EXPLOSIVE POLITICAL NUGGET!!
Excerpts from Leaked Mitt Romney Fundraiser Videos from the Washington Post
"Below are excerpts from a series of videos of Mitt Romney speaking bluntly at a fundraiser published on Monday by Mother Jones magazine. Mother Jones obtained the video from a confidential source."
Here's one of the "money" quotes:
“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. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…"
The original source for the leaked video was this story from Mother Jones Magazine. There are WAY MORE disgusting comments from Romney in other things he says, any one of these multiple comments would be a story in and of itself:
SECRET VIDEO: Romney Tells Millionaire Donors What He REALLY Thinks of Obama Voters (David Corn) from Mother Jones Magazine
"[David Corn's summation] Here was Romney raw and unplugged—sort of unscripted. With this crowd of fellow millionaires, he apparently felt free to utter what he really believes and would never dare say out in the open. He displayed a high degree of disgust for nearly half of his fellow citizens, lumping all Obama voters into a mass of shiftless moochers who don't contribute much, if anything, to society, and he indicated that he viewed the election as a battle between strivers (such as himself and the donors before him) and parasitic free-riders who lack character, fortitude, and initiative."
The text of the Romney campaign's response can be found here:
Romney Campaign Non-responds to Devastating Videos of Mitt Being a D#$% (Kaili Joy Gray) from Daily Kos
"That would be the completely non-responsive response to the jaw-dropping no-longer-secret video of Mitt Romney ... Worst presidential campaign EVER."
Some reactions to this extraordinary candor:
Obama's response:
"It's shocking that a candidate for President of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as ‘victims,’ entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take ‘personal responsibility’ for their lives. It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation."
Thurston Howell Romney (David Brooks) from the New York Times
This is the most thoughtful and devastating comment from this evening's ample crop.
"Romney, who criticizes President Obama for dividing the nation, divided the nation into two groups: the makers and the moochers. ... This comment suggests a few things. First, it suggests that he really doesn’t know much about the country he inhabits. Who are these freeloaders? Is it the Iraq war veteran who goes to the V.A.? Is it the student getting a loan to go to college? Is it the retiree on Social Security or Medicare? It suggests that Romney doesn’t know much about the culture of America. ... The people who receive the disproportionate share of government spending are not big-government lovers. They are Republicans. They are senior citizens. They are white men with high school degrees. ... "
And there are MANY more responses worth your time:
Romney ‘Victims’ Video Digs Hole for Campaign Damaged by Infighting (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
"The candidate is heard on video denigrating Democrats as freeloaders—just as his campaign appears consumed by infighting. Howard Kurtz assesses the fallout for Romney."
Today, Mitt Romney Lost the Election (Josh Barro) from Bloomberg News Service
"You can mark my prediction now: A secret recording from a closed-door Mitt Romney fundraiser, released today by David Corn at Mother Jones, has killed Mitt Romney's campaign for president. ... So what's the upshot? "My job is not to worry about those people," he says. He also notes, describing President Obama's base, "These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax." This is an utter disaster for Romney."
Similar sentiments abound:
This Video Could Kill Mitt Romney's Chances of Becoming President. Is it Too Late to Draft Rick Santorum? (Tim Stanley) from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"Sure, Romney's quote might contain a grain of truth. But it’s also cruel and fatalistic. The American Dream is rooted in the hope that someday we’ll all be rich enough to pay lots of tax (or own a bank account in the Caymans). To suggest that some folks will stick with their entitlements forever – that’s un-American. And Mitt makes it so much worse by suggesting that he doesn't care about them, either: "My job is not to worry about those people.""
Why This Is Bad for Romney (Mark Halperin) from Time Magazine
"There are just too many lines in what Romney said that are not politically defensible, especially, “I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” The reaction from the Romney campaign in a printed statement and from the right on cable, in tweets, and on the web so far is defiance. ... This is politically devastating because it plays into people’s preconceived notions of Romney as Monty Burns+Thurston Howell. And the bigger potential problem is that the right (Limbaugh, Ingraham, Erickson) will love what Romney said and if he walks it back they will savage him as being a weak-kneed and caving to liberals and the media."
Did Romney Just Lose The Election? Ctd (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
An interesting rundown of what conservative columnists are saying about the Romney fundraiser video.
Romney: I’ll Never Convince Obama Voters to Take Responsibility for their Lives (Greg Sargent) from the Washington Post
"I’ve argued here that the Romney campaign often seems to be running against a version of Obama that exists only in the imagination of the Fox/Limbaugh base and doesn’t really exist in the minds of swing and undecided voters. This takes the narrative to a whole new level ..."
Devastating (Josh Marshall) from Talking Points Memo
"It’s rare when the impact of some gaffe or embarrassment or revelation isn’t overstated on first blush. But this may just be that rare exception. This tape strikes me as absolutely devastating. ... this is a fine distillation of the most rancid version of the libertarian conservative worldview. Democrats are moochers and losers who can’t get their act together and think the government owes them food, board, health care and basically whatever else they want. You don’t need to look long to find this version of reality on the web. But this isn’t some right-wing blogger. It’s the Republican candidate for President of the United States. ...
Mitt Romney's 'Clinging to Guns or Religion' Moment (Conor Friedersdorf) from the Atlantic
"These sorts of remarks do double damage. They needlessly insult some people whose votes the candidate would like to win. And beyond the particulars of what is said, they remind voters that candidate's public persona is phony and affected. ... People will react the same way when they see this Romney tape."
Mitt Romney Trashes the 47 Percent (Jonathan Capehart) from the Washington Post
"That one-minute-seven-second clip lays waste to Romney’s concern “about the very heart of America, the 90, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.” Worse, it reveals it to be a lie. He couldn’t care less about them, it seems. That condescending clip shows a contempt for half the country that demands an explanation from Romney."
Mitt Romney Insults Half the Country (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"The GOP nominee writes off 47 percent of Americans as lazy, dependent Obama voters. Good luck getting elected, sir!"
There was some other news items for today:
Meir Dagan, Former Mossad Chief, Says Attack On Iran 'Stupidest Idea' He's Ever Heard (VIDEO) from the Huffington Post
"Speaking to '60 Minutes' Dagan said: "An attack on Iran now before exploring all other approaches is not the right way how to do it [sic]." Dagan, a man who Iranian authorities reportedly claim has dispatched assassins, computer viruses and faulty equipment in a bid to delay the country's nuclear program, appears to have developed a surprising appreciation for the Islamic Republic's regime - which is a sworn enemy of Israel."
Ultimatum to US: ‘Criminalise Blasphemy or Lose Consulate’ (Rana Tanveer) from the International Herald Tribune
"He said the director, the producer and all those involved in the production and release of the movie must be hanged publicly. “The US must make a law against blasphemy – or we will not let the US consulates in Pakistan function,” he said."
Devout Values Conflict With Free Speech in Muslim Rage from the New York Times
"Egyptians angered over an anti-Islam film have described their protest as a demand for “freedom”: the right of a community, whether Muslim, Christian or Jewish, to be free from grave insult to its identity."
Don’t Tell Anyone, but the Stimulus Worked (David Firestone) from the New York Times
"The president is no more likely to get credit for the Fed’s action — for which he was not responsible — than he gets for the transformative law for which he was fully responsible: the 2009 stimulus, which fundamentally turned around the nation’s economy and its prospects for growth, and yet has disappeared from the political conversation."
Boy Scouts Face Release Of Damaging Child Sex Abuse Files from Reuters via the Huffington Post
"The Boy Scouts of America could face a wave of bad publicity as decades of records of confirmed or alleged child molesters within the U.S. organization are expected to be released in coming weeks."
The American Election’s Global Reach (E.J. Dionne) from the Washington Post
"Polls reflecting an Obama upturn since the conventions suggest the Obama-Clinton politics of balance is far more popular than ideological conservatism. The two conclaves plainly shifted the campaign’s focus to the views of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan — and the more swing voters think about what the Republican ticket would do, the less they seem inclined to support it."
OUR PUNDIT-OF-THE-DAY!!
My Embed in Red (Frank Rich) from New York Magazine
"A week steeped in right-wing media reveals a Republican Party far more despairing than the lamestream knows."
Cameron 'Claimed Britain is United Against Mitt Romney' from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"David Cameron described US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney as having the “unique distinction of uniting the whole of England against him”, a Hollywood movie mogul has said."
The Grand Old Straight White Men’s Party (Bill Keller) from the New York Times
"New York Republicans have some practical lessons for the rest of the party."
Middle East Turmoil Closely Followed; Romney's Comments Viewed Negatively from the Pew Research Center
"Those who have followed this story have much more positive opinions about Barack Obama’s handling of the situation than Mitt Romney’s comments on the crisis. "
GOP Congressman Blows Up At CNN Host: ‘I Don’t Care What Fact Check Says,’ Obama Apologizes For America! from Think Progress
"During an appearance on CNN’s Starting Point on Monday, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) could not explain when President Obama “apologized” for the United States, despite repeatedly claiming that he went on an “apology tour” across the Middle East shortly after becoming president."
Mitt Romney Abruptly Shifts Strategy (Allen & Vandehei) from Politico
"Mitt Romney, sensing an opening in the Middle East mess and catching flak from conservatives for giving too little detail about his policy plans, is rolling out a new and broader strategy to make the election a referendum on “status quo versus change,” chief strategist Stuart Stevens told POLITICO. The shift, which is to include much more emphasis on Romney’s policy prescriptions, means he is scrapping the most basic precept of his campaign."
Yes -- DO give more detail. That's the ticket. People will just love all the program cuts you're going to inumerate.
Romney's 'New' Campaign Strategy Isn't Actually New (Molly Ball) from the Atlantic
From a right-of-center columnist no less:
"The Republican candidate hopes to convince voters he's turning the page -- by promising to keep doing exactly what he's been doing so far."
The GOP’s Self-Mutilating Panic (Leslie Savan) from the Nation
"As poll numbers rise for Obama and other Democrats down-ballot, it’s sinking in that the victory the GOP thought it would achieve with obstruction and falsehoods will probably turn into a defeat for both the presidency and the Senate."
FIRE TORNADO NUGGET!!
Caught on Camera: The Rare Tornado of FIRE that Whirled Around Australian Outback for Terrifying 40 MINUTES from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"An astonished filmmaker is coming to grips with the moment he witnessed one of nature's rarest phenomenons - a tornado comprised entirely of fire- and lived to tell the tale."
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