed in Congress? If he considers himself underemployed, well he made his choices, accusing President Obama denotes that Romney is envious of our President.
Posted by: Moderate American | June 16, 2011, 5:16 pm 5:16 pm
ROMNEY IS NOT UNDEREMPLOYED, RATHER IS IS OVER-EMPLOYED AND TOO SMALL FOR HIS KISTERS, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!
Posted by: Moderate American | June 16, 2011, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
Jeez, people. It’s called humor. Get some! If your candidate had been in the same situation, you’d have thought it hysterical. (For the record, he’s not my candidate, but I still think it’s funny.)The DNC and it’s twin in the other party, never miss an opportunity to slam the opposition. Warranted or not.
Posted by: Gary | June 16, 2011, 6:12 pm 6:12 pm
Mr. Ron Paul for 2012.
Regan said, “What to ask is am I better off now than 4 years ago. Is food cheaper now than 4 years ago? Are taxes lower now than 4 years ago? Is the job situation better than it was 4 years ago?”
With Ron Paul’s 2012, You, it, and they would be.
Constitutionally, legislatively, and morally, Ron Paul has no equal. His 22 year voting record speaks for itself.
As Mr. Regan said, “You ain’t seen nothin yet!”
Ron Paul for 2012 Republican Nomination and President
Posted by: George Washington | June 16, 2011, 9:53 pm 9:53 pm
I hate Romney, but it was a good tasteful joke……..he’s out of work technically and looking for a new job. The bots are just peeve because while Romney makes a joke that he is out of work, Obama brags that he has a bigger plane (at taxpaye expense) so is better off than 3 years ago. Its not romney’s fault that Obama is a moron and his elitist crowd of teleprompter writers are also clueless.
Posted by: Football | June 17, 2011, 1:11 am 1:11 am
To millions of Americans, unemployment or underemployment is no laughing matter. Romney is a freakin millionaire. Let’s see him live on $270 a week for awhile, then have to take a crap job just to keep a roof over his head. In my opinion, being out of touch is what got McCain defeated in 2008.. when he said the economy was fine. As one of the millions of unemployed Americans, I knew the economy wasn’t fine.
Posted by: greta | June 17, 2011, 5:34 am 5:34 am
“After listening to stories about how hard it is to find work, Romney said, “I should tell my story, I’m also unemployed,” the Times reported.
???? LOL!!!!!! THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE READ IN LONG TIME!!!! LOL!!! I’m literally about to fall off my chair in fits of laughter!!!
Posted by: MyTakeOnThis61 | June 17, 2011, 10:24 am 10:24 am
Food for thought, Next years election if Romney is the GOP Representative for President, REMEMBER HIS COMMENTS AND MAKE SURE HE REMAINS UNEMPLOYED. Thanks for such a funny joke, you should go to California and maybe you and the cheat Arnold can star in a sitcom together. Two Men without a Heart.
Posted by: Thomas | June 17, 2011, 10:53 am 10:53 am
“But aides who were with Romney at the event told ABC News that his remarks garnered laughter from the crowd and that the remark was meant to be self-deprecating, an attempt by the candidate to make fun of himself.”
His next comments were equally ‘humorous and self-deprecating’: “Of course, the three multi-million dollar mansions I own at least guarantees that I have a roof over my head while I search for a real job. Unlike many of the poor today. Ha ha ha ha. Joke’s on them”…..
Posted by: Searambler | June 17, 2011, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
Moderate American wrote, “Congressman Romney proved his stupidity. His claim he is unemployed if false. If he were jobless, what on earth is he employed in Congress?”
FYI, Romney is not a congressman. He is a former Governor of MA. He ran for US Senate in 1994, but despite throwing boatloads of cash into his campaign, he came up well short…..
Posted by: Searambler | June 17, 2011, 12:08 pm 12:08 pm
Not Funny Romney!!, but on the other hand I am sure the American people will make sure you stay that way. And these are the people these jokers are asking to contribute to their campaign. they should have to spend their own dang money first. That is part of the reason they feel they can spend our money so freely, since they are spending it from day one of their campaigns.
Posted by: MiketheElectrician | June 17, 2011, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
What he meant to say was, he knows how to make people unemployed, that’s how he made his living. Firing people for corporations, showing profit and then selling the companies. What a great guy, and what’s he worth? Oh ya, $200 million
Posted by: catsrboss | June 17, 2011, 8:00 pm 8:00 pm
Out of touch? The President recently said that ATM’s cause unemployment.
Posted by: Walter | June 18, 2011, 1:22 am 1:22 am
He should have suggested that American’s give President Obama his pink slip!
Posted by: Voice_Reason | June 19, 2011, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm