Mitt Romney Defends Income Redistribution In Campaign Speech

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On the heels of his disastrous hidden camera video fiasco, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has had to deal with the inconvenient fact, revealed in a 1962 interview with his mother, Lenore Romney, that his father was once part of the 47% of Americans that Romney now says he can't reach. Romney showed Herb Alpert-esque brass by confronting the issue of George Romney's time on welfare head-on in a campaign speech Wednesday night, defending that redistribution of income even as his campaign attacks President Obama over similar remarks from 14 years ago.

Romney's campaign has been in crisis mode ever since damning hidden camera video of a May 17 fundraiser surfaced, in which Romney effectively writes off the 47% of Americans who pay no federal income tax, singling them out as people '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,' and saying it's not his job 'to worry about those people' because he'll 'never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.'

Those remarks are problematic for a host of reasons, one of them being that, in an interview recently unearthed by Buzzfeed, Mitt Romney's mother, Lenore Romney, reveals that Mitt's dad, George Romney, was on welfare for years as a child:

Romney addressed his father's time as a 47-percenter at a campaign speech in Florida Wednesday night:

Complicating matters for Gov. Romney, even if he studiously avoided using the words 'welfare' and 'redistribution,' is the remarkable similarity between what he said in that speech last night, and what Barack Obama said in 1998, which the Romney campaign is using to attack him. Here's what Romney said about his dad's time on welfare:

'I mentioned my dad, my dad was born in Mexico of Americans parents living there. At age 5 or 6 there was revolution. They came back to the United States, and my dad had to get help, financial help, the government helped his family be able to get on their feet again. By the way, that's the way America works, we have big hearts, we care for people who have needs. We help get them back. We help lift them up, but then we don't make that a permanent lifestyle.'

So, in short, Romney supports at least some level of income redistribution, which is what welfare is. Let's see what that pinko Obama had to say fourteen years ago:

I actually believe in redistribution, at least at a certain level to make sure that everybody's got a shot.

The difference, other than Romney's refusal to use the magic words 'welfare' and 'redistribution,' is that Romney wants to appeal to those members of the 47% who don't see themselves as 'those people,' while stoking their resentment of 'those people.' He's saying that welfare is fine for hard-working people who just run into some bad luck, but not for 'those people' who just want 'free stuff' from the government. Romney's audience doesn't see themselves that way, but they know who he's really talking about. 'Those people.'

This isn't a new tactic for Romney, he has drawn this distinction for a very long time, but it's an increasingly incoherent argument. We don't have a safety net because we have big hearts, we have a safety net because a widespread descent into poverty drags down the entire economy, and examples like Romney's dad and former National Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly Danny Vargas demonstrate the necessity and efficacy of that safety net, even as they try to rip it down for those who come after them. In one of Romney's lying welfare ads, Vargas explains how he grew up on welfare at a time when there were no work requirements (as there are now), but went on to be a huge success, then argues against his own success  by saying that 'the problem with that is there's been so many success stories since the welfare reform of the 90s.'

Aside from promoting the lie that President Obama is stripping the work requirement out of welfare, it also makes no sense whatsoever. Here's a success story that happened because of welfare, but welfare is baaad.'

It's bad because Danny Vargas and Mitt Romney got theirs, and now they want to cut the ropes for everyone behind them, because while they would be nowhere without the income redistribution that saved their families, they can't stand the thought of 'those people' reaping the same benefits.

• Well reasoned, TC!

• in other words. Willy Romney Flip Flopped'..Again. He really thinks people WANT to be on welfare forever. LOL

• 'Romney showed Herb Alpert-esque brass'' Tommy Christopher

  'Nice one. Although, not sure is Herb Alpert will like it.

  Now if only Mitt Romney could find and stick to one position'

• Romney is just a complete joke at this point.

  The only thing that matters at this point is how much he's going to lose by and how many other GOP candidates he's going to pull down with him. Period.

• Romney would be smart to embrace that argument. Apart from the fact that it is obviously true, it also makes him look like less of an as$hoIe.

• Of course he does.

  No contemporary pol in any industrialized state is against redistribution. This whole conversation is a giant red herring.

  If you want to have an actual conversation about social policy you have to move on and admit the tradition of structures and institutions in which you live.

• Unholy MAGIC UNDERWEAR!

  Mittens' dad, a MEXICAN living OFF WELFARE!

  No mames'

• The GOP is striking a match that can not be put out, they are dividing the country in several different and ugly ways and throwing gasoline on the fires they are starting.

  These fools think they will be able to focus peoples anger in order to get things & do things an informed electorate would never give them (NATIONAL SOCIALIST STYLE DON'T-CHA-KNOW) and ignoring the fact that the people of this country are used to certain things being a certain way'and those are the things they are screwing with the most and that is how civil wars get started and they are throwing religion and a 'hate your neighbor' attitude into the mix'These Cult Conservatives are in every way you define it enemies domestic of the United States. We need to get them out of Congress THIS election & keep the Romney Fascists out of the White House.

• Everyone should watch the old clip. Mitt Romney's dad ran for the job to fix a failing economy that some said 'couldn't be done', and if he failed to lead a recovery after two years, he wouldn't run again since he hadn't done the job well. Remember when Obama said if he didn't do his job he wouldn't run again because he'd failed? Eerie.

• Another distorted headline by ignorant Tommy. Actually Tommy isn't ignorant he is just distorting on purpose. He is a shill for Obama. It must drive him crazy that it isn't working.
  Every other day T.C. writes some 'shocking' story about a Romney gaffe that will end his campaign. LOL. Check the polls, dimwit. Even when over polling democrats by as many as ten points Romney still remains tied with Obama. The fact is that Romney is really leading and he is going to win going away.
  Tommy is Obama zombie dreamer.

• Etchin and Sketchin'..again! GOP you've been PUNKED by the Mittster. He's not in it to win it anymore'.and somewhere Santorum & Newt are high-fiving.

  Santorum added: 'If they're going to be a little different, we migh as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be the Etch A Sketch candidate for the future.'

• MITT ROMNEY is your typical run of the mill military dodging welfare queen GOPer.

• Willard Romney loves redistribution. He especially loves taking from the poor to give more and more to people like himself

• Tommy isnt your narrative that Mitt has been fed from the silver spoon? Is it now that hes just a product of the government system? Which one is it? #flipfloppingnarratives

• Has the Romney campaign reset happened yet. Did I miss anything?

• There have been 13 resets just since Monday.

• is it me or did Romney's skin complexion look a little more 'Latino' last night ?
  he looks like he has johnboehneritis

• George W. Romney didnt build those silver spoons by himself, the government helped him'.. eventho he was MEXICAN !!!

• and then give it to the Swiss, Cayman and Arubian economies.

• Did Tommy really just call Obama a 'pinko'? Too funny!

• He should take a day off. No sense making an ass of yourself everyday.

• Watching Romney forced back to the ANTI GUN , liberal Dem grandfather of Obamacare as the baggers sit back helpless and take it like Faux nooz instructs = Priceless.
  gonna have to grow a SET girls

• Romney is not the joke. This would be funny if it weren't so tragic. Barack Obama's new flag and the inspiration behind it' Anything to change the topic from Obama's failures.

• hypocritical phony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the media should make a bigger deal out of this clip!

• Why does is skin look like that though?

• Obama hasn't failed' He saved the country from going into a depression. If the obstructionist Republicans hadn't stood in his way we would all be better off now.