Mitt Romney Bootlegs, Clinging to the 47 Percent of 'Entitled' 'Victims, Silver Spoons and Eastwood Talks (PM Note)
A man of contradictions. Mitt Romney admits in edited recordings of a private fundraiser leaked to Mother Jones that he was born with a silver spoon - "the greatest gift you can have" - but at another point says he "inherited nothing" from his parents.
Recordings of the private Mitt Romney fundraiser published by Mother Jones - disclosure: we don't know when, exactly, they were recorded and we haven't heard the whole thing - offer an inside look at what top donors hear from Mitt Romney when the cameras aren't rolling.
He cracked a joke about how he'd be doing better in the polls if he were Latino, talked about how hard it is to convince people who voted for Obama that he's a failure, and essentially wrote off 47 percent of the population who he said will always support the president because they "believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax. "
These people aren't his concern, he said. http://abcn.ws/QUYWJp
It is true that about 47 percent of Americans do not pay income tax, either because they don't work or don't make enough money. But for all of them to be government-addicted victims seems a bit high.
"My job is not to worry about those people," Romney says in the video. "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."
A late evening statement from Romney spokeswoman Gail Gitcho:
"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. 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."
No Shakeup - The recordings immediately distracted D.C. journos from their stories about Mitt Romney's last-minute campaign reboot and the promise by Ed Gillespie earlier in the day to offer more specifics.
Gillespie's promise - part of what he called the "natural progression" of the campaign - came just before Romney rejected any talk of a staff shake-up.
"I've got a terrific campaign," Romney told Telemundo. "My senior campaign people work extraordinarily well together. I work well with them. Our campaign is doing well. And frankly- these process stories- take anyway from what's really of concern to the American people, which is an unemployment rate stuck above 8%, 23 million Americans out of work- millions of Americans now in poverty. I believe there's some two million more Hispanic Americans in poverty than when the president took office. These are the concerns people of America have. And they're the reason that we're in this campaign."
Muir/Friedman have been tracking that story all day - http://abcn.ws/UfGPfT
No YOU'RE Softer on China - Obama and Romney Trade Barbs - To hear the campaigns tell it, President Obama is a softie on China "cheating" and Mitt Romney outsourced American jobs to Chinese factories. Those are the latest attack lines the two camps are launching with just 50 days remaining in the race for the White House. But the facts behind both claims are disputable.
http://abcn.ws/OxRaRO (Amy Bingham, Emily Friedman)
Zing! - 'I've Actually Done My Own Taxes" - President Obama today sharpened a personal line of attack on his Republican rival, mocking Romney's tax proposals and renewing a charge that he is an outsourcing "pioneer." "I've actually done my own taxes," Obama said, showing a hint of disdain for Romney at a rally in Eden Park. "I don't know about some of these other folks, but I've done them, you know… So I know we can make it more simple and more fair." The president blasted the Romney-Ryan tax plan as slanted toward upper-income earners, increasing burdens on the middle class and growing the federal deficit. "As President Clinton pointed out, there's one thing missing from it: arithmetic. Arithmetic," Obama said. http://abcn.ws/U5i8qK
Clint Eastwood Talks to GMA About RNC Speech - "Something about the aging process that makes you give a crap less" - http://abcn.ws/Ox9ieF
Viral Video Splices Obama 'You Didn't Build That' With M.C. Hammer - A new well-produced, mash-up Internet video marries President Obama's controversial "You didn't build that" statement with M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This." http://abcn.ws/Rk1UnI (Z. Bryon Wolf)
How's Obama Prepping for Debates? It's a Secret - Seventeen days before he faces Republican challenger Mitt Romney on a Denver debate stage, President Obama is keeping his preparations for the first encounter largely a secret, while his aides publicly vow to keep details of the process a close hold. http://abcn.ws/S06IOQ (Devin Dwyer)
Paul Ryan Says Fed Bailing Out Obama - As the Federal Reserve pumps billions of dollars into the economy with the hope of stimulating job creation, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said that the Fed is bailing out President Obama "at the expense of monetary policy." http://abcn.ws/QUfFg1 (John Parkinson)
Top Romney Staffer Denies Campaign Disarray - A top strategist for Mitt Romney confirmed Sunday night that "speeches go through lots of processes and editing" after Politico first reported there were competing versions of Romney's Tampa, Fla., convention speech. The speech Romney ultimately delivered was criticized for failing to mention Afghanistan. http://abcn.ws/OzICiX (David Muir)
How Jumping Castles, Waffle Irons Are Helping To Elect Obama - A jumping castle, a giant water slide, a rusty waffle iron and a dusty bicycle, those are the tools grassroots fundraisers are using to help President Obama win re-election. http://abcn.ws/O8AHcq (Amy Bingham)