ROMNEY STANDS BY CLAIM THAT 47% OF AMERICANS ARE ‘DEPENDENT’ ON GOVERNMENT

Responding to an undercover video showing Mitt Romney claiming that President Obama’s voters — 47% of Americans — are “dependent upon government” and “believe they are victims,” the GOP presidential candidate’s campaign stood by the former governor’s claim. “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. RNC Chairman Reince Preibus agreed, telling CNN, “No, I don’t think the candidate’s off message at all.”


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It’s only September, but Mitt Romney has already written off almost half the country’s voters. A hidden-camera recording obtained by Mother Jones captures Romney at a private fundraiser telling donors that, “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who 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.” 

Watch it:

Publicly, Romney claims that he aims to help middle-class Americans. As he told CNN’s Gloria Borger last month, “I know the very wealthy are going to do just fine whoever is elected. The middle class is the people that is the group of people that I am most concerned about, they need our – and the poor – they need our help. They need our help with good jobs. That is only going to come if we encourage this economy by keeping the burdens on small business down.”

UPDATE:

Romney from April 11, 2012: “Is there anyone who believes that dividing America and trying to find some group to tax more is somehow going to create more jobs?”

Romney Also Released This Video About The Current State Of His Campaign: